Going Rogue: Extended Early Literacy Professional Development for Teachers of Young Multicultural-Multilingual Learners

• In Event: 61.030 - Going Rogue and Building Bridges: Teacher Learning for Justice and Equity

Abstract

Research examining professional development to prepare teachers to effectively instruct children from multicultural-multilingual backgrounds is lacking. While the student population has diversified, the U.S. teacher population has not. This paper reports on an investigation of an extended professional development with a focus on literacy skills, language development, cultural influences, literacy assessment/routines for young multicultural-multilingual learners embedded within content and play. Positive findings provide evidence for extended professional development coupled with classroom consultation to attain changes in teacher practices. Lastly, three “rogue” teachers actively engaged learners in literacy and content-embedded interactions, used student input when making decisions about what to teach, and how to teach it. In “going rogue,” these teachers avoided succumbing to a curriculum intended to be “teacher proof.”

Author

• Sherry Taylor, University of Colorado