Introduction

The United States has historically self-proclaimed itself to be a nation of immigrants; nonetheless, dual language education programs have consistently faced challenges to withstand social and political pressure. During the 18th century, bilingual schools flourished throughout large swaths of the country where German, Dutch, French, and Spanish emerged as prominent languages protected by bilingual education laws authorizing bilingual instruction at the parents’ request (Gándara & Escamilla, 2017). However, the deep economic recession shrouding the country at the end of the 19th century contributed to restrictive language policies that ended many of the well-established bilingual programs throughout the nation. Known as “The Restrictive Period” (Ovando, 2003, p. 4), the end of the 19th century and most of the 20th century were marked by a cycle of “increasing fear about the importation of foreign ideologies into the United States [which] resulted in a call for all immigrants to be assimilated into one cultural and linguistic mold” (Ovando, 2003, p. 5).

Bilingual education practices were once again revitalized in the U.S. after the exodus of large numbers of Cubans to South Florida in 1959. Cuban exiles established bilingual schools where their children could learn in two languages (English and Spanish) while they waited to return to Cuba after Castro’s deposition (Gándara & Escamilla, 2017). Coral Way Elementary School, in Dade County, South Florida, was the first dual language school opened by Cuban exiles in 1963 and became a model of bilingual education for the nation (Baker, 2001). Since then, bilingual education programs have disseminated representing over 34 world languages in dual language education programs throughout the nation (Boyle et al., 2015). Interestingly, the majority of these programs in the US are only offered at the K-8 level—especially for critical and Native American languages—with fewer programs offered in secondary schools (Bearse & de Jong, 2008; Montone & Loeb, 2000) and only one program offered at the university level (Toledo-López & Pentón Herrera, 2015a).

The inconsistencies found in the offerings of bilingual education programs throughout the US at the elementary, secondary, and university levels, have an impact on the perpetuation of bilingualism, biliteracy, and biculturalism as norms within a formal learning environment. Nevertheless, Ana G. Méndez University System (AGMUS)—the nation’s only higher education institution with a dual language immersion program for adult learners—is leading the way by demonstrating that dual language education at the university level is possible. With the mission of promoting the cultural, social, and economic development and wellbeing of Hispanic communities around the United States, AGMUS—a university system originally born in 1941 as the Puerto Rico High School of Commerce—expanded its horizons and opened its first campus in September 2003 in the continental United States (Toledo-López & Pentón Herrera, 2015a). Since then, AGMUS’s Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model ® has remained as the only model for bilingual education (Spanish-English) at the university level in the United States.

Although pioneer publications have addressed and explained AGMUS’s Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model ® (see Soltero & Ortiz, 2016; Toledo-López & Pentón Herrera, 2015b), these have primarily focused on how the seven elements of the program collaborate to facilitate biliteracy, bicultural, and bilingual skills for the adult learner. However, individual elements of the Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model ® have not been thoroughly explained in the literature. Thus, the purpose of this article is to bridge the informational lacuna as it pertains to the professional development of bilingual faculty and staff at AGMUS. This article expands the initial attempt to explain bilingual faculty’s professional development in AGMUS (see Pentón Herrera & Rivera-Vega, 2019) and suggests a design for future bilingual models at the university level, which can pave the way for future dual language bilingual education programs in higher education.

Introducing the TPL Design

In this article, we propose the theoretical, practical, and linguistic (TPL) design as a successful faculty development tool for dual language bilingual education programs in higher education. AGMUS purposefully created a series of workshops and a professional development structure to train content bilingual professors at the institution. For the purpose of this article, we conceptualize this approach used by AGMUS as the TPL design. The purpose of the TPL design at AGMUS is to provide bilingual facilitators with the right theoretical knowledge and practical tools needed to teach in the system. Because some of the new facilitators joining AGMUS have never taught at a higher education institution, the TPL design serves as a systematic professional development practice to ensure they are equipped with the necessary expertise to teach bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate students while balancing language and content instruction simultaneously.

