Learnings from Linguistic Funds of Knowledge of Multilingual Teacher Educators

An increase in immigration in the U.S. means an increased number of speakers of languages other than English in classrooms, thus raising a need for teachers prepared for a linguistically diverse student population. While different multilingual approaches like translanguaging and translingual practices are discussed and implemented, their implementation is from a monolingual habitus and ideology in classrooms. Additionally, existing language ideologies in the field undervalue the linguistic funds of knowledge of transnational teacher educators who can inform teaching practices in the U.S from their language experiences in multilingual countries. This presentation reviews the literature on conceptual frameworks implemented in U.S. classrooms for teaching multilingual students and critically argues for the need to broaden our understanding of multilingualism that moves beyond learning English by using the first languages of individuals. I argue for the inclusion of transnational narratives of multilingual teacher educators, often viewed from a deficit lens, thereby losing the opportunity to ground our pedagogies based on actual language practices in multilingual societies. This presentation will help educators learn and recognize multilingualism from an asset perspective, understand how linguistic diversity works in real life, and allow them to inform their teaching practices to best support our multilingual students