Preparing Linguistically Responsive Teachers: Laying the Foundation in Preservice Teacher Education

TLDR

Teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students requires many years of developing expertise, beginning in preservice preparation and extending throughout a teacher’s career, with sociocultural consciousness as a key concept. The article investigates preservice teacher education as the initial phase of developing teachers for English‑language learners. The authors apply a framework of orientations and pedagogical knowledge, coupled with Feiman‑Nemser’s central tasks, to design a coherent preservice program that identifies tasks for teaching CLD students and clarifies terminology such as English‑language learners, culturally and linguistically diverse students, and limited English proficient. Notes 1 and 2.

Abstract

Abstract It takes teachers many years to develop expertise in the complex set of knowledge, skills, and orientations needed to teach culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students well. The process begins in preservice preparation and continues into the early years of teaching and throughout a teacher's career. This article examines preservice teacher education as the first phase in the continuum of teacher development for teaching ELLs. Drawing on our framework of orientations and pedagogical knowledge and skills for preparing linguistically responsive teachers (CitationLucas & Villegas, 2011; CitationLucas, Villegas, & Freedson-Gonzalez, 2008), we show how Feiman-Nemser's (2001) framework of central tasks for learning to teach can serve as a guide for identifying tasks for learning to teach CLD students and for guiding the construction of a coherent approach to preparing teachers of CLD students that begins in preservice programs, laying the foundation for continued development throughout the teaching career. Notes 1. We use the terms English language learners and culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students to refer to students whose home language is a language other than English. We use the term limited English proficient when it is used by sources cited. 2. See Villegas and Lucas (2002) for a discussion of the concept of sociocultural consciousness.