Currently my knowledge of language is very limited. I grew up in a household that only speaks English and I only ever took one year of French when I was in grade 7. I have a very simple understanding of the French language; I cannot speak it very well, but I can read and understand basic words. In the fall semester of 2020, I took an introductory to Cree class that allowed me to gain a knowledge of speaking, reading, and writing of the Cree language in Y-dialect. From learning Cree, I realized that there is not a “one size fits all” when it comes to language because even just in Saskatchewan there are three dialects that are spoken throughout the province. From my previous knowledge and what has been discussed in the two weeks of learning, it is evident of just how detailed the idea of multilingual and bilingual learners can be.
One reading that stood out for me the most was for our January 20 lecture, Garcia mentioned that there are two types of awareness that teachers in the twenty-first century should develop “(1) an awareness of plurilingualism and appreciation of linguistic tolerance, and its merits for democratic citizenship and (2) an awareness of the histories of colonial and imperialistic oppression that has produced the plurilingualism in society” (Garcia, 2017, p. 268). I found this to quote from Garcia to stand out to because I realize how important it is as a teacher to be aware of why the students might be bilingual or multilingual and why they might only speak their native language when they are at home. I believe it is important to be aware of the colonial oppression that may have occurred in earlier generations that has prevented families from feeling comfortable with their language outside of the home. As a teacher, I feel as though carrying out a Critical Multilingual Awareness (CMLA) project would be important for the students to engage in. I feel as though learning from our peers can be one of the best ways to truly gain an understanding of an idea. Through a project like this, it would allow the students to talk about their own experiences with multilingualism and develop a consciousness of language as a social practice. They would become aware of what is considered socially accepted and coming up with changes that can be made to what language means in school.
So far through discussion that have taken place during our lectures, it is evident that there is lots to be learned from my fellow classmates. During out introduction in the first lecture, we all introduced ourselves and shared which languages we know. There are many of my classmates that share the same knowledge of language as myself, but there were also some that had English as a secondary language and knew multiple languages. I am hoping that as this semester goes on, I am given the chance to learn from my peers and see how language has affected their lives, education, and the impact it will have on them as future educators. Hearing the experiences of my classmates, I am hoping for to truly understand how important it is to incorporate CMLA into the classroom.
During this semester, I hope to gain more knowledge about how to incorporate CMLA into my teaching. Additionally, I hope to learn how to best allow for my students to incorporate their different languages into my classroom.
References
Garcia, O. (2017). Language Awareness and Multilingualism: Critical Multilingual Language Awareness and Teacher Education. Springer International Publishing