Preservice Teachers Using Digital Tools to Navigate "Language Barriers"

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: Pre- and In-Service Teacher Education for Emerging Bilinguals

Abstract

Two simultaneous trends in education around the world are the rising number of emergent bilingual students and the proliferation of digital tools. However, more research is needed to understand how these trends relate and how teachers and emergent bilingual learners can use digital tools in everyday classroom interactions. Our study contributes to this growing body of research by examining how pre-service teachers and emergent bilingual students implemented digital tools in interactions during a field experience. We found that participants used digital tools as a way to expand discussions, explore nuanced meaning, and incorporate their experiential knowledge, but digital tools could also constrain meaning making. We discuss implications for preparing teachers to work with emergent bilingual students.

Authors

• Carmen Durham, University of Northern Iowa

• Melinda E. Martin-Beltran, University of Maryland - College Park