This book takes the reader through a journey into the practical and theoretical aspects of partner-based learning in bilingual early childhood environments. The authors begin by presenting compelling arguments for the significance of this approach noting the parallels between partner-based collaborative learning and developmentally appropriate…

Whether or not we are teachers, all of us must make sense of language. In doing so, we encounter representations of language, implicit or explicit descriptions which shift over time and are always tied to social and political interests. Teachers' work necessarily depends on these descriptions, which are deeply embedded within their…

Relational professionalism in education is a way of regarding teaching as a profession which privileges relationality, or engaged and connected relationships with the self, with others and one's teaching practice. In this article, I examine a bilingual teacher association who use their annual conference as a vehicle to support and strengthen their…

This report summarizes highlights from discussions, or "pláticas," held with Austin Independent School District elementary principals about the district's dual language program. Principals provided their opinions about the program and gave suggestions for improvements.

This article describes a Collaborative Intervention Project designed to prepare preservice teachers to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate interventions for English learners (ELs) in need of academic and/or behavioral supports. Faculty from two departments, one preparing bilingual education (BE) elementary school teachers and the other…

Across the nation, nearly all teachers can expect to have EL students in their classrooms. The challenges of teaching ELs students are particularly acute in the nation's secondary schools. There is evidence to suggest that the lack of preparation to teach ELs is generally weak, but even more so for secondary teachers. We analyze data from a survey…

Effectively engaging students in mathematics discourse is challenging, especially in a language other than the one in which you learned mathematics. Teachers must manage the academic as well as social function of language. In Spanish-English bilingual classrooms in the U.S., changing the language of instruction to Spanish may not be enough to…

Pre-service teachers need support in developing their teacher identities as they navigate the uncertain and complex terrain of student teaching and face the pressures of high-stakes accountability. This support is particularly important for bilingual pre-service teachers as they negotiate the many complexities of the bilingual classroom, and as…

Transnationals are people who are residents in the post colony yet continue to maintain socio-economic relations in their country of origin, are hired for unskilled labor, and are often identified as immigrants. The children involved in transnational movements leave their respective countries of origin and corresponding ways of cultural, social,…

This study examines NNESTs' professional identities as classroom teachers by analyzing NNESTS' perceptions of their strengths and challenges. The study contributes to NNESTs forming their professional identity by recognizing, developing, and contesting authoritative discourse. A basic qualitative research design is employed to analyze the…

We explore whether the use of assistive technology allows teachers and children to negotiate shared understandings for learning science and language. We understand our afterschool sessions as critical encounters. Artifacts used in the encounters enabled transcending of the tensions and became drivers for learning. In the studied 13 encounters,…

Drawing on institutional theory, this study describes how cognitive, normative, and regulative mechanisms shape bilingual teachers' language policy implementation in both English-only and bilingual contexts. Aligned with prior educational language policy research, findings indicate the important role that teachers' beliefs play in the policy…

Despite the fact that the population of English Language Learners (ELLs) is rapidly increasing, there is ample evidence that indicates that most teachers can benefit from training for teaching ELLs effectively. The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' knowledge of instructional practices for ELLs, research on bilingual programs,…

Using theories of figured worlds, we demonstrate how Proyecto Bilingüe, a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction program, constructs a figured world of bilingual education for Latina/o bilingual teachers. We drew from a larger qualitative study to conduct a thematic analysis of interviews with Latina/o bilingual teachers, their written…

Professional reading is a core source of input in teacher professional development. This article describes 47 primary school teachers' reports of their professional reading both in their schools and during the first year of a university TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other languages) in-service qualification. One third of these teachers…