Dual-Language Bilingual Education Teacher Learning and Pedagogically Productive Talk

• In Event: Preparing Teachers for Multilingual Learners: Equity-Oriented Practices Across Educational Settings

Abstract

In order to sustain dual language bilingual education (DLBE) teachers working to foster multilingualism and sociocultural competency, research is needed to examine how teachers in DLBE programs learn about DLBE pedagogy while engaged in professional development. Drawing on sociocultural theories (Vygotsky, 1978) and the concept of pedagogically productive talk (Lefstein et al., 2020), our study examines the contexts, tools, and activities that facilitate teacher learning and offer affordances for pedagogically productive talk related to DLBE pedagogy. Findings revealed that researchers and school leadership collaborated in an ongoing cycle to re-design spaces and create professional learning activities for teachers to engage in across languages. We discuss implications for research in bilingual/second language education in supporting teacher learning in DLBE pedagogy.

Authors

• Amanda D. Cataneo, University of Maryland

• Melinda E. Martin-Beltran, University of Maryland

• Sandra Natalia Gutiérrez, University of Maryland

• Astrid Sierra, Metropolitan State University of Denver