How K-12 Educators of Color Enact Technology-enhanced Multiliterate Curricula to Create Reciprocal Learning Environments for Multilingual Students

Abstract

In light of the urgent need for teacher diversity in the multilingual and multicultural contexts of the United States, this phenomenological research collected insights from K-12 educators of color regarding their experiences with ethnically diverse students to illuminate various ways of knowing in language and literacy. Drawing on a multiliterate, sociocultural approach to teaching and learning for multilingual students, it demonstrates how multiliteracies and digital technologies can serve as mediums to empower them. Data include semi-structured interviews and are analyzed through interpretative phenomenological analysis, which collectively generate the participants’ narratives in relation to their knowing and being. Findings indicate that educators of color who bring their intersecting identities into their teaching and enact technology-enhanced multiliteracies approaches to connect with students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds can foster their students’ agency and build reciprocal relationships. The role of a teacher transitions from being above students to collaborating with them. During a time when the field of teacher education lacks representation of teachers of color, this study advocates for an increased, diversified teaching workforce and ongoing reflection on teaching practices to align with the evolving landscape of 21st-century education.