Rethinking Multilingualism in the Classroom
1. Redefining the “Norm”
Recently I
watched a video in which
But what is
the norm? Is it being born to parents who speak four languages and then
immigrating to another country, forced to learn at least one more? Or is it
living on an island of 200 people who speak a single, unique language? I
suppose each situation is the norm for those within it. I don't think the term
"norm" is universally applicable; there is no single norm, but rather
multiple norms.
2.
Benefits Without Force
I currently
live in Guangzhou – a gigantic metropolis in southern China with a population
of over 18.5 million – where I can barely find a local
person who speaks English. But do I consider them deficient? Definitely not.
China is a primarily monolingual country, and I myself come from another
monolingual country, Russia. My perspective on multilingualism is inevitably
shaped by my personal experience, but I don't believe being monolingual is a
bad thing. Is it good to speak two languages? Yes. Is it even better to speak
three or four? Of course. But just because something is good doesn't mean
everyone must have it.
Speaking multiple languages certainly has its advantages. Extensive research highlights the benefits of multilingualism: enhanced intellectual flexibility and creativity (Okal, 2014), delayed dementia onset and superior executive control (Bialystok, 2017), improved task-switching and cognitive flexibility (Prior & Macwhinney, 2010), better conflict management and attention control (Craik & Bialystok, 2006), and superior metalinguistic awareness (Bialystok, 1988).
Personally,
I think speaking two major languages is sufficient for them now. However, I
believe a multilingual approach could be useful, even if it isn't focused on
learning new languages. We often see multilingualism as speaking multiple
languages, but it can also be a resource for raising awareness and
understanding of different languages and cultures – which I see as equally
important. My students will likely travel the world, and even if they don't
speak the local language of a place they go to, they can be prepared to engage
with other cultures respectfully.
Another
useful resource to add to their communication repertoire is multimodality. We
often forget that "humans make meaning through a multiplicity of semiotic
resources (or modes), of which language [...] is only a part" (Adami,
2017, p. 2). Therefore, I see a need to teach my students to use gestures, body
language, facial expressions, realia, and other tools to convey meaning to
those with whom they don't share a language.
3. Embracing
L1: The Heart of a Multilingual Classroom
I think it
is also worth mentioning why a multilingual approach is quite important even
when learning just one more language on top of an L1. Quite often, using L1 in
the classroom is seen as somehow forbidden and dangerous to the acquisition of
L2. "English only" environments are still a main selling point for
many international schools. On the surface, it doesn't seem that bad – students
are at school to learn a new language, which is what parents pay for; they will
have plenty of exposure to their L1 at home, so they should just leave it
there. But as Cummins (2001) argued, "to reject a child's language in the
school is to reject the child. When the message [...] is leave your language
and culture at the schoolhouse door, children also leave a central part of who
they are – their identities – at the schoolhouse door" (p. 19). Sad, isn't
it? It sounds quite cruel when we think about how often we cut off one of the
biggest parts of a child's identity, ask them to lock it away, and then expect
them to feel happy and excited about learning a new language. That's why I
never stop my students from using Chinese; I see their language as a tool that
can help them learn another – it can aid in understanding new vocabulary and
instructions through translation, help build teacher-student rapport, and allow
them to express concerns or address problems.
Sometimes,
when we think about how and when to use students' L1 in the classroom, we look
for answers in literature, YouTube videos, or textbooks. But I think the truth
is that we, as teachers, often know what to do better. We know the goals, the
objectives, the environment, and, more importantly – we know our students. So,
who is better suited to decide how to use languages in the classroom if not
teachers? There is no one-size-fits-all solution; each situation is unique. We
need to ask ourselves: Why and for what purpose are we using different languages
in the classroom? What is the goal, and what are we trying to achieve? Can we
achieve it by using a certain language? What are our students' needs? What is
their level of proficiency in the L2 (or target language), and what is their
age? We need to ask ourselves these questions and answer them thoughtfully. By
using L1 (or multiple L1s) in the class, we can create a safe, healthy
environment for children, and that environment will help them learn.
