Toward Equity-Based Pedagogy: Monolingual Teachers’ Transformative Thinking Process

Abstract

Abstract The reality that English language learners (ell s) have not been receiving adequate support in the mainstream classroom calls for urgency to prepare teachers in teacher education programs. Grounded in the theoretical construct of praxis and linguistically and culturally relevant approach (lcra), the purpose of this article is to share the author’s experience on how she supported monolingual teachers to engage in equity-based pedagogy. This article will focus on the specific projects that the author’s graduate students (mostly white and monolingual teachers/teacher candidates) conducted as a way to better understand the diverse needs of ell s in the dominant English context. The projects include: reflecting on monolingual identities through being in ell s’ shoes, building professional capital through theories of language learning, discussing and critiquing texts on ell s with a critical lens, designing lessons that integrate ell s’ culture as well as conducting the fieldwork in local schools, and synthesizing learning through the options of multiple final projects including learning a new language (e.g., ell s’ primary language). These activities intended to promote monolingual teachers’ transformative thinking process through the process of praxis and lcra in teacher education programs.