The First Step: Preparing Rural Preservice Teachers to Support Multilingual Learners
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31074/gyntf.2025.3.125.148Kulcsszavak:
teacher education, language minorities, teaching methods, curriculum development, multilingualismAbsztrakt
In an era of increasing linguistic diversity in K–12 classrooms, the responsibility for supporting Multilingual Learners (MLs) extends beyond English as a Second Language (ESL) and bilingual specialists to include all general education teachers. This need is particularly urgent in rural communities, where access to specialized personnel and resources is often limited. Yet, teacher education programs frequently face structural and curricular constraints. In many small, rural institutions, preservice teachers may take only one course focused on ML education, raising important questions about whether they are adequately prepared to work with MLs. This paper examines how a single, strategically designed course can meaningfully prepare future teachers to work with MLs in general education classrooms across various grade levels and content areas. Drawing on research from comprehensive teacher education models designed to prepare educators for multilingual classrooms, this paper shows how a “one-course model” can lay the foundation of preservice teachers’ knowledge, shape their dispositions, and begin to develop the skills needed to foster inclusive practices that support MLs. Through intentional pedagogical design, assignments, and high-impact practices, a one-course model can both introduce essential competencies and prepare preservice teachers to advocate for MLs. This paper, on the other hand, will also acknowledge its inherent limitations. This approach highlights how structural challenges in rural teacher education can be reframed as opportunities for innovation in preparing educators for linguistically diverse classrooms.
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