Reflections
Language Awareness and Critical Multilingual Awareness – January 24th 2021
This focus in class this week was introducing the concept of language awareness and critical multilingual awareness. Language awareness can be described as understanding about language. Three main understandings of this include knowledge of language which would fall under the proficiency category, knowledge about language which includes subject-matter knowledge, as well as pedagogical practice which is essentially the language teacher. From our reading this week, as explained by Garcia, the definition of language awareness is “explicit knowledge about language, and conscious perception and sensitivity in language learning, language teaching and language use.”. One important question worth pondering is why language awareness is so important. The importance of language awareness is because it can help an educator to gain insight into how different languages work. Also, if a teacher develops a language awareness skill, they can also assist their students in developing that as well. Overall, language awareness is your knowledge about how language works. Critical language awareness on the other hand is the understanding of the social, political and ideological aspects of language. This is important because language is socially constructed as well as is socially changeable. It is crucial to understand many students in your classroom may come from a variety of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Things such as incorporating a classroom dynamic, and lessons that cater to all students to help each student succeed, regardless of their linguistic background.
https://urcourses.uregina.ca/pluginfile.php/2413942/mod_resource/content/1/Garcia%202017.pdf
The Movement of Language – February 7th 2021
On the map above, the word water has many different translations, many of which are the same or very similar in both spelling and pronunciation. Most of the similar versions of the word come from places in similar geographical locations. For instance, in Mexico, the primary language spoken is Spanish so the translation for water would be “agua”. Similarly, in some South American countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru, Spanish is also primarily spoken. In addition, there is Brazil, where the primary language is Portuguese so the translation for water would be “água”. In this case, Spanish and Portuguese are very similar languages, so the difference between the two words is not in the spelling itself, but an accent on the “a” which changes the way it is pronounced. There are also similar instances just like this one in other parts of the world. The example discussed above actually has a technical term which would be a “cognate”. Cognates are words in two separate languages that have similar meaning, pronunciation, and spelling. Spanish and Portuguese would be cognates as they have a similar origin. Portuguese is a branch of Spanish. It is also important when analyzing these words, that movement of language from one part of the world to another be considered. The movement of these languages usually occurred during very significant historical events. One of the major events that apply to Canada is colonization. Before Canada was colonized by the British, the only languages that were spoken here were those of Indigenous origin. Some of the languages on the prairies would have been Blackfoot, Cree, Dene, etc. Then came colonization, which introduced two new languages to Canada, English and French, which are now our two primary languages. Likewise, when Spain conquered South America, that was the introduction of the Spanish language to another population with numerous Indigenous languages.
ESL Students – February 28th 2021
In class this week, we got the opportunity to meet with students from Mexico. This was a huge eye-opener for me as a student learning about increasing my critical multilingual awareness as well as developing knowledge about what it means to have ESL students in your classroom. The reason meeting with the students from Mexico was so interesting to me, was seeing all the different levels at which each student was able to speak English. In some instances, I could have a fairly decent conversation with a student by using common English terms such as favourite foods, favourite colours, pets, family, etc. On the other hand, there were also students whose level of English made it quite challenging to have a conversation with them. This is where I found I really learned from my peers and the different strategies they came up with in order to communicate with these students. The one that stood out the most was using a translating app and typing questions in the chat in both English and Spanish so that the students could understand. Looking at the bigger picture, a situation like this could very well happen in a classroom as a teacher. Not every ESL student is going to be at the same level, or learn at the same pace. You have to figure out what works for them. The part I did struggle with was whether or not to push the students who didn’t speak or contribute much to the conversation. I do think that this exercise could have possibly been different if we were in an actual classroom setting in person, as I think it would be easier to have a conversation, and engage with the students but overall, I think it was a very valuable experience as I continue on with my education degree. I am looking forward to meeting with the students again and especially learning from them.
The Hierarchy of Language in Canada – March 14th 2021
The basic definition of language policy is “an expression of the relative value placed on a language by the society that engendered it and on its degree of cohesion with the people that speak it, their land, their religion, and their past.” (Mackey, 2010). The beginning of language in what is now Canada wasn’t French and English, but a multitude of Indigenous languages and dialects. French and English were not introduced until Canada was colonized by France and England. Then and now, there was what could be called a hierarchy of language, which is essentially the belief in the superiority of one language over another. This along with the ideology in the superiority of race as well led to the cultural assimilation of Indigenous people and eventually the loss of many Indigenous languages in Canada. Officially, English and French still remain the official languages of Canada, but there is also a copious amount of other languages that have been introduced in Canada through immigration and other circumstances. Though French and English are both equally official languages in Canada, there still seems to be a divide between the two due to that same hierarchy of language mentioned above. In most parts of Canada, English is the more predominant language. French is less likely to be seen out of Quebec, mostly with a presence on government buildings such as post offices, etc. This is troubling as if both languages are official, why is French only seen in particular locations? This language hierarchy isn’t something that will be changing anytime soon, as Indigenous Peoples still continue to reclaim lost languages, and the idea that French or English are superior still remains in the eyes of some Canadians.
Mackey, W. F. (2010). The History and Origins of Language Policies in Canada. In M. A. Morris (Ed.), Canadian Language Policies in Comparative Perspective (pp. 18–66). McGill-Queens Press.
ESL Students (2) – March 28th 2021
In class, we had the opportunity to meet with the ESL students from Mexico for the second time. I feel like it’s worth mentioning my experience as it was so much different than the first time meeting them back in February. This time, in my group of three of my fellow students and peers, created a game to encourage and promote learning with the students we were paired with. We called our activity “The Name Game”. The intent of this game was to use different objects and things that students were familiar with, in this case we used colours, animals, clothing, objects from school, food, etc. and asked the students what they could name from that topic in English. For example, when we asked the students in our group if they knew any fruits, they would shout out all the kinds of fruits they knew. Apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, etc. were all popular ones. With our extra time when we were finished up with our game, we took the time to try to get to know our students by asking them personal questions in particular, if they had any pets, siblings, favourite foods. Then we allowed the students to ask us questions such as if we had ever been to Mexico, if we had snow and what the weather was like here. Like before, there was still a divide with a few of the students due to their ability to speak and understand English. There were some that were more eager to participate, but as “teachers” we did call on some students to try and get them to engage with both us, and our activity. Overall, this was an invaluable experience for both my classmates and myself as a future educator.