Collaboration between classroom teachers and an ELL support teacher

This qualitative study focuses on the characteristics of effective collaboration between classroom teachers and English Language Learner (ELL) support teachers. The study was conducted in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia in an inner-city Kindergarten to Grade Five school. The question that frames this culminating project for my graduate study is: What are the lived experiences of teachers’ collaboration with ELL teachers? I used a phenomenological approach and interviewed teachers who were involved in collaborative efforts with ELL teachers. I looked specifically for detailed descriptions of what effective collaboration looked like, and I keenly focused on teachers’ perceptions about collaboration. The following themes were significant to effective collaboration between ELL teachers and classroom teachers: cultivating and maintaining professional relationships, using time wisely, and considering teaching philosophies when collaborating. This study offers recommendations on creating productive and effective collaboration among ELL and classroom teachers that may improve student learning and enhance and redefine collaboration models within schools and districts alike.