Shifting discourses in teacher education: Performing the advocate bilingual teacher

This article analyses the co-construction of the Bilingual teacher as advocate among preservice Bilingual teachers, through the use of narratives drawn from actual stories of Bilingual teachers, by means of drama-based pedagogy inspired by Theater of the Oppressed techniques. This study uses critical discourse analysis and Bakhtinian intertextuality to analyze how preservice Bilingual teachers shifted the discourse, moving from discussing issues pertaining to Bilingual education, such as race and immigration, from the outside to from the middle, situating themselves as protagonists of the conflict. The improvisational nature of the performances, owing to the use of drama-based techniques, allowed the participants to explore critical issues, develop their stance toward issues of immigration and racism, and rehearse their identities as advocates.