Collaboration and Co-Teaching for Dual Language Learners: Transforming Programs for Multilingualism and Equity

Teaching dual language learners? You’re not alone! When implemented with commitment to collaboration, dual language programs work—and two teachers are better than one. Leveraging the power of teacher collaboration is the key to leading all your students to multilingual identity development and language, literacy, and academic success. This practical book adapts a widely used, evidence-based collaboration and co-teaching framework specifically for educators in dual language contexts. Features include: Special consideration to social justice and promoting critical consciousness Viable options for schools, districts, and state education agencies to effectively support and expand dual language education Seven proven co-teaching models, newly applied to elementary and secondary dual language environments Templates and tools for collaborative curriculum alignment and implementation of dual language instruction Authentic examples of success from collaborative dual language teams around the US and beyond More and more schools are implementing dual language programs to serve multilingual learners. This first-of-its-kind innovative resource helps collaborating educators work together to design, deliver, and assess engaging instruction for multilingualism and multiliteracies.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Foundations of Dual Language Programs Chapter 3: Collaborative Planning in Dual Language Programs Chapter 4: Collaborative Teaching in Dual Language Programs Chapter 5: Collaborative Assessment and Reflection in Dual Language Programs Chapter 6: Leadership Support for Collaborative Practices in Dual Language Programs References

About the Author :
Dr. Joan Lachance is an Associate Professor of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She directs the TESL graduate programs and undergraduate TESL Minor. She is the co-author of the National Dual Language Education Teacher Preparation Standards and the Director of the CAEP Specialized Program Association in Dual Language Education called “EMMA: Education for a Multilingual Multicultural America.” She received her undergraduate degree in Secondary Education, Modern Languages and Linguistics from Florida International University. With Spanish as the language of program delivery, she completed graduate coursework to earn her master’s degree in School Counseling from Pontifical Catholic University in Poncé, Puerto Rico. Dr. Lachance completed her doctoral work in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis on Urban Education, Literacy, and TESL at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.              Dr. Lachance’s research agenda encompasses dual language teacher preparation, academic literacy development, and authentic assessment with multilingual learners has resulted in over 25 publications including articles, book chapters, technical reports, and state-level curriculum guides since joining UNC Charlotte. She serves on several journal editorial boards and is a board member of the Multistate Association for Bilingual Education, Northeast (MABE). With the publication of her latest Corwin book she is specializing one aspect of her work further into collaboration and co-teaching for multilingual learners in the dual language context. She continues to work to support dual language education for the preservation of Native American languages, currently and most-honorably collaborating with a K-8 school serving the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians [EBCI].              In addition to her faculty position, Dr. Lachance’s service agenda has resulted in over 100 conference presentations, invited panels, keynotes, and roundtables to support the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the nation at-large. Her service specializes in professional learning for teachers, school counselors, and school administrators. She co-created materials and professional learning institutes for myriad North Carolina state-led initiatives including Using the WIDA Standards, The North Carolina Guide to the SIOP Model, The North Carolina Guide to ExC-ELL, and Dual Language/Immersion Program Support. The presentations, webinars, and asynchronous learning opportunities share innovative practices for multilingual learner academic language development, equitable active multilingual learner engagement, dual language program development, sociocultural nuances in school counseling, and international comparative education.               For fun, Dr. Lachance enjoys camping [it’s really glamping!] with her husband Carl, their son, and their two rescue dogs. She is passionate about science, astronomy, the outdoors, hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the preservation of the Appalachian Trail. While she lives and works in North Carolina, she shares her heart deeply with New Mexico and, has a passion for the Native American Pueblo Languages, their ways of living, and everything Hatch green chilies. Finally, she is a former dual language parent, who reached the point of watching multilingualism come to life in her own home. Andrea Honigsfeld, EdD, is a professor in the School of Education at Molloy College, Rockville Centre, New York. Before entering the field of teacher education, she was an English-as-a-foreign-language teacher in Hungary (Grades 5–8 and adult) and an English-as-a-second-language teacher in New York City (Grades K–3 and adult). She also taught Hungarian at New York University. She was the recipient of a doctoral fellowship at St. John’s University, New York, where she conducted research on individualized instruction. She has published extensively on working with multilingual learners and teacher collaboration. She received a Fulbright Award to lecture in Iceland in the fall of 2002. In the past 22 years, she has been presenting at conferences across the United States, China, Denmark, Japan, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. She coauthored Differentiated Instruction for At-Risk Students (2009) and coedited the five-volume Breaking the Mold of Education series (2010–2013), published