The Subject of Subjectivity: Preparing Teachers with the Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions Needed for Empowering Emergent Bilingual Students

It is estimated by the year 2030, over 40% of the K-12 population in U.S. schools will be children whose first language is not English (Shin & Ortman, 2011; U.S. Census Bureau, 2007;). This shift has negative academic consequences for emergent bilingual students (EBS). Schools (K-12) unable to meet the needs of EBS contribute to these consequences and the social and cultural cycle of oppression for this marginalized group. Thus, integrating knowledge, skills, and dispositions (KSDs) beneficial for meeting the needs of EBS becomes imperative for pre-service program models, though often blocked by subjective thinking. This article presents the learning opportunities offered by three distinct pre-service program coursework models. Differences coursework models shaped pre-service teachers' ability to acquire KSDs required for working with EBS, which in turn, informed what they enacted in classrooms. This finding provides evidence and rationale for pre-service programs to develop and integrate KSDs beneficial to EBS.