ERIC Identifier: ED410368
Publication Date: 1997-07-00
Author: Calderon, Margarita
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on
Urban Education New York NY.
Staff Development in Multilingual Multicultural Schools.
ERIC/CUE Digest 124.
It is estimated that by the turn of the century up to 40 percent of the
children in the nation's classrooms will be non-white, with the majority Latino
(Valencia, 1996). Already, multilingual multicultural schools exist in
practically every major city. Since the teaching force is primarily white, and
becoming even more so, it is important to take immediate action to prepare
teachers and principals to work with a student population different from
themselves. Yet, professional development activities in schools still shy away
from tackling inequity, prejudice, and bias, although experience shows that
their existence negatively affects instruction, curriculum, teacher-student and
teacher-parent relationships, and even teacher-teacher relations.
Creators of staff development programs must understand what reform means
locally in order to gain insight into how professional development for the
reforms can be made relevant and sustained. They must consider how the dominant
culture of a school (whether it is a "white" or "minority" culture) can halt all
reform efforts so that nothing, particularly people, fundamentally changes. When
this happens, staff development programs must take up the dual task of
developing new expertise in teachers, and also addressing how inequalities,
power, racism, or laissez-faire attitudes are rooted in the school's basic
institutional structures. Indeed, school reform itself must make solving these
problems--along with instituting communities of genuine collaboration, caring,
and justice--fundamental forces driving their missions and action plans.
This digest presents recommendations for a staff development program for a
multilingual multicultural teaching staff based on a model that has been tested
and shown to be effective.
HISTORICAL DISEMPOWERMENT OF BILINGUAL/MINORITY TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
For the past 25 years, the education of language
minority students has been mainly addressed by short-term federally funded
programs specializing in providing variations of bilingual instruction in
elementary schools and English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction in
secondary schools. While they have been most helpful in targeting specific
educational needs of students, the programs have also alienated both the
students and their teachers from the social and academic mainstream of the
school. Their "remedial program" label deprived many students of high
expectations, higher aspirations, equality, and excellence in academic endeavors
(Cummins, 1993; Lucas, 1993; National Coalition of Advocates for Students,
1994). The program fragmentation and student alienation have had an extremely
negative impact on bilingual teachers as well; bilingual/minority teachers in
the programs have generally been sent to the back of the "mainstream bus" of
school reform and staff development. This isolation has created a culture of "us
vs. them" between bilingual and mainstream teachers. It has engendered in
bilingual teachers at best a superficial interest in school innovations and
restructuring efforts; at worst, a deep rooted sense of disempowerment.
Although there have been many staff development opportunities for
bilingual/ESL teachers, programs typically lack comprehensiveness and
continuity. Fads come and go and bilingual teachers try them for a year or two,
or simply adapt a few techniques or components of a model. Accountability has
been rare. An exhaustive meta-analysis of effective programs for Latino students
illustrates that throughout the country bilingual teacher classroom performance
has rarely been considered, evaluated, or held accountable (Fashola, Slavin,
Calderon, & Duran, 1996). However, blaming reluctant bilingual teachers for
program ineffectiveness is incorrect, since most implementation efforts lack
follow-up support to give teachers encouragement and constructive feedback on
Weaknesses in staff development and program implementation designs combine to
produce student failure, and, reasonably, criticism of bilingual programs.
Frequently programs offer only helpful hints or techniques, and possibly some
new materials, rather than a plan for changing the basic core of a teacher's
practice. Some programs simply bring in an expensive motivational speaker for a
couple of hours to "motivate" teachers, without providing teachers with
follow-up time for analysis, or for making connections to their daily practice.
Accountability has also taken a back seat to another sensitive factor in
bilingual education: the shortage of bilingual teachers. Because schools are
desperate to fill their bilingual teaching positions, the selection process,
on-the-job preparation, and evaluation systems have failed to consider
instructional quality and accountability.
Further, bilingual program staff development has suffered from what Apple
(1993) calls "official knowledge" because programs are usually mediated by a
complex political economy and the institutions they serve. They have been
designed to influence only those functions sanctioned by these entities. This
applies just as well to bilingual teacher preparation at many universities.
Therefore, effective bilingual teacher pre- and inservice training is almost
nil. The result is that bilingual teachers have been fighting alone for many
THE NEED TO RESTRUCTURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
instruction in bilingual/multicultural schools requires that teachers combine a
sophisticated knowledge of subject matter with a wide repertoire of teaching
strategies, and with state-of-the-art knowledge about learning theory,
cognition, pedagogy, curriculum, technology, assessment, and programs that work.
Teachers also need to have ample knowledge of the students' language and
sociocultural and developmental background, and to be as proficient as possible
in two languages. Standard teacher-proof curriculum, traditional bilingual
teaching, and typical staff development programs do not ensure that teachers
will develop such skills. In addition to bilingual and mainstream teachers,
counselors, resource specialists, and administrators must undertake tasks they
have never before been called to accomplish. Yet, there is still much reluctance
to change and to participate in a staff development program focusing on
bilingual/ESL issues (Calderon, 1994a; 1994b; l996a; 1996b; 1996c; Calderon & Carreon, 1994; De Villar, Faltis, & Cummins, 1994; Gonzalez & Darling-Hammond, 1996; Development Associates, 1995).