by Rowman and Littlefield. She is also the coauthor of Core Instructional Routines: Go-To Structures for Effective Literacy Teaching, K–5 and 6–12 (2014), Growing Language and Literacy (K-8 and 6-12, 2019, 2024 respectively) published by Heinemann. With Maria G. Dove, she coedited Coteaching and Other Collaborative Practices in the EFL/ESL Classroom: Rationale, Research, Reflections, and Recommendations (2012), Co-teaching for English Learners: Evidence-based Practices and Research-informed Outcomes (2020), Portraits of collaboration: Educators working together to support multilingual learners (2022), and coauthored Collaboration and Co-Teaching: Strategies for English Learners (2010), Common Core for the Not-So-Common Learner, Grades K–5: English Language Arts Strategies (2013), Common Core for the Not-So-Common Learner, Grades 6–12: English Language Arts Strategies (2013), Beyond Core Expectations: A Schoolwide Framework for Serving the Not-So-Common Learner (2014), Collaboration and Co-Teaching: A Leader’s Guide (2015), Co-Teaching for English Learners: A Guide to Collaborative Planning, Instruction, Assessment, and Reflection (2018), Collaborating for English Learners: A Foundational Guide to Integrated Practices (2019), and Co-Planning: 5 Essential Practices to Integrate Curriculum and Instruction for English Learners (2022). She is a contributing author of Breaking Down the Wall: Essential Shifts for English Learner Success (2020), From Equity Insights to Action (2021), Digital-Age Teaching for English Learners (2022), Collaboration and Co-teaching for Dual Language Learners: Transforming Programs for Multilingualism and Equity (2023), Breaking Down the Monolingual Wall: Essential Shifts for Multilingual Learners’ Success (2024). Collaboration for Multilingual Learners with Exceptionalities: We Share the Students (2024), Collaborative Assessment for Multilingual Learners and Teachers: Pathways to Partnerships (2025), 9 Dimensions of Scaffolding for Multilingual Learners. Ten of her Corwin books are bestsellers.

Review :
"This engaging and accessible book provides a valuable resource to catalyze teacher collaboration in dual language programs. Lachance and Honigsfeld take care to present strategies across the collaborative instructional cycle—from planning to teaching to assessment to reflection. For the novice and veteran alike, this work will guide and inspire collegial partnerships that advance dynamic bilingualism." "This book is the professional resource we’ve all been waiting for! I love the structure of this book and how it’s designed for an accessible book study for teams as they navigate the unique opportunities presented by co-teaching in dual language settings. I found this resource incredibly valuable for educators and leaders as it has practical tools and strategies that can equip us all to effectively collaborate with each other in our effort to better serve our dual language students!" "At last, a book we have been waiting for- one that combines our growing interest in dual language  programming with collaboration and co-teaching. Scholars Joan Lachance and Andrea Honigsfeld provide practical guidance on the laws and regulations on one hand and our professional creativity and inspiration on the other. Drawing from their kindred spirit of space adventure and exploration, each chapter takes readers to a mission control room to learn about key ideas, an exploration site to try new these in our own contexts, a captain’s log space to reflect on our learning, navigation systems to provide us with key information from research and the field and much more as we prepare take-off to using an approach that works. "In this powerful and practical new resource, Joan and Andrea have outlined not only why teachers should collaborate in dual language programs, but also how this collaboration can happen and what school leaders can do to support. By integrating the collaborative cycle of co-planning, co-teaching, co-assessing and co-reflecting within the unique dual language ecosystem, this book helps to build important connections - across languages and across disciplines – catalyzing both student learning and teacher learning." "Collaboration and Co-teaching for Dual Language Learners: Transforming Programs for Multilingualism and Equity is THE instructional resource that our dual language programs have been waiting for. It provides coaches and teachers a dual language specific collaborative instructional cycle that enhances teacher capacity and elevates student outcomes. Every chapter provides tips and tools for effective and practical implementation. I highly recommend it for district DL directors, campus and district coordinators, coaches, teachers, and paraprofessionals." "Dr. Lachance and Dr. Honigsfeld’s text invites us to explore learning spaces where dual language programming and teacher collaboration unite, creating a school-wide web of intentional support for multilingual learners to flourish both academically and linguistically. I can′t wait to fly to the moon with this transformative lens of collaboration coupled with multilingual language development!" "Mission Accomplished!  My mind traveled through six chapters with a mission in mind: to learn, to understand, to anchor into real examples of practice and powerful strategies based on research.  Strategic reflection pushes readers to pause, think, and formulate next steps to implement right away. This exceptional resource provides educators with much needed tools to navigate, explore, and map out ways to develop higher levels of teaching in dual language programs. As a dual language instructional coach, I transverse these territories in my daily practice and I can say I have found a focus for my upcoming year in my school with this book. Es una combinación perfecta de teoría, práctica y reflexión." "Very few books explore the topic in a way that Lachance and Honigsfeld do. This book is for anyone embarking on implementing a dual language approach or revisiting their current program. It pinpoints the key elements of collaboration and coteaching from delivery, assessment to reflection.  