Dual Language Teacher Leaders: Creating Equitable Spaces in a Cross-State Collaboration to Support K-2 Science

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 10:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Preparing Teachers and Educators for Dual Bilingual Education Programs: Complexity and Needs Across Contexts (Table 11)

Abstract

This study draws on the expertise of dual-language teacher leaders (DLTLs) teaching science, a linguistically and cognitively demanding subject, in the language native to Spanish-dominant and new to English-dominant students. Data come from a three-state project in which teacher leaders collaborated with faculty to develop resources to support young and multilingual student learning science in K-2 grades. Findings document DLTLs’ pedagogical approaches shared with the cross-state network that can be grouped into three categories: promoting student agency, positioning students and families as valued collaborators, and leveraging the language and cultural assets of students and families. These findings offer actionable pathways to expanding the influence of DLTLs to support all teachers’ abilities to be effective teachers of science to primary students.

Authors

• Yuliya Ardasheva, Washington State University - Tri Cities

• Thomas R. Tretter, University of Louisville

• Lori Ann Norton-Meier, University of Northern Iowa

• Thaddeus Atzmon, University of Northern Iowa

• Sherri L. Brown, University of Louisville

• Kim Zeidler-Watters, PIMSER