Preparing Teachers for Young and Adolescent Multilingual Learners: The Use of Reflective Narratives

Multilingual learners (MLs) students spend most of their school time with their teachers, who often feel professionally unprepared to meet their linguistically diverse students' needs. As such, preparing teachers for increasing numbers of multilingual learners (MLs) has become a critical factor in promoting equity and success for all students in our global society. This book explores and highlights the reflective narratives of teacher educators, in-service, and preservice teachers. It shows how these narratives are grounded in their personal lives, professional training, and daily teaching, and how they can unfold the complexities in their various experiences and the rich implications for MLs teaching and teacher preparation. The book presents papers that utilize teachers' reflective narratives to prepare and train teachers who are or will be working with MLs. It discusses the challenges and implications of teaching groups of MLs made up of diverse learners, including immigrants, refugees, and learners with disabilities.

'This book seeks to change the narrative of some of our most vulnerable student populations by giving voice to the experiences, challenges, success, and best practices encountered in the international education landscape. The power contained within each chapter is the systematic and intentional reflections that bring the marginalized stories to the center of the discussion. Anyone seeking an understanding of how reflective narrative can build equity and social justice for multilingual learners will appreciate the breadth of experience described. This understanding is critical for culturally and linguistically diverse teaching and learning.' Jordan González, Ph.D., St. John's University, NY