“I'm just curious… does the teacher speak Spanish?”: Teachers’ Sensemaking about teaching Bi/Multilingual Learners

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session One
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT038 (Wednesday)

Abstract

While recent science education reforms advocate for engaging Bi-Multilingual (BML) learners in authentic scientific practices, these students continue to face systemic barriers related to their cultural and linguistic backgrounds. In most U.S. science classrooms, monolingual norms centering on English continue to be prioritized. To counter these barriers, there is a need to support teachers in learning how to leverage BML learners’ cultural and linguistic assets. This pilot study examines how elementary preservice teachers (PSTs) make sense of teaching science to BML learners. Preliminary findings reveal the impact of PSTs’ own backgrounds and lived experiences on their sensemaking. More broadly, the study aims to advance research on linguistically responsive and equitable science education with implications for science teacher education.

Author

• Khadija Zogheib, Florida State University