Exploring Preservice Bilingual Teachers’ Conceptual Understandings About Curriculum Through the Analysis of Metaphors

• In Event: Addressing Challenges in Teacher Preparation: Exploring Internship Obstacles, Curriculum Perceptions, Inclusive Practices, and Community College Pathways

Abstract

This sequential mixed methods study explored bilingual pre-service teachers’ (BPSTs’) metaphorical understandings of curriculum for inclusive bilingual education during a semester-long teacher preparation course. Preliminary findings suggest that their metaphors evolved towards more hybrid and dynamic understandings of curriculum as the course unfolded. However, some metaphors reflecting rigid dichotomies between the standard curriculum and students’ prior knowledge persisted throughout the semester. Metaphors combining dichotomous and hybrid ideas suggested transitions and adjustments to new systematic ways to talk-and-think about curriculum. Teacher educators can use metaphors to identify potentially contradicting understandings of curriculum, from which new metaphors can be co-created. The importance of BPSTs’ existing metaphorical and culture-inspired perspectives on curriculum is discussed within a process to scaffold learning.

Authors

• Natalia Saez, Universidad Autonoma de Chile

• Patricia Martínez-Álvarez, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Minhye Son, California State University - Dominguez Hills

• Isabel Cuevas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid