Chapter 17: Framing Academic Language for Preservice Teachers

While academic language plays a critical role in shaping understandings of disciplinary practices across all content areas, preservice teachers often struggle with determining how to support P-12 students in understanding and using the disciplinary language, structures, and tools that are integral for constructing meaning in particular disciplines. The primacy of academic language within the edTPA provides an opportunity for increased attention to this key component of learning. This chapter will (a) define and explain academic language as it is used in the edTPA assessment, (b) discuss the task expectations and rubric language, (c) recommend approaches for supporting candidates’ understandings of the edTPA’s academic language demands, (d) detail a trajectory of academic language development, (e) describe how to utilize the trajectory to support preservice teachers in recognizing academic language demands, and (f) unpack the needs of students in relation those demands.