Multilingual Educators’ Sensemaking About Language, Literacy, and Identity in a Bilingual Endorsement Program

• In Event: Bilingual Teacher Education: From Coursework to Fieldwork

Abstract

From 2002 - 2017, bilingual education was prohibited in Massachusetts, which eliminated bilingual teacher education. After 2017, bilingual teacher education was rekindled with 21st century theory and research. We explored how multilingual educators made sense of contemporary theory and research relative to their professional contexts. We asked: How does a group of in-service multilingual teachers make sense of new research and current controversies in bilingualism and bilingual education vis-à-vis their daily instructional practices as they work through a university-based, practice-embedded, bilingual education endorsement program? We examined written and recorded reflections of 30 multilingual educators in a university-based bilingual endorsement program and found three themes: 1) Past experiences affect current practice; 2) Historical contexts undermine preparation; and 3) Professional identity matters.

Authors

• Patrick Proctor, Boston College

• Qinghua Liu, Boston College

• Brenda Luo, Boston College

• Aaron Talbot Kennedy Coleman, Boston College