Teachers learning to teach: professional development based on sociocultural theory for linguistically and culturally diverse classroom

This paper explores the implications of grounding professional development in the Vygotskian sociocultural theoretical framework for regular classroom teachers who must deal with the cultural and linguistic diversity in their daily interactions with students. A solid conceptual framework for professional development is significant because it allows an understanding of the complex process involved in how teachers may continue to grow and meet the challenging demands of current classrooms. This theoretical understanding highlights that because human development in an integrated process, attention to affective domains as well as cognitive domains is important in professional development. Related to the integrated nature of human development is the emphasis on the need to provide support for teachers so they may understand that promoting learning for all students involves dealing with issues of identity formation and social status that may reflect what goes on at the larger societal and historical levels.