Preparing EAL preservice teachers for effective collaboration with content area teachers in multilingual schools

Successful collaboration between English as an Additional Language (EAL) specialist teachers and content area teachers is an important element of teaching in a multilingual school. However, some research has found that EAL specialist teachers do not feel that their language expertise is valued by their content area peers, and they do not feel confident collaborating with content area teachers. To overcome this, initial teacher education (ITE) can actively embrace EAL–content area teacher collaboration and thus prepare preservice teachers (PSTs) for this aspect of their career. In this article, perspectives of PSTs specializing in EAL were explored to identify how ITE can prepare them for successful collaboration. The data involved interviews with PSTs undertaking the secondary EAL specialization at a university in Melbourne, Australia. The findings reveal a framework that can be used in ITE to facilitate successful collaboration between EAL and content area teachers. The framework includes three key areas: building EAL teacher knowledge for collaboration, providing experience with collaboration, and addressing power dynamics. Implications are discussed in terms of how this framework can be implemented effectively in EAL ITE programs.