Until now, schools have relegated language minority students to bilingual
teachers only, taking the opportunity away from other teachers to grow
professionally to meet the nation's educational needs. However, if all students
are to succeed, all teachers in all schools must be given profound learning
opportunities and support within a well- structured program, the resources to do
their job effectively, and the tools to become multicultural professionals.
The National Coalition of Advocates for Students (NCAS, 1994) has suggested
that schools need teachers who:
*Have a repertoire of approaches that upholds high expectations of
all students, while affirming differences among students and
teaching them to appreciate diversity.
*Are knowledgeable about issues of acculturation and second
language acquisition, develop a greater understanding of all kinds of
difference, and teach with multicultural materials that reflect a
diversity of experiences and perspectives.
*Establish the classroom as a safe place to explore issues of difference
and prejudice, and have the capacity to work together across
differences of race and ethnicity, and work well with a variety of
individuals and groups.
DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW MODEL FOR COLLABORATIVE
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
Researchers at the Center for Research
on the Education of Students Placed At Risk (CRESPAR) have conducted several
studies of staff development for teachers working with language minority
students to determine the following information: how teachers can be helped to
tap into their abilities and have an optimum impact on the positive schooling of
their students; why some teachers persist, despite fragmentation, isolation, and
disempowerment; and what support systems are effective for mainstream teachers
new to language minority contexts, and for minority teachers who have always
been in language minority contexts.
Mainstream and bilingual/minority teachers were studied before, during, and
after participation in staff development programs to measure changes in them and
in their impact on students. The evaluation tools and processes used by
CRESPAR's studies, which can also be used by schools as they pursue their own
staff development reforms, include: (1) the teachers' and principals' analysis
of their students' ethnographies of the culture of their classrooms; (2) the
teachers' own analysis of their teaching through their peer coaches'
ethnographies; and (3) ways to construct collaborative meaning to a pedagogy
through a process created by CRESPAR: Teachers' Learning Communities (TLCs).
The results of CRESPAR's studies have provided insights into ways of bringing
instruction, cultural relevancy, and equitable power relations into staff
development programs. Goals for a staff development program at a school site
typically include the following (Calderon, 1994a; 1994b; l996a; 1996b; 1996c):
*High expectations and an attractive engaging program with a
demanding curriculum for the whole faculty.
*A focus on research-based instructional programs.
*A learning community that provides opportunities for exploration
of teachers' beliefs where they can feel safe to take risks.
*Knowledge and valuing of other teachers, the students, their
families, and communities, to promote cultural empowerment,
stronger teacher-student bonds, and eradication of the 'us vs. them'
tradition of bilingual and mainstream teachers.
*Bilingual proficiency through opportunities for teachers to become
proficient in the students' target language(s) in order to teach the
language or academic courses in it, or to learn another language.
*Self-assessment by teachers through their creation of a personal
improvement plan and development of criteria for measuring their
own professional growth, with the goal of replacing the traditional
teacher appraisals by administrators.
*Peer assistance when needed: coaching, collaborative learning,
workshops, and observations of other teachers.
*Development of human relations/cross-cultural communication
skills (e.g., to enhance the talents of team teachers in two-way
bilingual programs; and to dispel such myths as getting along with
others is easy, conflict is bad and should be avoided at all costs, it is
only necessary to interact with people one likes, and racism and
bigotry do not exist in this school).
*Experiences in cross-cultural classrooms and in bilingual
classrooms, including transitional, immersion, and dual
The Teachers' Learning Communities program that CRESPAR developed to
accomplish these goals is based on the belief that every teacher can
successfully participate in educational reforms. Combining implementation of
instructional innovations with a professional development program, and building
on teachers' personal and cultural assets, TLCs appear to be a logical and
practical way of addressing the learning needs of students and teachers. The
principles of the TLC model are presented below as examples of components of a
successful staff development program in multilingual multicultural schools.
Part of a comprehensive staff development
program, Teachers' Learning Communities are sessions in which teachers meet at a
designated time during school to consider their own work, their relationships
with each other, and general school issues. Teachers begin participating during
their first inservice year so they are able to benefit from collaboration from
the outset of their career. They help each other become change agents, peer
coaches, classroom ethnographers, trainers of other teachers, and curriculum
writers. TLCs help foster special types of collaborative and caring
relationships between majority and minority beginning teachers and mentors that
are perhaps their most important benefit from TLCs (Calderon, 1991; 1994a;
GENERAL GROUP ACTIVITIES
Among the activities that teachers
do in TLCs are the following:
*Joint study of theory, philosophy, and research in each area of the
innovation they are implementing.
*Demonstrations of the teaching strategies and feedback by
colleagues within the TLC and organization of demonstration
workshops for other teachers.
