Top 5 Qualities of an Outstanding Teacher of Multilingual Learners of English

When you reflect on your own learning history, which teachers stand out as having made the most impact? Perhaps it was a university professor who inspired you to be the teacher you are today. Maybe it was your middle school teacher, whose understanding and encouragement helped you overcome certain challenges. Or maybe it is your kindergarten teacher, whose instrumental role in helping you to master early literacy skills stand out the most. Whoever you choose, consider what qualities they possessed that place them above the rest.

I asked students in my preservice teacher education course to come up with the qualities of an outstanding teacher of multilingual learners of English (MLEs), and here are the top five that they agreed on as a class.

1. They Are Adaptable

Classrooms, at any level, are dynamic. Teachers need to continuously read the room and evaluate whether the activity is working as intended, whether students are on task, and whether a change is needed to make something more effective. This requires a level of preparedness as well as a willingness to be flexible. Rather than be stuck with a plan that is clearly failing and waste precious instructional time, teachers need to adapt easily when they recognize that this is needed. Teachers may need to adapt their plans for the whole class or for individual students, as lessons designed with monolingual students in mind may not always work for MLEs, who often need additional scaffolding of both language and content.

2. They Are Empathetic

Good teachers are able to understand what another person is feeling or experiencing. Outstanding teachers of MLEs make students feel welcome and comfortable in the classroom and aim to create a sense of belonging from the start. They may do this by getting to know students individually and learning about the strengths they bring to the learning space. The more teachers learn about their students, the better they will be at putting themselves in their students’ shoes and seeing things from students’ points of view so that they can handle situations compassionately and sensitively.

3. They Are Knowledgeable

Teachers need to be knowledgeable of their subject matter and pedagogy so that they can effectively teach the content. Teachers of MLEs need to also have a good understanding of how languages are acquired and how learners can best be supported to learn the language of instruction while also learning content in a new language. For example, when teaching a science lesson, the teacher should be able to use various strategies to unpack the language of the lesson to make the language and the content comprehensible to the MLE. Additionally, teachers of MLEs should also be knowledgeable about sources of support available to their students.

4. They Are an Advocate

All teachers are expected to be fair and free from bias, treating students with respect and value their funds of knowledge. An outstanding teacher of MLEs needs to go beyond these more fundamental qualities and be a strong advocate for their students. This means that the teacher needs to be self-aware and continuously check their own assumptions and the judgements of others. They need to combat inequality and discrimination to ensure that all students are treated fairly, giving every student the same opportunity to succeed. They should be brave enough to speak up and voice matters of concern with those in positions of power, so that they can work toward making a positive change. At the same time, the successes of MLEs should be celebrated to provide them encouragement.

5. They Keep on Learning

Good teachers believe that learning never ends, and they are continuously seeking personal and professional growth. Whether teachers undertake formal higher education courses or engage in professional learning through workshops and seminars, or whether they choose to reflect on their craft through action research, all efforts to improve their teaching will help teachers to become more skilled, competent, and confident practitioners. It also ensures that they remain on top of the latest research and trends, rather than continuing to do the same thing in the same way for years.

Do you agree with this list? What qualities do you feel are missing?