4. A
Question
Finally, I
would like to share some thoughts on multilingualism in a superdiverse language
environment. I have never experienced such a situation in my own classroom, but
I've heard and read about classes that could have up to 20 different languages
shared among the students. What should teachers do there? I don't know yet.
What I can guess is that such environments usually include some minority
languages that might feel left out or ignored, so teachers probably need to be
very careful and strategic when applying multilingual approaches in such cases.
That is
probably the question I would like to leave here: if you have experience
dealing with classes like that, how do you manage all the languages?
References:
Adami, E. (2017). Multimodality and superdiversity: evidence for a
research agenda. White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, the
University of Sheffield, University of York).
Bialystok, E. (1988). Levels of bilingualism and levels of linguistic
awareness. Developmental Psychology, 24(4),
560–567. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.24.4.560
Bialystok, E. (2017). The bilingual adaptation: How minds accommodate
experience. Psychological Bulletin, 143(3),
233–262. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000099
British Council Spain. (2017, September 27). The multilingual
turn in language education: an essential skill for the 21st century [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z5Cvef_IkQ
Craik, F. I., & Bialystok, E. (2006). Cognition through the
lifespan: mechanisms of change. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10(3),
131–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2006.01.007
Cummins, J. (2001). Bilingual Children’s Mother Tongue: Why is it
important for Education? Sprogforum, 19, 15-20. http://www.lavplu.eu/central/bibliografie/cummins_eng.pdf
Okal, B. O. (2014). Benefits of multilingualism in education. Universal
Journal of Educational Research, 2(3), 223–229. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2014.020304
Prior, A., & Macwhinney, B. (2009). A bilingual advantage in task
switching. Bilingualism Language and Cognition, 13(2),
253–262. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1366728909990526
Serious Science. (2015, June 22). Cognitive Advantages of
Bilingualism - Maria Polinsky [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-ml2dD4SIk
AI tools (DeepSeek) were used for checking
grammar and punctuation; all content was researched and
composed by the author
I loved reading your post and your train of thought on monolingualism becoming passé. I absolutely agree with you that encouraging plurilingualism should not entail excluding monolinguals or being condescending towards them.
ReplyDeleteIt made me think of a lesson I once gave in the Netherlands. Noticing students discussing each other's heritage in a derogatory way (“You are only half Dutch, so you don’t really belong here”), I tried to create an atmosphere where everyone could be proud of who they are, regardless of whether their heritage was mixed or not. I started a class discussion about the cultural heritage of each student, highlighting how interesting their lives must be if they were part of more than one culture.
Students became very enthusiastic and started to share all their heritages, including stories about uncles who were from another country and how that made them more “international” as well. Within minutes, being “not only Dutch” became the superior trait in the class. That’s when I realised, to my horror, that I had accidentally created an atmosphere where students with “only” Dutch heritage felt left out!
And now, to answer your question about how to handle class situations with several native languages, I think we should stick to the language we are teaching and offer differentiation for all the levels present. I know that this approach is becoming obsolete and now everything is about translanguaging and social justice, but just like with plurilingualism, I don't think these new ideologies should be obligatory. I have students from five or six nationalities and languages, or even more, in every one of my classes. Some students speak Papiamentu at home, others Dutch, Portugese, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, or maybe even Frisian. We build bridges by communicating in English. Every now and then, I create a grid of the word lists with translations into all the languages present in the class.
Hello, Katalin.
DeleteYour example is so interesting. I think it highlights how tricky it can be to promote multilingualism and diversity without unintentionally implying that monolingualism is somehow less valuable.
Sometimes, when I watch videos or read articles celebrating multilingualism, I feel almost embarrassed to speak "only" two languages. The message can be promoted so intensely that it inadvertently degrades those who don't speak many, which feels counterproductive.
And thank you for the answer - I think your approach seems balanced and respectful. I believe it's often best to use one shared language as a common medium for communication while still honoring everyone's individual language, culture, and heritage. It also reminds me that children often find their own ingenious ways to connect across language barriers. We don't always need to guide them as if we know better; they have a natural, remarkable ability to reach out and understand one another, even without a common language.