Bilingual/Bicultural Education
The Bilingual-Bicultural minor may be combined with any major leading to a teaching license. It prepares educators to effectively teach and advocate for bilingual and multilingual learners in diverse educational settings. Grounded in research, theory, and field-based practice, the program equips candidates with the knowledge and skills needed to promote bilingualism, biliteracy, and academic achievement in both the English and Spanish languages while creating inclusive, culturally and linguistically responsive learning environments.
Mount Mary University’s Bilingual-Bicultural Program offers options designed to support students’ diverse academic and career goals. Through a blend of coursework and hands-on clinical experiences, candidates develop expertise in language development, bilingual instructional design, assessment practices, and literacy instruction in two languages, as well as in fostering sociocultural competence and educational equity.
Bilingual/Bicultural Education
The Bilingual-Bicultural minor may be combined with any major leading to a teaching license. It prepares educators to effectively teach and advocate for bilingual and multilingual learners in diverse educational settings. Grounded in research, theory, and field-based practice, the program equips candidates with the knowledge and skills needed to promote bilingualism, biliteracy, and academic achievement in both the English and Spanish languages while creating inclusive, culturally and linguistically responsive learning environments.
Mount Mary University’s Bilingual-Bicultural Program offers options designed to support students’ diverse academic and career goals. Through a blend of coursework and hands-on clinical experiences, candidates develop expertise in language development, bilingual instructional design, assessment practices, and literacy instruction in two languages, as well as in fostering sociocultural competence and educational equity.
Graduates of the Bilingual-Bicultural Program will
- Apply knowledge of linguistic, cultural, social, and sociopolitical factors that influence bilingual learners' educational experiences and opportunities
- Demonstrate understanding of bilingualism, biliteracy development, and language acquisition to support academic achievement in both English and the partner language
- Design and deliver standards-based instruction that integrates content and language to promote bilingualism, biliteracy, and equitable learning outcomes
- Use multiple, appropriate assessment methods to evaluate and support bilingual learners' language development and academic progress
- Implement instructional practices that sustain and develop literacy in both languages
- Foster sociocultural competence by affirming students' identities and promoting cross-cultural understanding
- Advocate for equitable educational policies, programs, and practices that support bilingual and multilingual learners
- Collaborate effectively with families, educators, and communities to support student learning in culturally and linguistically responsive ways
- Engage in ongoing professional reflection and development to improve bilingual teaching practice and leadership
Bilinigual / Bicultural Courses
- EDU 332/532 Second Language Acquisition
- EDU 382/582 Teaching Reading, Writing and Content Areas in Spanish
- ENG 225 How Language Works
- SPA 227 Intro to Hispanic Civilization/Culture OR SPA 326 Hispanic - American Experience
- SPA 333 Phonetics
- SPA 334 Syntax
- SPA 486/586 Bilingualism/Biculturalism
- EDU 486 Student Teaching in Bilinual/Bicultural Education
Debra Dosemagen, Ph.D.
Professor, Department Chair and Graduate Program Director
Phone: (414) 930-3160
Email: dosemagd@mtmary.edu
Expertise: Mathematics education, teacher research
Vanessa Varela, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Phone: (414) 930-3105
Email: varelav@mtmary.edu
Expertise: Second Language Acquisition and Social Justice, Multilingual Learners, Multicultural Children's Literature
Heather Holst, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor
Phone: (414) 930-3199
Email: holsth@mtmary.edu
Special Education, Elementary Education, Educational Assessment
Working with Multilingual Learners has been so rewarding to me in these years I have been teaching. The students bring many perspectives, languages, and experiences that allow learning to happen. As an educator, I get to truly experience what inclusive means in a multilingual classroom.
3rd Grade Teacher
Working with Multilingual Learners has been so rewarding to me in these years I have been teaching. The students bring many perspectives, languages, and experiences that allow learning to happen. As an educator, I get to truly experience what inclusive means in a multilingual classroom.
3rd Grade Teacher
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