A multilingual and multimodal approach to literacy teaching and learning in urban education: a collaborative inquiry project in an inner city elementary school

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a collaborative inquiry project that explored teaching approaches that highlight the significance of multilingualism, multimodality, and multiliteracies in classrooms with high numbers of English language learners (ELLs). The research took place in an inner city elementary school with a large population of recently arrived and Canadian-born linguistically and culturally diverse students from Gambian, Indian, Mexican, Sri Lankan, Tibetan and Vietnamese backgrounds, as well as a recent wave of Roma students from Hungary. A high number of these students were from families with low-SES. The collaboration between two Grade 3 teachers and university-based researchers sought to create instructional approaches that would support students’ academic engagement and literacy learning. In this paper, we described one of the projects that took place in this class, exploring how a descriptive writing unit could be implemented in a way that connected with students’ lives and enabled them to use their home languages, through the creation of multiple texts, using creative writing, digital technologies, and drama pedagogy. This kind of multilingual and multimodal classroom practice changed the classroom dynamics and allowed the students access to identity positions of expertise, increasing their literacy investment, literacy engagement and learning.

Towards a well-being focussed language pedagogy: enabling arts-based, multilingual learning spaces for young people with refugee backgrounds

“…Additionally, activities can be tested in praxis as well as reflect and shape latest academic developments, for example with a view to the 'cultural turn' (e.g. Byram & Nichols 2001;Risager 2006), or lately the 'multilingual turn' (Kramsch 2009;Ntelioglou, B.Y. & Fannin, J., Montanera, M, & Cummins, J.…”

Cultural Component In The Multilingual Education

“…A multicultural approach is understood as such a principle of the organization of studies in higher education, when the cultural traditions of several peoples are organically combined. This approach was enshrined in the following normative acts: the Concept of multicultural education in higher school of the Russian Federation (Davydov, 2003), the Concept of spiritual and moral development and education of the personality of a citizen of Russia (Danilyuk, Kondakov &Tishkov, 2001), the Concept of multicultural education in Russia (The Concept of Multicultural Education…, 2010) and others, who lead work in the direction of multicultural education researches (Lipschultz, 2014;Ntelioglou, Fannin, Montanera & Cummins, 2014;Perflieva, Novospasskaya & Arsenyeva, 2017;Remchukova & Sokolova, 2017;Shaposhnikova, 2016;Verboord, 2014;Lee, 2014;Krasina, 2017;Guilherme, &Dietz, 2015;Cummins & Persad, 2014;Garcia & Wei, 2014;Belogurov, 2005).…”

första naturvetenskapliga skoltexterna

“…Människor använder språk, inte bara för att kommunicera och tänka med, utan också för att positionera sig i förhållande till andra personer och texter, och därigenom utveckla identitetspositioner. Cummins med flera visar att elever med flerspråkiga bakgrunder utvecklar sitt andraspråk genom att skriva "identity texts", texter där de får berätta om sig själva och sina liv (Cummins, Bismilla et al 2006, Cummins & Early 2011, Ntelioglou, Jennifer et al 2014. Roz Ivanič (2012) laborerar med olika kategorier av identitetskonstruktioner i texter.…”