Transforming Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teachers of MLLs: Moving Humanizing Pedagogy from Theory to Action

• In Event: Critical and Humanizing Teacher Education for Multilingual Learners: Developing Multilingual Teacher Knowledge Across Contexts

Abstract

Applied linguistics has produced significant conceptual research on humanizing pedagogy (HP) in language teacher education, but much of it has yet to be translated to substantive pedagogical action. The gap between these rich conceptual theories and ways of leveraging them in practice means attention to equity and justice is not deeply integrated into the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) expected of teachers of multilingual learners (MLLs).

Examining data from the first author’s MLL methods course (a key site of teachers’ PCK development), this study asks: How might core practices for teaching MLLs support teacher candidates’ PCK to enact humanizing practice with MLLs? We consider implications for methods course curriculum, assignments, and instruction to foster shifts in teachers’ PCK.

Authors

• Megan Madigan Peercy, University of Maryland

• Francis John Troyan, The Ohio State University

• Jessica B Crawford, University of Maryland

• Hyerin Ryu, University of Maryland

• Daisy Fredricks, Grand Valley State University