Developing Critical Multilingual Language Awareness in Teacher Education: Student Teachers’ Reflections on Theory and Practice

• In Event: Multilingual Realities: Translanguaging in Schools

Abstract

This case study explored the experiences of four diverse pre-service teachers in a south-central US university's teacher education program. Using Garcia’s (2017) Critical Multilingual Language Awareness (CMLA) framework, and Freire’s (1973) Critical Consciousness, this study examined how participants reflected theory and practice connecting pedagogical decision-making and language awareness. Findings reveal three key themes: (1) personal histories significantly influenced participants’ developing teaching practice; (2) participants shifted from seeking perfection to embracing teaching as a socially constructed and negotiated process; and (3) building authentic relationships with students emerged as central to effective teaching. The study highlights the importance of reflective practice in teacher education and underscores the need to prepare educators to engage with linguistic and cultural diversity in humanizing and responsive ways.

Authors

• Amanda Susan Byrd, University of Texas at Austin

• Angela Maria Tuason Villamizar, University of Texas at Austin