Teaching English as a Second Language in Science Classes: Incommensurate Epistemologies?

The state of Victoria, reflecting a worldwide trend in English-speaking countries, has adopted over the last 15 years a policy of mainstreaming English as a Second Language (ESL). This paper argues that the notion of mainstreaming has not been adequately problematised by research in the area. It is...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Language and education 2003, Vol.17 (3), p.161-173
Main Author: Arkoudis, Sophie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Content Area Teaching
Discourse Modes
Educational Policy
English (Second Language)
Epistemology
Foreign Countries
Mainstreaming
Science Education
Sciences
Second Language Instruction
Second Language Learning
Teacher Education
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The state of Victoria, reflecting a worldwide trend in English-speaking countries, has adopted over the last 15 years a policy of mainstreaming English as a Second Language (ESL). This paper argues that the notion of mainstreaming has not been adequately problematised by research in the area. It is often seen by policy makers as ESL teachers working cooperatively with subject specialists in planning curriculum tasks for the ESL learners. Yet many ESL teachers know that the reality is very different. The author explores the epistemological authority of an ESL teacher when planning curriculum with a science teacher. It is argued that only by exploring and understanding the distinct discourse communities that ESL and science teachers belong to, can we begin to understand how teachers can negotiate shared understandings. The paper concludes with implications for teacher education.
ISSN:0950-0782
1747-7581
DOI:10.1080/09500780308666846