*Joint analysis of videotapes of teaching and student learning.
*Vision-mission-passion sessions for self-renewal.
*Joint assessment of student portfolios, overall progress, and
analysis of standardized test scores.
*Exchanges with bilingual teachers from other schools, in other
states, or in other countries, to learn more about bilingual
instruction and further their bilingual skills.
*Joint analysis of equity-bias issues where teachers raise questions
and solve problems.
One goal of the TLC sessions is to
have teachers look at their daily routines in new ways. Thus, they are taught
simple techniques to enable one teacher to do a mini-ethnography while another
is teaching. Pairs of these "peer coaches," usually consisting of one
monolingual and one bilingual teacher, create a script that describes each
teacher's classroom activities over a period of 30 to 90 minutes. The scripts
are written mostly in English for the sake of monolingual teachers, but,
interestingly, most do not report problems in understanding class organization
or key events in teaching/learning segments, even though the instruction is
conducted in Spanish. Brought to a TLC for discussion, the scripts provide
teachers with a tool for generating questions that prompts analysis and,
possibly, reorganization of time, language status, and power relationships
inherent in the participant roles. Among the issues considered are these:
*OVERALL STUDENT LEARNING. Are students mastering the
academic, strategic learning, and linguistic skills taught? Are they
improving? How much time do students spend drawing, writing,
reading, using a computer, and engaging in off-task behavior? How
is cooperative learning orchestrated? What role do students play in
the cooperative construction of knowledge?
*BILINGUAL INSTRUCTION. What is the optimal context of
learning for language minority students? How do teachers construct
"common knowledge" of what a two-way bilingual program should
be? What is the valorization of particular subjects and practices in
Spanish and English? Does Spanish or English receive more or
equal status? What percentage of time is spent using Spanish and
English? What is taught in each language? How do students react to
each language? How well do heterogeneous teams function and
what are the power structures?
*INSTRUCTION IN LANGUAGE MINORITY SCHOOLS. What
types of activities do teachers structure? How far do they deviate
from traditional instruction? How are particular practices
developed: time allotments, curriculum, teaching and learning
*INDIVIDUAL TEACHER PRACTICES. How much time do teachers
spend on explanations and corrections of tasks and procedures? Are
they doing too much for the students, or are they letting them
discover, invent, and construct new meanings? How can teachers be
better motivated to inquire into their own instructional practices,
attitudes about their students' linguistic and cultural background,
and their own personal development needs and desires? How are
teachers employing their talents and developing leadership skills?
*TEAM TEACHING. How are team teaching roles orchestrated?
How does each member help or interfere with one another? What
messages does the team convey to the students? Which teacher is on
stage more? What does the team teacher offstage do? What are the
power structures? How can the team be better balanced or
*TEACHER RELATIONSHIPS. What are the power relationships
between mainstream and minority teachers? How do mainstream
and bilingual teachers develop long-lasting and meaningful
partnerships in two-way bilingual contexts? How do teachers
contribute to one another's talent, construction of knowledge about
their students' instructional needs, and professional
By creating a culture of inquiry through ethnography, professional learning
becomes more focused and accelerated. With the tools of "teacher ethnography,"
the teams of monolingual and bilingual teachers can learn about their teaching
by observing the students and their partner, and can draw closer together.
Change becomes meaningful, relevant, and necessary. Although these professional
development programs are still in development, studies have demonstrated that
continuous learning by teachers is bringing about instructional program
refinement and greater student gains (Calderon, 1996a; Slavin & Boykin,
LESSONS FROM THE NEW MODEL
The TLC structure at the school
site gives teachers opportunities for meaningful peer coaching, and for
collaborative reflection with the goal of fashioning new knowledge and beliefs
about their students, their teaching, and their own learning. Preliminary
evidence from peer coaching through classroom ethnographies indicates that this
approach builds texts and contexts for teacher self-analysis, negotiation, and
problem-solving. The ethnographies create a cycle of observation and analysis of
concrete teaching tasks, reflection, readjustments, and a search for new
The TLC structure also addresses knowledge and power relations between
monolingual and bilingual teachers as schools continue to seek schoolwide
reform. It promotes social relations and identities as peer teachers, and gives
equal status to Latino and Anglo teachers. Each takes a turn as expert, novice,
and equal peer. When this balance is achieved, teachers become empowered. The
tensions between official discourses and minority discourses dissipate.
Bilingual teachers contribute equally to school improvement, and more
importantly, to student success.
The challenge of school professional development is to compensate for
educators' lack of preparation for meeting the needs of diverse populations. The
challenge goes beyond promoting "marginal teaching methodologies" and into
creating new pedagogical norms and relationships. Collaborative relationships at
the student, teacher, counselor, administrator, and ancillary school staff
levels need to be deliberately established where caring, closeness, trust, and
understanding can be built. Without such a new discourse of shared norms and
shared expectations, educators cannot say they are doing their best to meet the
needs of all students.
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