Appreciating first languages boosts confidence and learning in school children
Mapping students’ first language skills can improve English teaching and learning in the multilingual classroom, according to a study by Jacqueline D’warte at Western Sidney University in Australia.
Classrooms around the world are becoming ever increasingly linguistically diverse, in fact, ‘super-diverse’. In the UK and Australia, for example, over 300 languages are spoken in schools and 20% of British primary school pupils have English as a second language (ESL).
While English-medium schools focus, understandably, on acquiring English, little attention has been paid to the linguistic knowledge and skills that ESL students bring to the classroom. D’warte’s research investigated how this cultural and linguistic capital can be leveraged to further language learning.
D’warte’s study looked at three grade five (10-11 year olds) multilingual classes in Western Sidney, the most super-diverse area in Australia. The study aimed to assess the impact of encouraging pupils to examine how they communicate in their mother tongue, and share this with each other and their teachers.
A central part of the data consisted of 50 ‘language maps’ drawn following the instruction: ‘Think about the ways you communicate every day, reading, writing, talking, listening and viewing in one or more languages inside of school. Use a blank A4 paper and colouring materials to map/draw what you do.’
A thematic analysis was then carried out on these maps, as well as teacher interviews and student focus groups. Teachers initially commented that they were unsure how to make use of their pupils’ first language skills. For example, one teacher said: “Well, I know that a large range of languages are spoken… but I don’t know where to begin, what to do.”
Teachers were clearly aware of the requirement to meet examination standards in English, and both teachers and students attached little value to non- English language skills. The gap between English and other language competencies was also seen to imply a general lack of academic ability. For example, from a pupil: “I am not smart, I need to learn English better, not Urdu.”
Students worked on their language maps over a week. This activity was facilitated by bringing in older students, parents and teaching aides to help with translation and ‘language brokering’, ie, the common practice of children and adults translating and interpreting for each other. Teachers helped with question prompts.
The resulting maps illustrated the contexts and practices associated with students’ first (and other) languages. For example, a map showing India in the centre, where the student’s first language, Tamil, is spoken. Then, around this are pictures showing other language contexts, such as school, home, mobile phone, grandparents’ house, friend’s house and an aeroplane flying to India. There are speech bubbles with comments on each context, eg, “I usually speak in Tamil to my grandparents.”
Several themes emerged from analysing the maps and interviews. Students tended to clearly divide different language contexts, such as home, online, friends and school, and these divisions were seen as normal and natural, eg, “The tree is nature separating my home and school language and things.”
The maps also highlighted that part of a student’s sense of identity that relates to their first language and gets little expression in the classroom, such as, “This is India! I’m originated here.” The maps also allowed the students to be the experts in the room, giving new information.
Making the maps enabled students (and teachers) to consciously consider the different ways that they use language and the many linguistic skills they have. For example, translating for family and navigating online using social media, downloading music and following sports.
Pupils generally dismiss their other linguistic skills while being keenly aware of the gap between their competencies in their mother tongue and in English. Reflecting on the skills they take for granted can increase their sense of agency and autonomy – feelings well-known to enhance all kinds of learning.
The interviews revealed how both students’ and teachers’ expectations were raised by the map-making activity. As one teacher commented: “I have learned so much about my students… I have come to see ways to include this in teaching. It has made a difference to many students, to their confidence and ability, and to mine.”
REFERENCE
■ D’warte, J. (2021) ‘Facilitating agency and engagement: Visual methodologies and pedagogical interventions for working with culturally and linguistically diverse young people’, Language Teaching Research, 25(1), pp. 12–38. doi: 10.1177/1362168820938826.
