Critically Reimagine to Remedy: Preservice Teachers’ Narratives on Learning Journeys to Create Better Educational Practices

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 5:25 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Race and Language (Table 4)

Abstract

This proposal explores five focal pre-service English teachers’ (PELTs’) critical reflections on learning experiences through an international research-practice-partnership. It examines "How do PELTs conceptualize power and its impact on languages, language learning and teaching?” Using narrative inquiry through Language Autobiographies and Written Reflections, the study draws from sociocultural theories and humanizing pedagogies and employs a constant comparative analysis. Findings indicate 1. Power is linked to language learning and erasure; 2. Language learning is unbounded, trans-contextual, and multimodal; 3. PELTs shift from viewing themselves as ‘less than a native speaker’ to a ‘complete plurilingual.’. The study highlights the importance of PELTs narratives and the need to incorporate these into teacher education, especially in countries where English is not the official language.

Author

• Basak Cermikli Ayvaz, Vanderbilt University