The book is unique in its format allowing the reader the opportunity to hear from practitioners and students." "This book couldn’t be more timely! Creating space for teacher and leader collaboration that is efficient and effective can make all the difference when striving for a well-articulated program where each and every DLI student, teacher, and leader thrives. Thank you for this publication. It will go a long way toward helping leaders and teachers to advocate in their own districts and schools for finding space in an already busy schedule for meaningful collaboration." "Educators involved in dual language programs will find Collaboration and Co-Teaching for Dual Language Learners:  Transforming Programs for Multilingualism and Equity a much-needed book that guides teachers in how to effectively plan and reflect together.  The many voices represented in the book are refreshing and the research presented is strength-based and highly relevant.  This book is essential reading for teachers in two-teacher dual language programs who share students!" "In this volume, the authors offer a strong rationale and practical, research-informed guidance for teacher collaboration and co-teaching for the sake of dual language education and the support needed to effectively design, deliver, and assess engaging instruction in dual language programs. In this unique resource, you will explore the fundamentals for dual language education and how the collaborative instructional cycle—co-planning, co-teaching, co-assessment, and reflection—is an essential component of dual language programs. This one-of-a-kind book is a must read for anyone who teaches or administers a dual language program!" "This is an invaluable resource for guiding educators who co-teach and co-plan in dual language programs. It is not only based on theory and research but includes options to facilitate the process of getting started and making existing dual language programs more effective. This well-stated phrase "Dual language is for everyone in K-12 education" cannot be emphasized enough! Multilingualism promotes equity for all and should be the norm in all schools!" "A welcome addition to the professional literature on dual language program implementation!  Co-planning across instructional personnel and across languages, co-teaching, collaborative assessment and collaborative leadership are critical to the success of dual language programs and this volume delivers on all of those topics!  Packed with useful figures, charts and checklists and organized around catchy recurring icons that represent the overarching organizational structure for each chapter, this volume is extremely approachable, highly interactive, and well-grounded in the 4 pillars of effective dual language programs." "Dr. Lachance and Dr. Honigsfeld harness their knowledge on collaborative practices to provide critical research-supported and classroom-approved recommendations for dual language educators that will maximize student growth towards bilingualism, biliteracy, and multiculturalism. This book will be a powerful and practical tool for educators to understand the how and why of collaborative practices in a dual language program." "This book provides a better understanding of how collaboration can move student learning, strategies for additive forms of multilingualism, as well as an invaluable historical perspective addressing the dangers of a deficit approach to language pedagogy. Examples and anecdotes show how dual language programs and collaborative teaching can change dynamics and better support student learning. Not only does this book provide tools and resources, it also provides writing and discussion prompts that allow readers to process and clarify their own perspectives as they react to the content. This book really hits the mark in helping shift mindsets about dual language education." "Successful collaborations in education have transformative power for the educators engaged in it and, most importantly, for the students benefiting from it. Yet, collaboration requires specific resources for success- time, intention, knowledge, and skill. Collaboration and Co-Teaching in Dual Language is a key publication for acquiring the knowledge and skills to make collaboration successful in dual language classrooms. From a social justice perspective, it is a critical contribution to the field to bring about equity to the multilingual learners in dual language. Thank you for bringing this work to life and to our classrooms. ¡Adelante!" "This practitioner-oriented book is a must-have for all educators -from paraprofessionals to classroom teachers to the school and district leaders - who support Dual Language Learners. It is perfectly timed for today′s dual language educators who are advancing students toward multilingual language diversity society. In addition to the most recent foundational research on dual language instruction, the book provides a plethora of essential tools and resources, coupled with real-world scenarios, demonstrating the work necessary to implement effective dual language programs. Best practices are highlighted and showcased throughout the book through a robust array of authentic examples." "Our students deserve coherent, language-rich, multilingual learning, yet it′s often so hard when we lack a map to guide our work. Lachance and Honigsfeld remind us that our intentional planning and our collaborative conversations will ensure that our students simultaneously develop academic, linguistic, and cross-cultural skills. I′m delighted that Joan and Andrea have stepped into this unique space and I′m anxious to share their roadmap with my colleagues in Tigard-Tualatin schools." "It is exciting to see an advance copy of this book. This book will be transformational for our practice as a group of dual language schools. The authors masterfully weave practice, practical application, pedagogy, and the multicultural multilingual voices of students and educators in schools throughout the globe. I am thrilled to have this resource for my dual language teams. It is packed with concrete examples of pedagogy manifested in the classroom, but also highlights that most important ingredient that must be baked into any dual language program -collaborative practice.