"This Is Not Right!" Teachers Telling Stories About Multilingual Family Engagement During COVID-19

• In Event: Mothers, Families, and Communities Enacting and Rethinking Pedagogies During COVID-19 and Beyond

Abstract

In line with the annual meeting theme, this timely study used the concept of figured worlds to examine teachers actions with and their understanding of engaging with multilingual families, as well as how they took up agency to foster equity in their classroom. Initial findings showed that due to a set of unanticipated events (e.g., COVID-19, the racial justice protests) teachers realized how important partnerships are. This new understanding resulted in a realignment of the teachers’ actions and a shift in their figured worlds about and how to engage with multilingual students and their families. Strong partnerships have the power to increase equity in the classroom because it is the little things that matter when supporting individualized learning.

Authors

• Barbara Ettenauer, Oregon State University

• Kathryn Esther Mcintosh, Oregon State University

• Cory A. Buxton, Oregon State University