Article published In:
Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education: Online-First Articles

Using a rubric as a mediational tool to assess pre-service immersion teacher development

A case study

ORCID logo | University of Minnesota
ORCID logo | Western Washington University
Dual language and immersion (DLI) teaching requires knowledge and pedagogical skills focused on language and content integration (e.g., Cammarata & Tedick, 2012; Lyster, 2007; Tedick & Cammarata, 2023). Recent scholarship has begun to articulate how best to prepare DLI teachers with such knowledge and skills (e.g., Cammarata & Haley, 2017; Tedick et al., 2024; Tedick & Zilmer, 2018). This study adds to this work by exploring how a DLI-specific teacher assessment rubric mediates the learning process. Researchers created a DLI-specific rubric to aid pre-service teacher candidates (TCs) in developing skills related to content and language integration. The case study explores one TC and one supervisor’s experiences with the rubric. Data sources include audio “diaries” and video-recordings of post-observation conferences between the two participants. Qualitative inductive analysis led to sociocultural concepts (Vygotsky, 1978) as explanatory tools for understanding the role of the rubric in the TC’s learning and supervisor’s mentoring.
Keywords: teacher education, dual language and immersion education, teacher assessment rubric, sociocultural theory, mediation
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Dual language and immersion education
    • 1.2Literature review
  • 2.Background to the study
    • 2.1Rubric design
    • 2.2Rubric development
  • 3.The study
    • 3.1Study context
    • 3.2Theoretical framework and research questions
    • 3.3Study participants
    • 3.4Data collection and analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1The language of the rubric as a symbolic artifact
    • 4.2The rubric as a mediational tool
      • 4.2.1Affordances
      • 4.2.2Constraints
    • 4.3Collaborative dialogue mediates teacher candidate learning
  • 5.Discussion, implications, and conclusion
    • 5.1Discussion
    • 5.2Implications
    • 5.3Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 6 September 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.24015.ted
References (28)
References
Adams, P. E., & Krockover, G. H. (1999). Stimulating constructivist teaching styles through use of an observation rubric. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 36 (8), 955–971. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bodzin, A., & Beerer, K. (2003). Promoting inquiry-based science instruction: The validation of the science teacher inquiry rubric (STIR). Journal of Elementary Science Education, 15 (2), 39–49. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Boyle, A., August, D., Tabaku, L., Cole, S., & Simpson-Baird, A. (2015). Dual language education programs: Current state policies and practices. U.S. Department of Education Office of English Language Acquisition. American Institutes for Research.Google Scholar
Cammarata, L., & Cavanagh, M. (2018). In search of immersion teacher educators’ knowledge base: Exploring their readiness to foster an integrated approach to teaching. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, 6 (2), 189–217. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cammarata, L., & Haley, C. (2017). Integrated content, language, and literacy instruction in a Canadian French immersion context: A professional development journey. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21 (3), 332–348. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cammarata, L., & Tedick, D. J. (2012). Balancing content and language in instruction: The experience of immersion teachers. The Modern Language Journal, 96 (2), 251–269. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Caughlan, S., & Jiang, H. (2014). Observation and teacher quality: Critical analysis of observational instruments in preservice teacher performance assessment. Journal of Teacher Education, 65 (5), 375–388. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Danielson, C. (2007). Enhancing professional practice: A framework for teaching (2nd ed.). ASCD.Google Scholar
Echevarría, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. J. (2008). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP® model (3rd ed.) Pearson Education.Google Scholar
Escamilla, K., Hopewell, S., Butvilofsky, S., Sparrow, W., Soltero-González, L., Ruiz-Figueroa, O., & Escamilla, M. (2014). Biliteracy from the start: Literacy Squared in action. Caslon Publishing.Google Scholar
Fortune, T. W. (2014). Immersion teaching strategies observation checklist. Retrieved from [URL]
Gibbons, P. (2015). Scaffolding language scaffolding learning: Teaching English language learners in the mainstream classroom (2nd ed.). Heinemann.Google Scholar
Guerrero, M. D., & Lachance, J. R. (2018). The National Dual Language Education Teacher Preparation Standards. Dual Language Education of New Mexico.Google Scholar
Hamayan, E., Genesee, F., & Cloud, N. (2013). Dual language instruction from A to Z: Practical guidance for teachers and administrators. Heinemann.Google Scholar
Howard, E. R., Lindholm-Leary, K. J., Rogers, D., Olague, N., Medina, J., Kennedy, B., Sugarman, J., & Christian, D. (2018). Guiding principles for dual language education (3rd ed.). Center for Applied Linguistics.Google Scholar
Kennedy, M. M. (2010). Approaches to annual performance assessment. In M. M. Kennedy (Ed.), Teacher assessment and the quest for teacher quality: A handbook (pp. 225–250). Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Koh, J. H. L. (2013). A rubric for assessing teachers’ lesson activities with respect to TPACK for meaningful learning with ICT. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 29 (6), 887–900. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Llinares, A., Morton, T., & Whittaker, R. (2012). The roles of language in CLIL. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Saldaña, J. (2016). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage.Google Scholar
Swain, M. (1988). Manipulating and complementing content teaching to maximize second language learning. TESL Canada Journal, 6 1, 68–83. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Swain, M., Kinnear, P., & Steinman, L. (2015). Sociocultural theory in second language education: An introduction through narratives (2nd ed.). Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tedick, D. J., & Cammarata, L. (2023). Bilingual and immersion teacher education. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.), The encyclopedia of applied linguistics (pp. 1–7). John Wiley & Sons. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tedick, D. J., & Lyster, R. (2020). Scaffolding language development in immersion and dual language classrooms. Routledge.Google Scholar
Tedick, D. J., Mathieu, C. S., & Dupuis, D. (2024). Learning content and language integration: Assessing the effectiveness of in-service professional development for immersion teachers. In S. Ballinger, R. Fielding, & D. J. Tedick, (Eds.), Teacher development for content-based language education: International perspectives (pp. 42–63). Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Tedick, D. J., & Zilmer, C. (2018). Teacher perceptions of immersion professional development experiences emphasizing language-focused content instruction. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, 6 (2), 269–294. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind and society. Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Youngs, P., Pogodzinski, B., & Low, M. (2010). The role of formative assessments in new teacher induction. In M. M. Kennedy (Ed.), Teacher assessment and the quest for teacher quality: A handbook (pp. 165–200). Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar