Co-Curricular Professional Learning for Teacher Candidates to Support Emergent Bilingual Learners

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Empowering Diverse Learners: Civic Development, Bilingual Education, and Latinidad (Table 1)

Abstract

This paper will present findings from co-curricular professional learning efforts focused on strengthening the preparation of teacher candidates to support emergent bilingual learners in a state context where one in four PK-12 learners is identified as emergent bilingual. These federally-funded efforts are part of a university-based educator preparation program at a public, research-intensive HSI with a majority-Latinx student population. The professional learning intervention, known as the Language Institute, is integrated into candidates’ year-long teacher residency and is focused on building teacher candidate capacity in second language acquisition, planning for language learners, and language assessment. The paper will present background on key design elements of the Language Institute and key findings from surveys and interviews over three years of implementation.

Authors

• Erika L. Mein, University of Texas - El Paso

• Jennifer Stefania Herrera Lozano, University of Texas - El Paso

• Patricia L. Ocana, University of Texas - El Paso

• Anaeva Rodriguez, University of Texas - El Paso