Midterms PDF - Linguistic Diversity Through Multilingualism

LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY human experience in the world. THROUGH MULTILINGUALISM Their loss would have a direct impact in the Week 9 life of thousands of peoples and communities...

LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY human experience in the world. THROUGH MULTILINGUALISM Their loss would have a direct impact in the Week 9 life of thousands of peoples and communities around the world. DEFINITION OF LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY According to Toke (2023), it means that Each Indigenous language is priceless for there are many ways that people can speak humanity. They are treasures overflowing and communicate with each other. Just like with history, values, technical skills, there are many different colors, shapes, and literature, spirituality, and knowledge that sizes of toys, there are also many different have been developed over millennia. languages and ways of speaking. Some people speak Spanish, some people speak WHY LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY IS IMPORTANT? Chinese, some people speak English, and 1. Because it is unethical to limit or restrict many other languages too! someone to use his/her language. When we learn about linguistic diversity, we 2. Because using their language makes them can learn to appreciate and respect all the learn things quickly. different ways that people can speak and communicate. 3. Because language is culture and traditions, and therefore; it is a way to preserve them In addition to that, UNESCO (n.d.), states that since they are also part of our human linguistic diversity is one of the key pillars of heritage. inclusive, diverse and resilient knowledge societies. Language enables the delivery of LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY IN SCHOOLS information and knowledge coded in different Schools have always been at the forefront sociocultural, political, and economic of educating people and, as such, very much contexts. Information and knowledge are key implicated in preserving or disappearing determinants of wealth creation, social cherished beliefs and values. If there is any transformation, and human development. institution that by far is the most important in promoting and encouraging linguistic IMPORTANCE OF LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY diversity, it must be the educational According to UNESCO (n.d.), 8,324 institution. languages are documented with approximately 7,000 still in use, and yet more Language use is very much a part of than half of all languages are in danger of educational discourse. Outside of families, falling out of use. schools are the most critical institutions in shaping children’s minds and, by implication, So, what will happen if we lose languages? the public. Schools can lend legitimacy to The loss of a language may be experienced as specific cultural practices and delegitimize a loss of traditional knowledge and culture. those promoting social injustice and Each language is a unique expression of the discrimination.  are the means to preserve the language; Therefore, encouraging linguistic diversity in thus, we must do everything necessary to schools is essential if we want to promote preserve all the existing languages. wholesale linguistic diversity in society. Schools are ideal for propagating linguistic MULTILINGUAL APPROACH IN diversity because of their reach and influence in educating the general public, particularly TEACHING AND LEARNING OF children. THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Week 10 1. Employ diversity and inclusivity in the hiring of teachers WHAT IS MULTILINGUALISM 2. Employ diverse teaching strategies According to Cenoz and Gorter (2023), 3. Create an inclusive environment multilingualism can be defined as the ability 4. Educate the public about of societies, institutions, groups and linguistic diversity individuals to engage, on a regular basis, with 5. Work with other members of the society more than one language in their day-to-day lives. Nowadays multilingualism has spread in the educational context because of SOCIAL IMPACT OF MULTILINGUALISM historical, social, political and economic UNESCO emphasized the need for reasons. multiculturalism and diversity, for which linguistic diversity serves as an essential Multilingualism is good for us. Not only does outcome. Why does linguistic diversity speaking more than one language keep our matter? brains healthy as we age, but it has multiple benefits for children too, such as giving them Because we need to preserve other cultures, an academic advantage and improving their and the disappearance of language will employment prospects once they leave ultimately lead to the disappearance of school. Moreover, multilingualism gives us cultures, UNESCO and others have access to more than one culture and emphasized that. improves our understanding of our own cultures. Experts worried about disappearing cultures, and many blamed the non-use of specific WHAT DOES MULTILINGUALISM MEAN languages. Since language is the bearer of cultural knowledge and important in cultural FOR THE CLASSROOM? exchange, non-use will gradually lead to the Many researches show that drawing on disappearance of cultural heritage, which is students’ home language and cultural the product of human civilization. backgrounds in classroom teaching validates Therefore, multilingualism and promoting their identities and provides a strong linguistic diversity are imperative and go foundation for additional language learning. beyond language benefits. We tend to lose Yet the reality for many multilingual students, our cultural heritage as humanity if we never especially English language learners, has promote linguistic diversity. Use and utility been that their home languages are left at the classroom door or regarded as an obstacle to FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE IN THE the development of the language of schooling LANGUAGE CLASSROOM and learning in general. For many years, It has long been recognized that one of the teachers of English have been told that using key characteristics of high-quality teaching is student’s home languages in English lessons the ability of teachers to engage students’ should be avoided at all costs. prior understandings and experiences and background knowledge. This prior knowledge MULTILINGUALISM AS A RESOURCE is encoded in their home languages, and Multilingual classrooms are a growing therefore it is vital that teachers facilitate the phenomenon around the world, as a result of transfer of both concepts and skills from rapid increases in global mobility and students’ home languages to English. migration. Within these classrooms, students may have different linguistic and cultural This is supported by the notion of ‘funds of backgrounds, may speak one language at knowledge’ (1992) by Luis Moll. home and another language at school, or be learning the language of instruction as an This refers to the rich bodies of cultural additional language. knowledge that exist within students’ households and communities. Multilingual education plays a significant role in engaging diverse learners and This allows for meaningful learning supporting academic success. opportunities to happen since teachers, by enabling this method, can build relationships Multilingualism fosters positive identities with their students. associated with their home cultures. Teaching practices that tap into multilingual A language-as-resource perspective implies ways of reading, writing, and speaking allow that teachers should use students’ home students to access the cultural resources that languages as a tool for thinking and enhance the personal significance of their communication while simultaneously learning classroom work, as well as expanding access and developing proficiency in the to knowledge through texts in more than one language of instruction. language. Research evidences show that preventing PURPOSEFUL TRANSLANGUAGING learners from using their home languages in Translanguaging – It refers to a pedagogical the English language classroom not only strategy that involves the purposeful and impedes learning and denies their linguistic simultaneous use of two languages in the human rights, but also loses valuable same classroom. This enables the bilingual opportunities for teachers to draw on their students to switch between their languages students’ knowledge and experience as spontaneously. resources for teaching. However, translanguaging is not only limited to code-switching. It also involves many other kinds of multilingual practices. For example, translation of those words (the singular and giving activities in which input and output are plural words). in different languages like reading a text in 3. Lastly, ask them to analyze the differences the L1 and preparing a presentation based on of English and Tagalog plural forms of the it in the target language. words. This enables teachers to constantly make When teaching students to form questions use of students’ emergent bilingual skills. in English 1. Provide examples of basic questions in The activities under this method encourage English. students to draw on their most appropriate 2. Next, ask the students to translate the linguistic resources they have. questions in Tagalog. 3. Lastly, ask the students to analyze how This also allows teachers to design English basic questions are formed and intercultural and inclusive lessons that support compared it to how Tagalog questions are English language learning while letting the also formed. learners enjoy the freedom of using their first language to tap their community and family funds of knowledge. WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF ACTIVITIES THAT USE MULTILINGUALISM AS A RESOURCE IN A LANGUAGE CLASSROOM? Example Activities: When discussing a poem 1. Get them first to recite the English poem. 2. Then, focus on the theme that it deals with. 3. Next, let them identify subtle elements and features of the poem that they may identify. 4. Now, split your class into groups to translate the poem into any other language of their choice. 5. Finally, get each group to present their translated versions of the poem. When discussing a grammar 1. List some nouns in English with their plural forms on the board. 2. Next, ask a random set of students to come to the board and write the Tagalog