Preservice Teachers Using Digital Tools to Navigate "Language Barriers"

• In Event: Researching Digital Tools and Online Language Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Teachers and learners are increasingly using digital tools outside the classroom, yet more research is needed to understand how teachers can use digital tools (e.g. translation apps, online images/videos) in class to better communicate with students learning a new language. Our study examines how pre-service teachers (PSTs) and EB students used digital tools to communicate during a semester-long interactive field experience. Grounded in sociocultural theory, we analyzed interviews and audio/video recorded interactions between PSTs and EB students. We found that participants used digital tools to expand discussions, explore nuanced meaning, and incorporate experiential knowledge, but digital tools could constrain meaning making. Our study has implications for preparing teachers to use digital tools to work with EB students.

Authors

• Carmen Durham, University of Northern Iowa

• Melinda E. Martin-Beltran, University of Maryland - College Park