Figure 1. Conceptualization of the TPL Design

In the following sections, we explain and delve into the practical and theoretical implications of each of the components found in the TPL design. First, we present the theoretical component of professional development, which consists of the theories within the dual language model implemented at AGMUS. Second, we address the practical component of professional development, and how it is implemented in the dual language classrooms at AGMUS. Last, we explain the linguistic component of professional development, which deals with the facilitators’ linguistic skills in the dual language classroom. Figure 1 shows how we conceptualize the TPL design and how we will explain it in this manuscript.

Theoretical Component of Professional Development

At Ana G. Méndez University System all professionals desiring to join the bilingual faculty (full-time and part-time) are hired only after successfully completing an ambitious day-long hiring process in which they have to demonstrate their linguistic, bicultural, and content-based expertise. Only those professionals who demonstrate their bilingual, biliterate, and academic excellence are invited to join the faculty. However, regardless of the level of expertise shown by the faculty, ongoing training on relevant topics of dual language education—such as second language acquisition and biculturacy—is required for all professors before, during, and after entering the classroom. The reason for having ongoing training is that AGMUS is committed to the highest levels of academic performance and instruction (Soltero & Ortiz, 2016), which includes ensuring that its entire faculty is theoretically prepared to succeed in AGMUS’s 50/50 dual language model.

All courses within the institution follow a design where 50% of all learning occurs in English and 50% in Spanish for content classes (Toledo-López & Pentón Herrera, 2015a). “The only exception is for language courses since they are taught entirely either in English or Spanish” (Ana G. Méndez University System, n.d.). The faculty uses just one language, (English or Spanish), previously assigned in the instructional module in each workshop. Language objectives are also part of content courses and they are applied in every workshop. The goal is to have assessments that reflect the students’ grades as “30 percent for proficiency in language skills and 70 percent for knowledge and application of course content. Language incorporation allows students to develop their language skills, both in English and Spanish, while earning a degree in the field of study they chose” (Ana G. Méndez University System, n.d.). Because of this evaluation system, training faculty in dual language concepts and language techniques is essential to the success of the model success (Pentón Herrera & Rivera-Vega, 2019). Figures 2 (English version) and 3 (Spanish version) show essay rubrics that facilitators use in their classes to assess assignments using the 70/30 structured instructional approach. Importantly, both of these figures belong to AGMUS, and are used within the institution only.

Figure 2. Essay Rubric Using the 70/30 Structured Instructional Design (English Version)

Figure 3. Essay Rubric Using the 70/30 Structured Instructional Design (Spanish Version)

Theory is a necessary part of the faculty’s professional development in AGMUS’s Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model ®. For this reason, one of the initial required workshops for new faculty focuses on dual language education theory. The first workshop, titled Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model, helps new facilitators understand AGMUS’s model and basic bilingual education theories supporting student content and language learning (Pentón Herrera & Rivera-Vega, 2019; Toledo-López & Pentón Herrera, 2015b, 2015c). Having knowledge of the model’s basic theoretical concepts helps facilitators shape their classes and materials for effective teaching. Upon completion of this workshop, new facilitators move to other workshops dedicated to further training in learning styles, adult education, and second language acquisition.

It is interesting to see how professors incorporate their understanding of the model into their courses. There are many creative minds among the faculty who encourage students to write essays explaining a mathematical problem, create diagrams clarifying sociological concepts, or even illustrate bacterial models through an oral presentation. In the AGMUS model, students are asked to produce academic work using all language domains: Students (a) read information about their assignment, (b) write what they need to explain, (c) speak when presenting their report, and (d) listen to their classmates actively. These are only some of the examples of how impactful these first workshops are, and how they translate into classroom practices.

In addition to the workshops mentioned above, new facilitators can continue learning the theory behind creating modules. After they finish with the first block of required training, faculty has the opportunity to continue expanding their knowledge by learning how to create objectives, activities, and incorporate important tools in line with the dual language immersion model. New facilitators also receive information on how to develop new modules. After professors are trained in the theory underlying these areas, they can develop bilingual modules and have the skills to create, modify, and update the dual language curriculum according to their area(s) of expertise.

