Plurilingualism in Higher Education: A Collaborative Initiative for the Implementation of Plurilingual Pedagogy in an English for Academic Purposes Program at a Canadian University

Abstract

Previous literature on higher education suggests the inclusion of pedagogy that is linguistically and culturally inclusive in settings with increasing multilingualism, which is the case in Canada. Yet, little is known as to how the implementation of such pedagogy can take place, particularly in language programs. This article reports a researcher-instructor collaboration that aimed at implementing plurilingual practices, such as translanguaging, plurilingual identity, comparons nos langues, and intercomprehension over 4 months in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program at a university in Toronto, Canada. Seven EAP instructors collaborated with a researcher to implement weekly plurilingual tasks: They conducted an environment analysis, examined the logistics of implementation, and collaboratively examined the tasks. The article presents the process of implementation of the plurilingual tasks and proposes a framework for collaboration with four key elements: administrative support, openness to the use of languages other than English in class, weekly collaborative checks with the researcher, and the learner-centered nature of the tasks. Implications for the implementation of plurilingualism in English language programs in higher education are discussed. 
 La littérature existante sur l’enseignement supérieur suggère l’inclusion d’une pédagogie linguistiquement et culturellement inclusive là où le multilinguisme est en hausse, ce qui est le cas au Canada. On sait toutefois peu de choses sur la façon dont la mise en œuvre d’une telle pédagogie pourrait s’effectuer, particulièrement dans les programmes de langue. Le présent article rend compte d’une collaboration entre une chercheuse et plusieurs professeurs qui portait sur la mise en œuvre de pratiques plurilingues comme le translangagisme, l’identité plurilingue, Comparons nos langues, et l’intercompréhension sur une période de 4 mois dans le cadre d’un cours d’anglais académique (EAP) offert dans une université de Toronto, au Canada. Sept professeurs d’anglais académique ont collaboré avec une chercheuse à la mise en œuvre de tâches plurilingues hebdomadaires, et ce, en réalisant une analyse de l’environnement, en examinant la logistique de la mise en œuvre et en collaborant à l’examen des tâches. L’article présente le processus de mise en œuvre des tâches plurilingues et propose un cadre de collaboration comportant quatre éléments clés : soutien administratif, ouverture à l’utilisation de langues autres que l’anglais en classe, contrôles collaboratifs hebdomadaires avec la chercheuse et choix de tâches centrées sur l’apprenante ou l’apprenant. Les implications de la mise en œuvre du plurilinguisme à l’intérieur des programmes de langue anglaise dans l’enseignement supérieur font l’objet d’une discussion.

“English‐Only Is Not the Way to Go”: Teachers’ Perceptions of Plurilingual Instruction in an English Program at a Canadian University

“…A practical achievement of our study is the potential of moving instruction away from a monolingual tradition, addressing repeated calls made in TESOL (Kubota, 2016; May, 2014; Piccardo, 2013). However, it is important to note that teachers need to be supported by pedagogical materials and policies (Abiria et al, 2013; Galante et al, 2019; Piccardo & Galante, 2018)—even if these are internal school decisions—so that they can be open to plurilingual instruction and ensure that languages other than English are used in the classroom for pedagogical purposes. Another important achievement of this study is that it provides one manner of implementation in an English program, which may be replicated provided that necessary changes are made to suit the context and student population.…”

“…Taken together, the plurilingual tasks challenged students to go beyond using the L1 only, which reflected the participant demographic; some students spoke Chinese as an L1 and had learned some Korean, Japanese, and French (the latter mainly due to exposure in Canada), whereas other students from Latin America spoke Spanish as an L1 and had some knowledge of Brazilian Portuguese and Indigenous languages from their own country. Their entire repertoire was activated to make meaning and develop awareness of communicative resources other than linguistic, such as gesture, drawings, volume, intention of the voice, and facial expressions, among others (for more information about the implementation of the plurilingual tasks, see Galante et al, 2019). The tasks are available on the website http://www.breakingtheinvisiblewall.com.…”

Affordances of Plurilingual Instruction in Higher Education: A Mixed Methods Study with a Quasi-experiment in an English Language Program

“…The study This was a mixed-methods study that included a quasi-experimental component with treatment and comparison groups in intact Academic Listening and Speaking (ALS) classrooms of an EAP program in Toronto, Canada. As part of a larger investigation of the implementation of plurilingual instruction (Galante et al 2019) and teachers' perceptions (Galante et al 2020), the study reported in this article focuses on data gathered from students only.…”

(Re)imagining the Future of Translanguaging Pedagogies in TESOL Through Teacher–Researcher Collaboration

“…A growing number of studies (e.g., Galante et al, 2019; Liu, Lo, & Lin, 2020; Ollerhead, 2019; Ollerhead, Crealy, & Kirk, 2020) have specifically probed into the impact of collaborative research approaches on translanguaging pedagogies in TESOL contexts. For instance, Liu et al (2020) found that teacher–researcher collaboration could be an effective professional development strategy for in‐service English teachers to problematize monolingual language ideologies and foster deeper understanding of translanguaging.…”