Empowering Rural Educators of Multilingual Learners: Insights from a Five-Year Professional Learning Project

• In Event: NPD Grant-Project Based Research: Constructing a New Vision for Effective MLL Teacher Education

Abstract

Funded by a National Professional Development Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, this PL program employs a teacher-led collaborative inquiry model that leverages the local expertise of rural schools while addressing their unique challenges. During the two-year PL program, participating inservice teachers engage in a series of inquiry cycles focused on equity-centered teaching practices, effective language and literacy instruction for MLLs, and fostering MLLs’ sense of belonging. Grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogies (Alim & Paris, 2017), rural cultural wealth (Crumb et al., 2022) and collaborative inquiry (Butler & Schnellert, 2018), we examine key features of this collaborative inquiry program which contributed to shifts in teachers’ instructional practices and beliefs about teaching MLLs.

The study draws on data from approximately 156 participating teachers across seven participating rural school districts in Wisconsin. Data sources include teacher observations and interviews, interviews with district-level administrators and EL teacher leaders and coordinators, recordings of group conversations during PL sessions, and participating teachers’ written reflections. The data was coded thematically to highlight shifts in teachers’ use of equity-centered and language-focused practices, their perspectives on their district context for teaching MLLs, and their engagement and learning during the inquiry process (e.g. setting goals, collecting evidence of student learning, collaborating with colleagues).

Emerging findings suggest that the two-year inquiry process, structured reflection activities and collaboration were instrumental in supporting shifts in teachers’ instructional practices and beliefs. These PL features worked together to promote deeper learning and collaboration, encourage critical reflection on beliefs about language learning and MLLs, and foster more intentional, student-centered instruction while refining practices over time. Findings also suggest that collaborative inquiry is an effective PL model for rural schools, as it cultivates shared expertise and strengthen collaborative practices, which might mitigate some of the structural inequities and challenges rural schools face in educating MLLs.

Examining how this PL program contributes to the shift in rural teachers’ instructional practices and beliefs has led to insights into effective ways to support the professional growth of educators teaching MLLs in rural districts. Given the scarcity of both PL programs and research targeting inservice rural educators of MLLs, this program contributes to our understanding of features of collaborative inquiry that build on the strengths of inservice rural teachers while addressing the needs and unique contexts of rural schools. Importantly, it underscores the need for further research into how to create and sustain effective PL programs that are responsive to local contexts and transformative for rural educators.

Authors

• Anshika Bhasin, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Jennifer Wilfrid, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Elizabeth M. Cranley, WIDA

• Rebecca E. Sawyer, University of Wisconsin - Madison