ABSTRACT
Reflection: Given the shifting multilingual landscape and educational tensions in Poland, systemic modifications are needed in the current teacher preparation and professional development programs to transform educators’ beliefs and practices with refugee-background students (RBSs). Sensitizing educators to their students’ realms and perspectives may play a crucial role in challenging teachers’ stereotypes about and instructional methods with RBSs.
Epistemic Reflexivity: Critical scholars call for a pedagogy of hope in the pursuit of humanity restoration through social justice advancement wherein critical reflection and active struggle in solidarity with others may liberate people and societies. In this section, I describe values and commitments nurturing my positionality which led to specific actions carried out in the school context.
Resolved Action: I describe a three-hour professional development workshop on teaching RBSs in multilingual contexts for the school faculty and staff in a Polish school. This workshop may contribute to building an equitable space where RBSs’ needs will be met, their linguistic repertoires leveraged, their identities affirmed, and their resources celebrated.
