Book Description
ABSTRACT: This study explored the teaching experiences and perceptions of five graduates of the five-year ProTeach teacher education program at the University of Florida who had been teaching ELLS in mainstream elementary classrooms in large districts in public schools in Florida in order to understand the reality that such teachers might face. In addition, it examined their perceptions about the continuities and discontinuities of their university preparation and their teaching realities. Finally, it considered similarities and differences in experiences and perceptions between the two participants who had specialized in teaching ELLs in ProTeach and the three who had specialized in other fields. The conceptual frameworks for the study were teacher socialization and teacher perceptions. Seidman's qualitative methodology of in-depth interviewing from a phenomenological philosophical perspective was used. Participants were interviewed three times; the first was about their life history to provide background; the second was about their experiences teaching ELLs in mainstream elementary classrooms; and the third was about their teacher education to teach ELLs.