What is Classroom Ecology

In an increasingly globalized world, emergent bilingual learners need the opportunity to engage in effective and just education. The mission of this chapter is two-fold: (1) to problematize monocultural/monolingual pedagogy for emergent bilingual learners and (2) to introduce biography-driven instruction (BDI) as an instructional method for powerful, culturally responsive teaching and learning within linguistically diverse classrooms. To accomplish this mission, the authors will elaborate on theoretical foundations and critical concepts and discuss biography-driven instructional practices. This chapter will address concerns: What is the role of teachers' biographies and critical reflection in their readiness to serve emergent bilingual learners? How are students' biographies conceptualized? How to nurture a bio-friendly, relational classroom ecology? How can teachers negotiate a bio-driven curriculum? How can teachers cultivate bio-driven, differentiated instructional practices?