The conceptualisation of language and literacy, as framed by curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in the Australian education system, forces a monolingual perspective into teaching and learning practices (Schalley, Guillemin &... [ view full abstract ]
The conceptualisation of language and literacy, as framed by curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in the Australian education system, forces a monolingual perspective into teaching and learning practices (Schalley, Guillemin & Eisenchlas, 2015), predominantly silencing multilingualism and hybrid language practices (D’Warte, 2014). However, current theories of bilingualism challenge this stance, arguing that enabling access to students’ breadth of language practices can be a vital resource for further language development, challenging practices which neglect students’ diverse language and literacy resources (e.g. Garcia & Wei, 2014). This symposium presents research into innovative pedagogical interventions across the general classroom, English as an Additional Languages (EAL) and Language learning domains, which seek to draw upon the breadth of students’ language practices, both inside and outside of the school environment, to facilitate language acquisition. Utilising ethnolinguistic methodologies, these research projects aim to enhance students’ engagement in their school learning and to reframe pedagogical stances of teachers towards students’ diverse and rich language practices.
D’warte begins the discussion by providing an overview of the methods and pedagogies that have been developed over four years of research in Australian schools, their interpretation through curriculum and the impact of these interventions on student and teacher agency and learning. Slaughter and Cross then report on research in the EAL context, and the use of multiphase ethnography to inform curriculum development in intensive English language schools for newly arrived migrants and refugees. Turner’s work examines translanguaging pedagogy as a frame of reference for teachers in a bilingual education context, reporting on teachers’ incorporation of translanguaging pedagogy into curriculum development. In the final paper, Choi and Slaughter draw on work with secondary EAL learners, reporting on the use of ‘language learning trajectory grids’ as a pedagogical tool for developing awareness of complexities of contemporary multilingual language learning journeys.
D’warte, J. (2014). Linguistic repertoires: teachers and students explore their everyday language worlds. Language Arts, 91(5), 352-362.
García, O. and Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Schalley, A.C., Guillemin, D., & Eisenchlas, S.A. (2015). Multilingualism and assimilationism in Australia's literacy-related educational policies. International Journal of Multilingualism, 12(2), 162-177.
