Promoting Sociopolitical Consciousness and Bicultural Goals of Dual Language Education: The Transformational Dual Language Educational Framework

Conscientization Calls: A White Dual Language Educator’s Development of Sociopolitical Consciousness and Commitment to Social Justice

“…Dual language education is still heavily focused on bilingualism and biliteracy, with a superficial treatment of biculturalism (Cervantes-Soon et al, 2017; Feinauer & Howard, 2014; Freire & Valdez, 2017). To address this gap, biculturalism needs to be addressed from a social justice perspective (Freire, 2020), and scholars have proposed that sociopolitical consciousness be incorporated as one of the goals of dual language education (Cervantes-Soon et al, 2017; Freire, 2014, 2016, 2020), an addition which has the potential to provide valuable social justice support.…”

“…Educators need to take the first step in reading the world, and not just the word, if they want to facilitate their students’ ability to engage in this sociopolitical process (Freire, 1970). An increasing number of scholars have urged educators to develop their sociopolitical consciousness in the field of dual language education (Alfaro et al, 2014; Cervantes-Soon et al, 2017; Freire, 2016, 2020), despite how challenging some educators may find this (Freire & Valdez, 2017). Unless privileged individuals develop consciousness, they will be unaware of how privilege has benefited them in areas such as race, class, language, and ability throughout their lives and thus many will justify hegemonic language practices and promotes oppressive everyday interactions in society such as microaggressions.…”

“…As most educators are privileged according to their race, class, and language, many are unprepared to work with minoritized students, due to limited knowledge about their students’ communities and minimal experience with the social inequities these students face. They have yet to develop a sociopolitical consciousness that enables them to embrace social justice beliefs and practices (Freire, 1970; Freire, 2020; García & Guerra, 2004). Some white teachers are in the process of developing sociopolitical consciousness, and others have already engaged in critical work “based on their solidarity and commitment to social justice and equality” (Darder, 2012, p. 125).…”

“…The three goals of dual language education are academic achievement, bilingualism/biliteracy, and biculturalism. Increasing literature in the field of dual language education urges the need to develop sociopolitical consciousness for these teachers and awareness of the need to focus on social justice work (Alfaro & Bartolomé, 2017; Cervantes-Soon, 2014; Cervantes-Soon et al, 2017; Freire, 2014, 2016, 2020; Palmer, 2009).…”

Equity/Social Justice, Instrumentalism/Neoliberalism: Dueling Discourses of Dual Language in Principals’ Talk About Their Programs

“…Indeed, Cervantes‐Soon, Palmer, Heiman, Dorner, and other scholars have called for the necessity of critical consciousness in DL education: the ability to “reflectively discern the differences in power and privilege rooted in social relationships that structure inequalities and shape the material conditions of our lives” as well as to “recogniz[e] one’s role in these dynamics” (Cervantes‐Soon et al, 2017, p. 3; see also Palmer et al, 2019). They and others have argued that critical consciousness and sociopolitical consciousness must be developed when future DL educators are in their teacher training programs (Cervantes‐Soon et al, 2017; J. Freire, 2020; Rodríguez‐Mojica, Briceño, & Muñoz‐Muñoz, 2019). Similarly, Flores and Chaparro (2018) suggested that DL teacher training should integrate a materialist antiracist approach to form DL educators into language activists who are informed and consequently challenge the sociopolitical factors (e.g., poverty, racism) that continue to marginalize and oppress language‐minoritized students.…”