ABSTRACT
Culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students contribute valuable diversity to classrooms but are often underserved by traditional modes of education, creating a need for more equity-minded teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) teachers. To best prepare pre-service TESOL teachers, educators need to continually refine their practicum courses to include culturally and linguistically responsive (CLR) material encouraging pre-service teachers (PSTs) to promote educational equity for CLD students. The following TESOL practicum design allows PSTs time to study, observe, and reflect on principles of educational equity for CLD students by completing guided analytical reflections (GARs) synthesizing content knowledge and practicum experiences. By integrating in-depth practicum experiences prior to student-teaching, and by focusing on the cultural and linguistic nature of language learning, PSTs create an authentic understanding of CLR instruction and its essentiality in their future classrooms. They also recognize the importance of an asset-based mindset, an essential tenet of being CLR, early on in their TESOL careers. This chapter begins by outlining the scholarship used to design this practicum, and then discusses the specific context of the practicum design. PSTs’ GARs are then analyzed, demonstrating this design’s value in cultivating CLR awareness. Finally, challenges and suggestions for future applications are made.