This theoretical information also supports the professors when they are given the opportunity to become teacher trainers. Professors at AGMUS who have completed all the workshop levels can opt to give these workshops to new professors. Depending on the level of confidence of each trainer, he/she can be given the responsibility of a 4-hour or 6-hour workshop. Usually, trainers are aligned with workshops related to their area of expertise. More information about teacher trainers will be given in the practical component of professional development below.

Finally, theoretical knowledge proves helpful when professors become Expediting Comprehension for English Language Learners (ExC-ELL) trainers with Dr. Margarita Calderón. The Expediting Comprehension for English Language Learners (ExC-ELL) was created and is administered by Dr. Margarita Calderón, and she asks the AGMUS administration to identify candidates that she later trains and certifies. These workshops place a primary focus on vocabulary, reading, and writing techniques that can be applied in the classroom. Theory learned in ExC-ELL is particularly beneficial to content facilitators with no previous experience with language learning techniques. Facilitators learn different concepts about how to implement activities for language teaching within science, math, social sciences, nursing or business, among other areas. More information about how ExC-ELL is used to train facilitators and improve their language proficiency in both languages will be explained below in the section dedicated to the linguistic component of professional development.

Practical Component of Professional Development

After new professors are theoretically trained, they are ready to enter the classroom. Here, they will apply the theoretical knowledge explained in the workshops. Putting theory into practice is important because having trained and certified professors is one of the foundational elements for the dual language immersion model (Pentón Herrera & Rivera-Vega, 2019). It is believed that, by equipping facilitators with the proper tools and teaching them the theory behind AGMUS’s dual language model, students will benefit from the facilitators’ incorporation of effective teaching practices that support and further develop their bilingual and biliterate skills.

The institutional plan for creating and teaching workshops on appropriate techniques, theories, and assessments within a fully bilingual academic environment in higher education leads to better practice. For professors who are new to the area of education and instruction, these workshops are particularly beneficial as they provide essential tools to promote conscious bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate practices. For those who have taught previously, this program regenerates their pedagogical knowledge from a bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate perspective. AGMUS gives all facilitators the opportunity to retake any of these workshops as needed to refresh information. This vision of continuous training and re-teaching proves effective in practice.

Professors are given the flexibility to adapt their instruction techniques using resources acquired in AGMUS’s professional development workshops. For example, an English professor from Capital Area Campus teaches vocabulary by using techniques learned during the ExC-ELL, second language acquisition, and assessment workshops. The students are required to look for the English definition of a word, but also the Spanish translation of the concept. The purpose of this is for students to not only think about the word and its meaning in Spanish but also to write them in English. By applying the knowledge they have of the concept in Spanish and pairing it up with the definition in English, students can grasp the information and apply it in context. Publications in second language learning identify writing down words and phrases in the students’ first language as a favorite and effective strategy employed by many language learners (see Collins, 2001; Griva & Chostelidou, 2012). In addition, best practices in second language classrooms recommend activities in which learners are given the opportunity to write in their two languages, instead of just in English to increase retention (Teele, 2004).

Learning how to translate a theory into practice requires time and effort. For this reason, the institution not only facilitates basic workshops to give initial tools to facilitators, but also provides additional workshops so they know how to apply techniques in the classroom. If new professors still feel insecure or struggle in certain areas, they are paired up with a facilitator—usually a trainer—who can provide support during the training. Through this collaboration, both new facilitators and teacher trainers can rely on the information from the workshops and put it into practice, such as, while creating assessments on Blackboard. Furthermore, new facilitators are also given a workshop where they are taught the basics of how to teach an AGMUS class using the Blackboard platform (https://suagm.blackboard.com/). Among the different topics discussed in this basic Blackboard workshop, the primary focus is adult education, language acquisition, and teaching techniques for hybrid courses.

The result of all this is that when facilitators engage in teaching practices that promote bilingualism, biculturalism, and biliteracy, they become ambassadors for AGMUS’s Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model ®. In terms of practice, professional development has an effect on module development, teacher training, and ExC-ELL trainers. The ongoing process of mentorship between teacher trainers and new faculty is demonstrating that professional development works at AGMUS. Through this mentor-mentee interaction, the focus shifts to providing real examples of applicability in the classroom.

