It’s not just kids that don’t speak English: leaning toward teacher preparation for multilingual learners

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this current research study is to provide a comprehensive description of an ongoing effort to provide quality experiential professional development through field experiences for educators at the pre-service level, referred to hereafter as teacher candidates (TCs). This practitioner inquiry aimed to determine what the teacher candidates’ reflections revealed about their learning experiences completing the 10-h checklist.Design/methodology/approachAbout30 individual reports from four consecutive terms were collected. I employed qualitative coding, first using open codes, then grouping similar sentiments into axial codes and through an iterative process categorizing them into themes, grouping and re-generating terms as needed and keeping records in a codebook (Creswell, 2014). The research questions guiding the inquiry included, (1) What do teacher candidates’ reflections reveal about their experience completing the field experience for English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) endorsement? And (2) What conclusions do TCs demonstrate about their role as future teachers of multilingual learners (MLLs)?FindingsFindings are summarized under three main recurring themes: emotionality of field experience, perceived misunderstandings and emerging responsiveness to MLLs. Candidates conveyed strong emotional responses to the instructional context. Some were forward in acknowledging stereotypes and trepidation to participate in the experience. Others reflected on their understanding of the experience, their interpretations of teacher relationships and noted attitude shifts toward MLLs. Findings reported emergent responsiveness to MLLs imply that candidates in this beginning experience progressed at various rates, suggesting that assessing competence of skills at the onset may be beneficial for further understanding best approaches to teacher education.Originality/valueThere is certainly a gap in current knowledge when it comes to understanding the rates at which teacher candidates develop abilities, skills and orientations toward working with MLLs. These preliminary findings support established notions such as the importance of exposing students to authentic environments that foster appreciation for the complexities of the process of second language acquisition and acculturation. Findings reported around emergent responsiveness to MLLs imply that candidates in this beginning experience progressed at various rates, suggesting that assessing competence of skills at the onset may be beneficial for further understanding best approaches to teacher education.