Language and Learning
Andragogy in an English as a Foreign Language Classroom: An Exploration of the Experiences of Language Educators in Southeastern Europe
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Petra Alaine Robinson, Maja Stojanović
Globalization has created a need for foreign language proficiency, with the number of adult language learners constantly increasing. This is especially true for English as a foreign language (EFL), spoken worldwide. As adults enter foreign language classrooms, it is important for their educators to acknowledge the specificities which distinguish them from younger learners. Researchers and scholars have been exploring adult learning principles since andragogy was first defined and conceptualized by Malcolm Knowles in 1970 (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2015). However, we still need more data as to how practitioners apply the principles of andragogy in practice. Using andragogy as a framework of analysis, we explored non-native English-speaking EFL educators’ experiences with using andragogy in their classrooms through in-depth interviews and document analysis. A case study was conducted in a private language institution in a Southeastern European country with the aim of understanding how familiar the participants were with the concept of andragogy and if and how they applied principles of andragogy in practice. The findings should help researchers and practitioners understand how the principles of andragogy are used in an EFL classroom as we present best practices involving adult language learners based on the interview data. Additionally, the findings, which point to a lack of formal teacher training on teaching adult learners, suggest a needed change of policy.
Urban Diversities and U.S. Bilingual Education
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mariana Alvayero Ricklefs
This is a critical and historical study of bilingual education policy and practice in the U.S. The study objectives were: a) to examine major national and international factors that generated changes in bilingual education policies and practices, and b) to analyze racializing and linguistic ideologies underlying such changes. The study demonstrates that shifts in education policies and practices followed nuanced ideological patterns, swaying in an inclusion-exclusion continuum, throughout decades. The study is relevant today because hegemonic ideologies have gained a renewed strength in the country's present political climate of hate-speech toward minorities and bias against immigrants and asylum seekers. However, this situation is not unique to the U.S context. The study also considers the diversity "backlash" predominant in other countries around the world. The study ends with implications and recommendations framed within a scope of agency and hope.
Dual-Language Instruction Through Translanguaging: Supporting Students Bi-literacy Across Grade Levels
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Joaquin Villegas
In dual language programs students listen, speak, read, and write in two languages to become biliterate. The use of translanguaging strategies promote the transfer of literacy between the two languages and to develop biliteracy. Using translanguaging as a resource has the potential to transform biliteracy instruction in dual-language bilingual education classrooms. Beeman and Urow (2013) have proposed the concept of the bridge, or “the instructional moment when teachers purposely bring the two languages together, guiding students to transfer the academic context they have learned in one language to the other language, engage in contrastive analysis of the two languages, and strengthen their knowledge of both languages”. This paper reviews current research-based principles and practices that dual-language teachers can use to create an environment where translanguaging practices enable a comprehensive understanding of language and bilingualism. Furthermore, translanguaging can lead to the transformation of student-teacher relationships where students and teachers learn from each other, and all language practices are equally embraced and valued.
