Bilingual Preservice Teachers: Participant Structures for Empowering Students

• In Event: 46.087 - Poster Session 8
  In Poster Session: 46.087-1 - Division K Section 6 Poster Session. Field Experiences: Student Teaching, Supervision, School/Community Collaborations, and Approaches in Teacher Education

Abstract

Teachers’ use of student-centered pedagogy in bilingual classrooms has the potential to empower English language learners and other marginalized groups of students. This case study of two Latina bilingual pre-service teachers seeks insight into how we can better promote student-centered instruction for novice teachers by asking which types of participant structures they implement in their placements and which factors influence their choice of participant structures. To explore these questions, the researcher analyzed data she collected as university facilitator during their student teaching semester. Factors that influenced their choice of student-centered participant structures were bilingual/bicultural and student-centered identities and role of the mentor teacher. Findings indicate that pre-service teacher recruitment and selection of placements is especially important for encouraging student-centered pedagogy.

Author

• Dorothy Wall, The University of Texas - Austin