Professional Development on Sheltered Strategies for K-5 Educators

Title

Professional Development on Sheltered Strategies for K-5 Educators

Creator

Scarlett Working

Degree Name

Master of Science in Education: ESOL

Project Type

Professional Project

Date

6/15/2025

Abstract

This professional project is focused on developing a professional development for K-5 educators on implementing sheltered strategies. It is important for educators to academically reach each student in their classroom; this must also include emergent bilingual learners (EB learners). EB learners need comprehensible input in order to access content instruction delivered within their L2 (developing second language). Educators must incorporate both sheltered instruction (SI) and sheltered strategies within their current content-based instruction. This means teachers must alter their current educational approaches to include both language learning and EB learners. However, it is incredibly difficult for educators to meet the needs of EB learners when they are equipped with the right educational tools, approaches, and strategies. The current literature regarding SI and sheltered strategies expresses a critical need for more education and professional developments regarding these topics. This professional development includes defining SI, stating research that supports SI, how content and language can be integrated alongside SI, connecting SI, zone of proximal development (ZPD) and scaffolding, as well as listing and explicitly modeling specific strategies. It is important to note that the delivery of this PD is focused on explicitly modeling each strategy listed. Embedding sheltered strategies within the presentation provides educators with a clear path on how to implement these strategies within their own educational environment. This includes a discussion on each strategy, and explicit modeling to encourage implementation. Results from this PD includes the importance of language learning beside content instruction, comprehensible input in order to promote actual understanding, and the continuation of SI presentations for educators in order to support implementation of sheltered strategies within the classroom.

Keywords

ZPD

Comprehensible input

Sheltered Instruction

Committee Member

Ken Carano

Jessica Doughtery

Dana Ulveland

Rights

Western Oregon University Library has determined, as of 06/20/2025, this item is in copyright, which is held by the author. Users may use the item in accordance with copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. For other uses, please ask permission from the author.

https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

Language

eng

Type

Text

Identifier

ScarlettWorking_PP_2025