A Queer Lenticular Analysis of Learning to Teach: Bilingual Special Educators in Alternative, Synchronous-Service Preparation

• In Event: Navigating Borderlands: Stories of Teachers Shaping Justice-Oriented Classrooms

Abstract

There are a growing number of “alternative” teacher education models that place immediate responsibility on beginners with little to no formal preparation. These programs often target shortages in Bilingual Education and Special Education, yet research remains limited regarding the implications for learning to teach multiply marginalized students. This paper presents the experiences of Latinx bilingual special educators in a “synchronous-service” model. The study leveraged a qualitative, longitudinal research design guided by queer learning theory to consider how teachers’ learning changed over three years—both within and beyond the boundaries of formal preparation. Findings mark learning to teach as an uncertain journey, contributing to the knowledge base on bilingual special educator preparation while holding implications for studying teacher learning with longitudinal complexity.

Author

• Devon Hedrick-Shaw, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign