"A Sense of Where We Are in the World": First-Year Bilingual/Bicultural Teachers' Funds of Knowledge

• In Event: Teacher Learning: Belonging, Becoming, and Believing

Abstract

This paper considers the journey and first-year teaching practice of a diverse group of four bilingual/bicultural middle school teachers, formerly paraeducators and recent graduates from an Alternative Route to Teaching (ART) program. Using classroom recordings, interviews, and document analysis of the first year in the field, the study uncovers how the participant teachers juggle their Dual Language Immersion classroom practice alongside their own expectations as teachers, mentors, and, at times, learners. In particular, it will look to the ways in which this diverse group of teachers enacted their Funds of Knowledge (Gonzales, Amanti, & Moll, 2005) to shift narratives, support their diverse students and language learners, and thrive even as pandemic entered first year teaching.

Author

• Steven Morrison, Washington State University