Given that most preservice teachers in the US are monolingual, having only experienced language learning through traditional high school coursework, their exposure to other languages and awareness of how languages function in society are limited. However, teacher beliefs about language learning can critically impact perceptions of Multilingual (English) Language Learners (MLLs) and how to teach them. Moreover, the pre-eminence of English as the uninterrogated lingua franca obscures the complexity of English as a tool of colonization -- a possibility that many preservice students have not yet considered. This lack of awareness of how language contributes to students’ identities and worldviews may contribute to preservice teachers’ deficit views of MLLs. Additionally, they may embrace unexamined commitments to traditional language teaching methodologies that are rooted in assumptions of Whiteness: individualism, meritocracy, personal agency, Eurocentrism, and monolingualism.

In this presentation, we will describe the design of an innovative teacher preparation course in which preservice teachers have weekly language and culture experiences with educators from two indigenous communities in our region. In the first year, one educator was one of the few remaining native speakers of Salish, a local indigenous language, and the second was from the Marshall Islands, representing the significant number of Marshallese students in our local K-12 schools. These two educators introduced their language, explained cultural values and practices, and shared the larger historical context of colonization and its effect on past and present schooling of indigenous learners. In the second year, the educators were Tlingit (Alaska Native) and Marshallese speakers, and in the third year, Marshallese and Kinyarwanda speakers.

These structured language and cultural experiences were wrapped in a process of ongoing reflection and discussion. We also attempted where possible to co-create a culture of learning that resonated with indigenous pedagogies. Analysis of student reflections suggested a more nuanced understanding of language acquisition in relation to culture and identify, a more developed empathy for MLLs, and an expanded repertoire of instructional approaches.

This presentation will outline the transformative potential of such initiatives in preparing teachers to navigate the linguistic and cultural diversity of today's classrooms with sensitivity and efficacy.

Keywords: Teacher preparation, Linguistic diversity, Cultural sensitivity, Multilingual language learners, Indigenous languages, Language acquisition, Colonialism, Reflective practice, Culturally responsive teaching.