After a few semesters of practice, these same facilitators can work collaboratively to edit or create new modules. New professors can implement what they were taught in the workshops and adapt content as they consider it appropriate for their classrooms. Overall, any professor can suggest activities as long as they follow guidelines for second language, constructivism, adult education, and dual language teaching. When the time comes for them to write their own module, facilitators can apply the skills acquired and experiences gained in the AGMUS workshops to guide them through the writing process.

In the ExC-ELL program mentioned above, potential facilitators are asked to video record themselves in their classes using the techniques in vocabulary, reading, and writing. Then, the creator, Dr. Calderón studies the videos and selects those who successfully incorporated ExC-ELL language development techniques into their teaching to certify them as ExC-ELL trainers. The university administration’s task is to select those who demonstrate the skills and desire, but it is Dr. Margarita Calderón’s decision to select who will continue with the three areas of the ExC-ELL program.

All of these instances allow new professors to practice the skills they have been taught at workshops, and regular professors not to forget how to apply the information previously learned through professional development. Certainly, theory and practice are fundamental aspects of the Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model ® and the bilingual accelerated model at AGMUS. For this reason, to become an effective facilitator in the institution, professors ultimately need continued theoretical knowledge, continuous development and ample opportunities for practical application using the second language acquisition and learning model as foundational support (Soltero & Ortiz, 2016).

Linguistic Component of Professional Development

At AGMUS, all facilitators, regardless of the courses they teach, are considered language professors. While teaching and evaluating, professors are required to follow the 70/30 structured instructional approach, where 30% of the grade depends on the students’ language proficiency and skills. It is particularly important that professors in content areas be aware of language assessment principles in AGMUS’s dual language model. Thus, it is expected that all facilitators actively evaluate their students’ language proficiency skills in both English and Spanish. However, for facilitators to effectively evaluate learners in AGMUS’s dual language model, it is important for them to first master English and Spanish—socially and academically—and be trained on how to best balance students’ assessment of language and content.

All AGMUS faculty are required to take the same workshops, regardless of the content area they teach. This is certainly true for language workshops where facilitators are taught how to effectively evaluate students’ language and content skills in English and Spanish. The first workshop for the faculty, as has been mentioned above, is titled Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model, which works as a key for new facilitators to understand the university’s instructional model. This workshop is particularly important for new facilitators who have not been trained in language and/or teaching; thus, it gives them an insight into what dual language is and how to best facilitate and navigate within this model. After the new facilitators learn about the Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model, they move to other workshops such as facilitation techniques, dual language acquisition, second language acquisition and learning, facilitation approach, and learning styles in higher education. All of these workshops are considered Level 1 training workshops and are required before teaching at the institution. For more detailed information about the sequencing of faculty workshops at AGMUS, see Pentón Herrera & Rivera-Vega, (2019).

After all the required level 1 workshops are completed, faculty are encouraged to take additional training in Level 2, which is particularly concerned with language facilitation, instruction, and assessment. In this level, training is focused on supporting students’ transferable language skills. At the same time, facilitators are taught how to develop students’ academic language proficiency using their social language skills as a foundation. Two of these workshops are on the cognitive academic language learning approach (CALLA) and the sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP). CALLA and SIOP set a theoretical foundation for dual language teaching and help integrate content and language instruction in their courses. More importantly, within Level 2, facilitators are trained in dual language instruction and assessment. In this workshop, professors are trained on the best dual language techniques to use in the classroom to effectively gauge their learners’ English and Spanish proficiency levels and provide meaningful feedback that contribute to their linguistic growth. Without a proper foundation of how to suitably evaluate language skills in a bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate context, instruction and assessment would not prove effective in AGMUS’s dual language model and it would create dissonance between content and language.

Once facilitators have received the required training (Levels 1 and 2), they are expected to implement this theoretical knowledge in their courses. All AGMUS’s classes are hybrid classes that meet once a week for four hours, and are divided into 5, 8, 10, or 15 weeks. All of the courses, regardless of length, are designed in a way that Spanish and English are used alternatively as the language of instruction every other week. Facilitators are required to evaluate students’ balancing the 50/50 model and the 70/30 structured instructional approach in the language of instruction for that week in all language domains (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). At the same time, all forms of communication on the campus, via email, and in the all courses for administration, faculty and students are required to communicate in the language of the week to ensure consistency.

