Bao, a Mandarin Chinese speaker who is learning English in preschool this year, enters the classroom with his father. In his class of 18 three-and-four-year olds, approximately one-third of the children already speak more than one language or are beginning to learn English in school. The language diversity of the group is broad, with nine different languages represented, including Mandarin Chinese, Hebrew, Spanish, Korean, and Armenian. Leah, one of Bao’s teachers, is a monolingual herself, but supports the multilingual children in her group with strategies such as having predictable daily routines, incorporating the children’s home languages, and providing picture cues to aid understanding.
“Zao shang hao! Good morning, Bao,” Leah says, smiling. Both Bao and his father light up at the teacher’s effort to speak a few words in their home language. Leah asks Bao slowly, “Do you have a job today? Let’s check the job chart.” She references a wall chart containing labeled photographs of the children and photographs that represent different classroom jobs, such as feeding the class fish or watering the plants. Bao points excitedly to his picture, next to the “feed the fish” job, and exclaims, “Fish!” “Yes, you DO have a job today, Bao! Feed the fish. Come right over.” Bao waves goodbye to his father and eagerly traverses the room with his teacher to complete his morning job.
Abstract
An increase in the Dual Language Learner (DLL) population has led to a critical need for early childhood educators to understand how to best serve DLL children and their families. This article describes a qualitative multiple-case study that investigated specific teaching practices for DLLs in six community-nominated exemplary preschool classrooms across three program types (Head Start, public Pre-K, and private university-affiliated preschool programs). The aim of this study was to learn from exemplary teachers about their beliefs and practices for teaching young DLL children. Data collection sources included interviews with teachers, classroom observations, video recordings, and classroom artifacts. Findings demonstrate that exemplary teachers hold asset-oriented beliefs about bilingualism and diversity, viewing DLL children and families as knowledgeable resources to the community. With these beliefs as a foundation, teachers enact a wide repertoire of practices tailored for DLL children, including: fostering relationships and belonging through embedding home languages and cultural practices in the classroom; emphasizing guided play, co-constructed curriculum, and ongoing observational assessment; and scaffolding and teaching the English language. Implications for teaching and teacher education are discussed.
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Many thanks to Mariela Páez, Rebecca Louick, and Margaret Beneke for their support in preparing this manuscript.
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Baker, M. Playing, Talking, Co-constructing: Exemplary Teaching for Young Dual Language Learners Across Program Types. Early Childhood Educ J 47, 115–130 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-018-0903-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-018-0903-0