Teacher language practices that support multilingual learners: classroom‐based approaches from multilingual early childhood teachers

Abstract

WAGNER is at and slightly above learners' ability plays a central role in effective language instruction for children (Dubiner, 2019;Krashen, 1985). The quality use of home languages to explain and discuss ideas is connected to increased vocabulary learning in the home language, with potential benefits to English language learning (Hindman & Wasik, 2015). The use of children's home languages likewise plays a role in literacy learning, with the increased use of these languages by the teacher linked to higher reading performance at the end of prekindergarten (Burchinal, Field, López, Howes, & Pianta, 2012).Though teachers' language choices can play a key role in children's language development, little attention has been given to identifying effective multilingual language practices for teachers (Langeloo, Lara, Deunk, Klitzing, & Strijbos, 2019). The study reported in this article considered teachers' language practices in early childhood classrooms, focusing on how multilingual teachers make instructional choices and develop practices about when and how to draw on their own multilingualism to support children's learning. | TEACHER LANGUAGE PRACTICESMultilingual teachers make in-the-moment decisions about what languages to use in the classroom. These include decisions to use multilingual interactions to support communication, scaffold learning, and manage classroom activities (Durán & Palmer, 2014;Gort & Pontier, 2013;Gort & Sembiante, 2015). Recent work on multilingual pedagogies has framed these movements across languages as translanguaging (García & Kleifgen, 2019). Translanguaging describes the full range of multilingual persons' language practices, including the flexible movement between languages that reflects the real language practices of many multilinguals (Otheguy, García, & Reid, 2015).Within a translanguaging approach, teachers make decisions about when to use multiple languages in the classroom and how to incorporate these practices into classroom instruction. Though teachers' language use during classroom interactions may not always represent conscious choices, teachers can and do make active decisions about when and how to draw on their multiple languages. These include decisions about language choice and language mode (Grosjean, 2010). Language choice refers to the selection of a primary language. Language mode is the decision to use only one language or more than one and includes whether, and in what ways, a multilingual person chooses to draw on languages other than the primary language. Both language choice and mode can change over the course of an interaction as a speaker makes active choices and adapts within the context of the interaction.Research on teachers' language choice and mode in early childhood classrooms shows the diverse reasoning and complexity that underlie teachers' language practices (

Leka på flera språk: Att stötta flerspråkigt deltagande i förskolan

“…Dock har studier i detta perspektiv där alla inte delar majoritetsspråket varit begränsade. I det fall vi studerat här kan förskolläraren själv mer än ett språk, men de strategier hon använder förefaller delvis även kunna Inledningsvis pekades mot att förskolan och den narrativa leken där barn och vuxna gemensamt deltar är ett potentiellt translanguaging space (Li, 2011) och där förskollärares förhållningssätt, intresse och kompetens gällande flerspråkighet är avgörande för kvaliteten (Wagner, 2021). Denna studie styrker att leken kan utgöra en arena för translanguaging där deltagarna tillsammans skapar mening och använder sina språkliga repertoarer på kreativa sätt.…”

“…Forskning pekar mot att avgörande faktorer för att leken ska bli denna viktiga arena för språkutveckling i förskolan är personalens förhållningssätt och kompetens gällande flerspråkighet i förskolan samt att de visar intresse för flerspråkighet (t.ex. Wagner, 2021). Vuxna har visat sig kunna stötta barn i gemensamma narrativa lekar genom att bidra på skilda sätt; ta initiativ till narrativets utveckling och respondera på barns skilda uttryck (Pramling et al, 2019).…”

Teaching Literacies in Diverse Contexts

“…Within the field of literacy instruction, there continues to be a need to better prepare literacy teachers to work with young multilingual learners, including how multilingual teachers can use their multilingualism to support language learning (Langeloo et al, 2019). In this example, OTI was used to provide a field-based learning experience for multilingual early childhood teachers to improve their use of multiple languages in the classroom (see Wagner, 2021a;Wagner, 2021b). Throughout the OTI programme, teachers were asked to consider how they, as multilingual teachers, make instructional choices about when and how to draw on their own multilingualism to support children's learning.…”

Collaborative Language Planning as Advocacy Work

“…Finally, multilingual teachers can be particularly valuable allies in this advocacy work. Teachers participating in professional learning programs on using multilingual practices in classrooms reported that as multilinguals themselves, they felt uniquely positioned to understand the dynamics of multilingualism inside and outside of the classroom (Wagner, 2020b). These teachers drew on their professional knowledge about language development and their own personal histories as multilingual learners to engage with multilingual families in language planning.…”