Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Examining Culturally Responsive Understandings Within An Undergraduate Teacher Education Program, Kelly M. Gomez Johnson, Anne E. Karabon, Derrick A. Nero

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

This article examines how a group of elementary and secondary preservice teachers engaged in understanding “culture” and culturally responsive teaching while enrolled in an early program course. We analyze how culturally-related experiences, emotions, and perspectives contribute to the overall understanding of cultural competency training in teacher education. Preservice teachers varied in their use of individual- and structural-orientations, in isolation and in combination, as they developed and progressed as socially just teachers. These findings reveal that despite attempts to develop and shift toward asset-based perspectives, far more culturally embedded coursework and practicum experiences are necessary. This paper includes a reflection on …

Problem-Based Teacher-Mentor Education: Fostering Literacy Acquisition In Multicultural Classrooms, Pamela Hartman, Corinne Renguette, Mary Theresa Seig

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

We designed a professional development (PD) teacher-mentor program that used problem-based learning (PBL) to accomplish two goals. First, teachers explored how PBL could be used effectively in their classrooms to change the way they think about teaching to include literacy development in content areas. Second, PBL was the basis for PD training to help them improve their own knowledge of PBL, become mentors to other teachers, and implement PBL in their schools across content areas.

Educators in the United States are challenged to teach linguistically and culturally diverse (LCD) students with differing literacy levels. The demographics of U.S. classrooms require …

Preservice Teachers' Understandings Related To Language In The Mathematics Classroom, Amanda T. Sugimoto

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Mathematics reforms are highlighting the important role that language plays in mathematics education. However, there remains a common misconception that mathematics is somehow language-free. This qualitative study explored 67 elementary preservice teachers’ developing understandings about the role of language in the mathematics classroom based on their practicum experiences. Iterative, open-coding techniques were used to analyze mentor teacher advice and preservice teachers’ observations of mentor teachers teaching a mathematics lesson. The tool helped focus preservice teachers’ attention on language in the mathematics classrooms. Implications are identified for mentor and preservice teachers’ knowledge and skill development toward linguistically responsive teaching practices.