Because language instruction, assessment and learning are lifelong processes, AGMUS offers English and Spanish language courses for faculty to continue polishing their existing linguistic skills. English and Spanish language workshops have been designed at the institution to develop the facilitators’ bilingual and biculturate skills. Two newly developed workshops (2017-2018) have been incorporated into the facilitator professional development list with the vision of providing additional assistance to professors who would like linguistic support in either Spanish and/or English. The workshops titled English Oral and Written Skills for the Dual Language Professional and Spanish Oral Written Skills for the Dual Language Professional are each two hours a week for a total of 20 weeks. Both of these workshops are taught onsite by language experts with the focus on developing academic-level competency to effectively teach and grade in the target language.

Finding Synergy in the TPL Design

Similar to other models of professional development, the TPL design draws on researched theoretical foundations to structure its goals. This article has explained how these three components—theory, language, and practice—work independently and how they come together to create what the authors of this article call the TPL design. Since its implementation at AGMUS, these three components, working in synergy, have shown to be effective in training professionals to become bicultural, bilingual, and biliterate facilitators at the institution. This design has contributed to the organization’s vision and mission of creating educational opportunities for the benefit of the communities it serves in Puerto Rico, the continental US and abroad.

At AGMUS, these three components need to work together because they represent the three pillars of the institution’s dual language model. Theory, or theoretical knowledge, represents the background information or theories used to create, guide, and structure AGMUS’s Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model ®. Practice, or practical applications, highlights the actual methods of how those theories of dual language and adult education are effectively incorporated in a bilingual, biculturate, and biliterate classroom in higher education. Lastly, language, or the linguistic component, represents the core of the AGMUS’s dual language approach. It is in language that AGMUS’s Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model ® finds its foundation to educate and train facilitators in dual language practices.

Many times, the institution hires professors who are experts in their areas, but have never taught in higher education or at a dual language institution. The TPL design prepares these professionals to effectively facilitate in this unique learning environment. Communicative activities (CAs) including constructivism, dual language learning, and the latest adult education practices are implemented to present learning experiences that are relatable and that take into consideration the importance of learning content in both languages. Even for educators who have background in teaching, the TPL design trains them to avoid traditional teaching styles—known as the banking system (Freire, 2014)—and, instead, educates them to incorporate constructivist routines that are part of AGMUS’s dual language curriculum.

Finally, with the incorporation of ExC-ELL, curriculum development opportunities, and the master trainer certification, the TPL design involves faculty members in the model and gives them the opportunity to share their insights with others. Acknowledging that each faculty member is a content expert in their field, AGMUS equips them with the best practices to use when facilitating at the institution following the principles of the Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model ®. Thus, the faculty, as experts in their field and trained in the Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model ®’s principles, become dual language ambassadors of the institution. As a result, facilitators can continue to improve and update the content taught at AGMUS combining their content expertise through a dual language perspective. This helps in improving the learning experiences of the students and the facilitators while keeping the content and information relevant and aligned with AGMUS’s unique higher education dual language model.

Conclusion

Taking as a premise that professional development is an integral component of bilingual programs’ functioning (Howard et al., 2018), we suggest the TPL design as a viable solution for dual language models in higher education. Dual language learning in higher education is a fairly new concept, especially in the United States (Toledo-López & Pentón Herrera, 2015a); nonetheless, the TPL design has proven effective at AGMUS. Since 2003, when the institution first opened in Orlando, FL, this dual language program has expanded to more campuses in the US (Florida, Washington D.C./Maryland, and Texas), to over ten more campuses in Puerto Rico, and the recently-opened office in Barranquilla, Colombia. AGMUS’s expansion and institutional success can be attributed to the various components, such as effective professional development. For this reason and, with a strong commitment to training dual language facilitators, the institution continues to grow while keeping its promise of creating new educational opportunities for the population it serves.

