Tensions and Possibilities in Fostering Critical Language Ideologies in Elementary Teacher Education

Abstract

ABSTRACT Teachers’ language ideologies inform our assumptions about what counts as valued practices in schools. As teacher educators in an urban elementary education program, we aim to sustain youths’ linguistic and cultural diversity, in part by cultivating a critical language ideology with teachers that explicitly acknowledges the relationship between language, power, and race. Drawing from a series of semi-structured interviews with three pre-service teachers over two years, we examined their developing critical language ideologies. Although all three pre-service teachers were making moves towards a critical language ideology, they also navigated multiple tensions, with: (1) the push-pull of a standard language ideology; (2) consistently positioning languages as resources; and (3) expanding positionings of multilingual students’ reading abilities. In a process of reflexive self-study, we engaged with these tensions in order to critically reflect on and adapt our own curriculum and instruction. We conclude with suggestions for future research and invite dialogue among teacher educators, pre-service teachers, and practicing teachers about pedagogical challenges and promising approaches to fostering a critical language ideology.