“¿Me Entiendes?” Do You Understand Me? Supporting Multilingual Teachers and Prospective Educators

Abstract

This paper examines a Multilingual undergraduate course that was created to increase knowledge and understanding for both teachers and prospective educators in responding to language learning competencies for multilingual learners in our local community. One area considered in the design of our course has been the use of diverse resources to provide points of connection. With the ease of access to different media, the use of traditional fairy tales identified as both accessible and translated resources for drawing connections and reaching multilingual learners is considered. However, conventional fairy tales create other issues and challenges in terms of the hidden societal messages /agendas that are conveyed with the use of stereotypical representation and expectations, even within different cultural versions of the same fairy tale. The different perspectives shaped by the intersectionality of student identities are invaluable assets for learning. A Vygotskian approach to increasing language learning and competencies is integrated into the conceptual framework of this paper. Strategies that we have used for teaching multilingual learners and preparing prospective teachers are identified along with an analysis of feedback data from a survey distributed in the pilot study. The tensions that exist with integrating diverse forms of representation to address diversity, equity, and inclusion in the curriculum, for improving diversity in practice and ensuring greater representation with the contributions of diverse and/or minoritized groups in the curriculum is reviewed. The multilingual course is a deliverable to the Up-Lift California Grant from Early Educator Investment Collaborative (EEIC) to California State University, Sacramento.



Author Information
Anna Catalan, California State University, Bakersfield, United States
Tamarah Williams, California State University, Bakersfield, United States
Elaine Correa, California State University, Bakersfield, United States
Alexander Reid, California State University, Bakersfield, United States

Paper Information
Conference: IICE2024
Stream: Teaching Experiences

This paper is part of the IICE2024 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Catalan A., Williams T., Correa E., & Reid A. (2024) “¿Me Entiendes?” Do You Understand Me? Supporting Multilingual Teachers and Prospective Educators ISSN: 2189-1036 – The IAFOR International Conference on Education – Hawaii 2024 Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2024.32
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2024.32


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Posted by James Alexander Gordon