In this article, the authors sought to expand the initial attempt to explain bilingual faculty’s professional development in AGMUS (see Pentón Herrera & Rivera-Vega, 2019) and suggested the TPL design as a viable approach for faculty professional development at dual language institutions in higher education. Thus, the TPL design was introduced and conceptualized in this article as a professional development tool that shapes dual language professors’ skills and helps them sharpen pedagogical approaches to effectively teach a bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate student population. It is our hope that, in shedding light on the TPL design, future dual language institutions in higher education can find knowledge on how to best incorporate training models to effectively train their bilingual faculty.

Authors’ comments

During the writing of this article, Ana G. Méndez University System (AGMUS) was undergoing an administrative restructuring due to hurricane Maria and all universities within the system (Universidad del Este, Universidad Metropolitana, and Universidad del Turabo) are merging. As a result, all these institutions will be known as Ana G. Méndez University (AGMU) or Universidad Ana G. Méndez (UAGM).

References

Ana G. Méndez University System. (n.d.). Dual language. http://agmus.suagm.edu/en/content/dual-language

Baker, C. (2001). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (3rd ed.). Multilingual Matters.

Bearse, C. & de Jong, E. J. (2008). Cultural and linguistic investment: Adolescents in a secondary two-way immersion program. Equity & Excellence in Education, 41(3), 325–340. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665680802174817

Boyle, A., August, D., Tabaku, L., Cole, S., & Simpson-Baird, A. (2015). Dual language education programs: Current state policies and practices. U.S. Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition. https://ncela.ed.gov/files/rcd/TO20_DualLanguageRpt_508.pdf

Collins, T. G. (2001). (Re)considering L1 use in adult ESL classrooms: Effects on learner motivation. In G. Bräuer (Ed.), Pedagogy of language learning in higher education: An introduction (pp. 61–76). Ablex Publishing.

Freire, P. (2014). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Bloomsbury Academic.

Gándara, P., & Escamilla, K. (2017). Bilingual education in the United States. In O. García, A. M. Y. Lin, & M. S. May (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Language and Education: Bilingual and Multilingual Education. Encyclopedia of Language and Education (3rd ed.), (pp. 439–452). Springer International Publishers.

Griva, E. & Chostelidou, D. (2012). Multilingual learning: A comparative study of students learning FLs in Greek primary and secondary education. In J. S. Avery & M. H. Stewart (Eds.), Language learning: New research, (pp. 105–128). Nova Science Publishers.

Howard, E. R., Lindholm-Leary, K. J., Rogers, D., Olague, N., Medina, J., Kennedy, B., Sugarman, J., & Christian, D. (2018). Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (3rd ed.). Center for Applied Linguistics.

Montone, C. L., & Loeb, M. I. (2000). Implementing two-way immersion programs in secondary schools. Center for Research on Education, Diversity, & Excellence. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED439616.pdf

Ovando, C. J. (2003). Bilingual education in the United States: Historical development and current issues. Bilingual Research Journal, 27(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2003.10162589

Pentón Herrera, L. J. & Rivera-Vega, E. (2019). Capacitación docente en el programa de Modelo Bilingüe Acelerado a nivel universitario [Teacher training in the Accelerated Bilingual Model program at the university level]. Soleado, Spring, 2-3, 12.

Soltero, S., & Ortiz, T. (2016). Discipline-Based Dual Language Immersion Model ® in higher education©. AGMUS Ventures.

Teele, S. (2004). Overcoming barricades to reading: A multiple intelligences approach. Corwin Press.

Toledo-López, À. A. & Pentón Herrera, L. J. (2015a). Dual language immersion in higher education: An introduction. NABE Perspectives, 37(2), 24-28.

Toledo-López, A. A. & Pentón Herrera, L. J. (2015b). Language immersion for adult learners: Bridging gaps from childhood to college. Florida Foreign Language Journal, 11(1), 10-56.

Toledo-López, A. A. & Pentón Herrera, L. J. (2015c). Facilitators’ perspectives: Strategies that work in higher education dual language immersion settings. NABE Perspectives, 38(3), 16-22.