Digital Badges in Teacher Preparation Programs: Increasing the Effectiveness of English Learners Teaching Skills

Abstract

This article examined the effectiveness of English-learner (EL)-focused training that led to earning a digital badge in a federally funded program called Micro-credentialing of English Learner Teaching Skills (MELTS). To earn a digital badge, participants in the study were required to complete an online module, participate in coached skill practice, and demonstrate mastery of a targeted EL-teaching skill. The current study focused on the participants’ perceptions related to the coaching sessions as a measure of EL-training effectiveness. The coaching took place in two simulation formats: micro-teaching and TLE TeachLivEâ„¢. While pre-service teachers role-played the part of the ELs during micro-teaching, TLE TeachLivEâ„¢ provided a virtual classroom with virtual avatars representing ELs at different levels of language proficiency. Trained coaches provided feedback in both formats. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 181 participants who responded to a 14-item survey. Overwhelmingly, participants reported that the coaching sessions were very effective in preparing them to work with ELs by equipping them with a better understanding of how to support EL students’ language and academic needs.

Keywords

• english learners
• digital badges
• micro-credentialing
• coaching
• language and academic needs