El que habla dos lenguas vale por dos (He Who Speaks Two Languages Is Worth Two): An Examination of the Biliteracy Experiences of Bilingual Preservice Teachers

• In Event: Language Issues: Bilingual Language Learners, Language Policy, and Second Language Learning Programs

Abstract

This paper explores the literacy journeys of 35 bilingual, biliteracy (Spanish/English) pre-service teachers enrolled in a bilingual teacher credential program in a Southern California border town. Drawing on teacher candidates’ personal narratives from a biliteracy autobiography course project, and situated within sociocultural (Vygotsky, 1986) and social constructivist perspectives of learning (Lave and Wenger, 1991), this paper contributes to the scant research on teacher diversity by documenting patterns in the biliteracy experiences of these bilingual teacher candidates, and their impact on candidates’ educational beliefs, values and attitudes. Results reveal patterns in home and school-based literacy experiences according to native language and country of origin. This session integrates video clips and photographic segments of candidates’ autobiographies to exemplify data trends.

Author

• Elsa M. Billings