Critical Understanding of English Learners: Experience and Practice of Educators in a Professional Development Course

Abstract

Studies over the years emphasize the need to foster critical cultural awareness among teachers in U.S. classrooms. Using a critical theoretical approach, we examined the critical cultural awareness of practicing teachers and educators' experiences with English Learners (ELs) and their preparedness to meet the needs of ELs through actionable plans from a professional development (PD) module. We argue that PD courses on critical theoretical perspectives on ELs are essential not just for EL professionals but for all educators who work with ELs in one way or the other. Sixty-eight educators (teachers and school directors) in a midwestern community participated in the PD modular course, where they were exposed to various critical theories. The data include discussion responses and educators' critical theoretical reflections on ELs. In this article, we iterate the need to include critical theoretical EL education in teacher training preparation and professional development programs to support pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, and principals. The findings show that the impact of such critical awareness transforms teachers' and educators' perceptions about their respective roles in effectively educating ELs.