Walking the Talk: Collaborative Preparation of Bilingual and Special Educators to Serve English Learners Who Need Academic or Behavioral Supports
This article describes a Collaborative Intervention Project designed to prepare preservice teachers to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate interventions for English learners (ELs) in need of academic and/or behavioral supports. Faculty from two departments, one preparing bilingual education (BE) elementary school teachers and the other preparing special education (SE) teachers for prekindergarten through 21 generic certifications, developed a process to enhance preservice teachers' preparation to collaboratively address the cultural and linguistic characteristics and educational needs of ELs. The authors describe the process through which faculty designed and implemented the project, share resources for project replication, and discuss faculty and student responses.
Contributor Notes
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Phyllis M. Robertson is an Assistant Professor, Department of Teacher Education, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Her focus is on teacher preparation and the provision of culturally and linguistically responsive instruction, early intervention, and special education services.
Shernaz B. García is an Associate Professor Emerita, Department of Special Education, The University of Texas at Austin. Her research and teaching focus is on culturally and linguistically responsive special education, family-professional partnerships, and personnel preparation.
Haydeé Marie Rodríguez is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Bilingual Education Teacher Preparation Program at The University of Texas at Austin. Her current work focuses on bilingual education and ESL teacher preparation, induction, and mentorship.
