Language Links
Globalization in the Classroom: Preservice English Teachers “Unpack” Bento Boxes and Children’s Literature Featuring Refugee Protagonists
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Katherine Batchelor
In the United States, numerous topics are being labeled as “controversial” in the K-12 education system, and thus are either difficult to teach, or can even be banned. One such topic under scrutiny is the refugee crisis and immigration as represented in literature. Unless students have the chance to explore narratives of marginalized people (especially migrant and refugee children) while also explicitly challenging and reflecting upon their own biases, negative stereotypes might ensue. This study investigates how engaging in reading children’s literature may have altered future teachers’ perceptions of the global refugee and immigration policies to become better global citizens and future educators. Our university (in midwestern United States) invites our preservice teachers to challenge themselves through reading diverse literature and using diverse literacies, such as object photography, in their classrooms and with their students. The objectives of the session are to showcase award-winning children’s literature titles featuring refugee protagonists that preservice teachers read for their engagement in the topic as well as share an innovative way preservice teachers conceptualized their thinking, paying particular attention to symbolism and metaphor, via object photography. Preservice teachers used their creations to voice their pre- and post-reading thinking of migration as well as how the project creation and their title choice helped them better understand what it means to be a refugee and how to engage in critical conversations with their future students regarding assumptions and initial generalizing of the refugee experience as one/the same, which they now realize is not the case.
Foreign Language Learning for Global Citizens: A Case Study of Teaching Mandarin through Engagements with Diversity and Representation
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Weihsun Mao
Foreign language education has traditionally been textbook-focused and restricted in its vocabulary and topics. Although these topics, including family, culture, sports, food, etc., are invaluable for equipping students with language proficiency, they do not fulfill students’ needs to express and engage with pressing personal, social, and moral topics. Providing students with the linguistic competence for this type of expression is arguably more important than ever in a contemporary global society populated with competing, contentious, and sometimes inhospitable worldviews. For global citizens in a connected world, this includes vocabulary that can reflect diverse beliefs, ideals, and identities. Exposure to foreign languages and cultures can be argued to automatically advance diversity. However, reiterations of narrow and inaccurate representations, exacerbated by the limited range of available curricula, are a form of tokenism disguised as diversity. Therefore, engagements committed to equitable representation of diversity, vis-à-vis foreign language curriculum, are an unmet need. Furthermore, the implementation of sidelined representations constitutes an important step towards attaining a more just society. Funded by the Lytton Center for History and the Public Good, an engagements-style series of talks is being installed for Spring semester 2024 to expose students to stories, individuals, and movements—in the target language fully or partially—in which they find themselves represented and can find a foothold of identity in their new language. This study investigates the impact of grounding foreign language learning in moral, societal, and political topics on increasing student confidence and language competency for greater social impact.
Language as a Natural Resource: Indigenous Languages and Schooling in Mexico
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Leslie Locke
The Mexican government recognizes Indigenous languages as national languages, at the same level as Spanish. It further mandates that children from Indigenous peoples have access to compulsory education in their own language and in Spanish. Mexico's General Law on the Linguistic Rights of Indigenous Peoples, specifically, is a measure aimed at improving educational opportunities for Mexico's diverse Indigenous population. This law gives Mexico's Indigenous students the right to teacher(s) who both write and speak the language of their community. We see this legislation as a means toward a sustainable future (sustaining Indigenous languages) for Mexican youth. Moreover, it is a systemic approach to honoring the histories and cultures of families and communities who have been marginalized. Schools that center Indigenous languages and culture provide for spaces of belonging for students, families, and communities. The Yucatán region is home to Mexico’s largest Indigenous population (Mayans) and has the highest percentage of Indigenous language speakers. In this paper, we will focus on two bilingual and bicultural schools in Mérida, located in the Yucatán region. These are Mayan-Spanish bilingual schools. We use ‘Indigenous knowledge as a natural resource’ as a framework, as we detail the ‘schooling’ (curricula, pedagogies, and perspectives of educators) occurring in these schools as a means of sustaining Indigenous languages and ways of knowing. This provides perspective on how the schools are immersed in the community and support the continuity of knowledge and culture.
Voices of Afghan Women Refugee Students: Motivations, Challenges, and Resources View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kate Hey
This paper describes findings from a qualitative research study conducted on Afghan refugee women attending a Modesto Junior College in California. The purpose of the study was to examine the motivations that bring the Afghan refugee women to the college, the challenges they encounter, and the resources that help them persist. With a narrative approach, multiple interviews were conducted with four Afghan women refugees. Data analysis revealed the women’s deep belief in education and its value. The participants’ narratives shed light on the challenges the women experienced in Afghanistan prior to immigrating and in the US while adjusting to a new educational system. Research reveals resources that Afghan women refugees need in order to persist in a higher education institution: their family, community, and college. The women’s personal strengths such as positivity, motivation, intelligence, persistence, and generosity also surfaced in the study. Learning about refugee students’ experiences in colleges provides an opportunity for educational institutions to support these students equitably. One of the implications of this research study was to include refugee students in the institutional data dashboards. Without it, refugee students are invisible on the campuses, and it is difficult to provide support to them. Another implication is to provide training to teachers and administrators to support them in assisting refugee students. Drawing on the participants’ need to belong to a community, it is suggested to create hubs on campuses where refugee students could socialize and exchange information on resources.
