To switch or not to switch: Bilingual preservice teachers and translanguaging in teaching and learning

Abstract

This ethnographic study examines the language ideology shifts among a group of 20 Mexican American/Latinx preservice bilingual teachers within a translanguaging space (Wei, 2011). This article explores how understanding different language ideological approaches to bilingualism and bilingual education through the use of translanguaging as the language of instruction push participants to examine their bilingual identities, linguistic trajectories and ideologies, and their own future approach to language and content teaching. Findings show that all the participants agreed they would use translanguaging as a language policy in their future classrooms as they experienced its benefits first-hand during this study. At the same time, the participants proposed a combination of approaches depending on students' linguistic needs, placing more emphasis on the language that requires more development. This quest for ideological coexistence stemmed from the participants' reflections of the socio-cultural-historical-political contexts of the schooling of emergent bilinguals in the United States combined with their own linguistic and educational trajectories, which promoted a new awareness and commitment to avoid a new cycle of language marginalization in their future classrooms.

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“…The nuevo espacio they are proposing is a more cohesive and committed collaboration between Spanish department faculty and bilingual education faculty to improve the Spanish proficiency of FMBs. Our article builds on existing work in finding creative paths to assist FMBs in strengthening their Spanish (Caldas, 2019a(Caldas, , 2019b); additionally we argue that haciendo más should also include creating opportunities for FMBs to develop their critical consciousness (Alfaro, 2019;Caldas, 2018;Cervantes-Soon, 2018;Heiman & Urrieta, 2019;Rodríguez-Mojica & Briceño, 2019). We conceptualize these processes as an espacio emergente in bilingual teacher preparation that is under construction, unfinished (Freire, 1997), and informed by previous work that has centered FMBs' development of critical consciousness.…”

“…The forum theater experiences were catalysts in the activation of critical listening to the theoretical and practical implications of testimonios in conjunction with their performance and improvisations. These experiences sutured the intellect and the body, interrogating from personal and theoretical standpoints the inequities discussed in the testimonios, which fomented a historicizing of "inherited past narratives" (Caldas, 2019b), of subtractive schooling (Valenzuela, 1999), and most importantly the ganas to change these narratives. The forum theater experience also engendered discomfort that challenged FMBs' "inherited" perspectives of hybrid language practices (Caldas, 2019a(Caldas, , 2019b.…”

“…These experiences sutured the intellect and the body, interrogating from personal and theoretical standpoints the inequities discussed in the testimonios, which fomented a historicizing of "inherited past narratives" (Caldas, 2019b), of subtractive schooling (Valenzuela, 1999), and most importantly the ganas to change these narratives. The forum theater experience also engendered discomfort that challenged FMBs' "inherited" perspectives of hybrid language practices (Caldas, 2019a(Caldas, , 2019b. We are inspired by the myriad architects of this espacio emergente that has engaged and is engaging in critical processes with FMBs.…”

“…The complexities and myriad demands placed on bilingual and DLBE teachers (Caldas, 2019b;Heiman & Urrieta, 2020;Palmer & Martínez, 2013) at a critical juncture when bilingual education is mired in whitening processes (Chávez-Moreno, 2019;Flores & García, 2017) and gentrification (Chaparro, 2020;Heiman, 2020;Valdez et al, 2016) reveal the urgency to hacer más in the preparation of FMBs (Alfaro & Bartolomé, 2017;Caldas, 2017;Haas & Gort, 2009). We argue that those tasked with preparing FMBs are also key stakeholders in bilingual education and that hacer más in this preparation requires an explicit focus on the fourth goal of DLBE: the development of critical consciousness (Freire, 2020;Alfaro, 2019;Palmer et al, 2019;Rodríguez-Mojica & Briceño, 2019).…”

“…Our conceptualization of the espacio emergente takes inspiration from DLBE's fourth goal and is already under construction and unfinished (Freire, 1997), as critically imbued work in bilingual teacher preparation has been actively committed to interrogating power, historicizing bilingual education processes, listening critically, and engaging with discomfort. This espacio emergente has been theorized and documented through, among other things, a) the integration of translanguaging theory, stances, and pedagogy (Caldas, 2019a(Caldas, , 2019bCaldas et al, 2018;Collins et al, 2019;Musanti & Rodríguez, 2017); b) arts-based pedagogies (Caldas, 2017(Caldas, , 2018; c) a focus on biliteracy practices and events (Brochin Ceballos, 2012; Rodríguez-Mojica & Briceño, 2019); and d) language ideologies in practice (Nuñez & Espinoza, 2019). As Cervantes-Soon (2018) argues, the current neoliberal hijacking of bilingual education demands boldness, strategic agency, and at times subversive actions in piecemeal ways and through critically conscious practices that interrogate power, historicize bilingual education processes, and promote critical listening and experiencing discomfort.…”