Promoting and Maintaining Bilingualism and Biliteracy: Cognitive and Biliteracy Benefits & Strategies for Monolingual Teachers

Abstract The reality that English language learners (ell s) have not been receiving adequate support in the mainstream classroom calls for urgency to prepare teachers in teacher education programs. Grounded in the theoretical construct of praxis and linguistically and culturally relevant approach (lcra), the purpose of this article is to share the author’s experience on how she supported monolingual teachers to engage in equity-based pedagogy. This article will focus on the specific projects that the author’s graduate students (mostly white and monolingual teachers/teacher candidates) conducted as a way to better understand the diverse needs of ell s in the dominant English context. The projects include: reflecting on monolingual identities through being in ell s’ shoes, building professional capital through theories of language learning, discussing and critiquing texts on ell s with a critical lens, designing lessons that integrate ell s’ culture as well as conducting the fieldwork in local schools, and synthesizing learning through the options of multiple final projects including learning a new language (e.g., ell s’ primary language). These activities intended to promote monolingual teachers’ transformative thinking process through the process of praxis and lcra in teacher education programs.

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Chinese Foreign Language Online Course Design to Improve English Monolingual Teachers' Awareness of ELLs

Handbook of Research on Integrating Technology Into Contemporary Language Learning and Teaching - Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-5140-9.ch009 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 176-201

Author(s):

Congcong Wang

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

English Language Learners ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

Teaching Practice ◽

Online Course ◽

Language Teacher ◽

Teachers Perceptions ◽

Monolingual Teachers ◽

English Monolingual

To improve English monolingual teachers' awareness of obstacles that English language learners (ELL) may encounter at school, in 2012 the author conducted a study to explore preservice teachers' perceptions of learning a foreign language online. No participant had Chinese learning experience and their interest varied. This study suggested that preservice teachers perceived their initial experiences as online language learners increased their linguistic, cultural and technological awareness, which would further benefit them when working with ELLs. However, it was unclear if teachers perceived they could transfer their awareness into teaching practice. Thus, this follow-up study explores in-service teachers' perceptions of linguistic, cultural, and technological awareness transfer in teaching ELLs by asking them to engage and reflect on their experiences with a Chinese language online course. This chapter proposes a model for language teacher linguistic, cultural, and technological awareness development and transfer, as well as discussing issues related to language teacher awareness transfer.

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