Canada is a very diverse country, so it is very likely that we as educators will have students whose first language is not English. To maximize the engagement of our multilingual students we could allow them to write in their own language for some assignments and then use a translator to grade or read their work. We could also encourage them to be open and share their language with the students. It is also important that we make sure that other students do not make fun of them for not having English as their first language. If they are being made fun of because their English is not as good as their classmates, they may give up on speaking English altogether.
There are so many ways we can integrate multilingual instructional strategies into our classrooms. We can encourage them to talk in and use their first language and teach their peers. We can take 5 minutes from our morning to learn a new way to say hello, or other words/phrases, in a different language every day to encourage diversity within language. We can have books written in other languages of the students in our classrooms to show that we support them and care that they have representation. There is so much that we can do for our multilingual students that does not require a ton more planning. Once I become a teacher, I will strive for language diversity in my classroom whether I do have a multilingual student or not.
I love your idea about using a translator to grade assignments for students who’s first language is not English. You could potentially add a personal experience that you have (if any) to reflect on why this may be significant to you. I also want to add that I really admire your ideas about some teaching strategies you can implement to support multilingualism.
Hello Zoe, I enjoyed your blog post this week! Your inclusive mindset is consistent throughout your post, making connecting to your content straightforward. Your passion for educating in an equitable environment gives me confidence in the future of the education field. You focus on simplicity throughout your post, which made me curious about what complexities or challenges you would face with integrating these instructional strategies. Your post provided ideas that I hope to utilize in my classroom as well. I do not doubt that you will make a great educator one day. I look forward to reading next week’s post. Thank you for sharing!
I feel as though we will definitely encounter a lot of complexities and challenges within this realm of teaching but I have confidence that with extra time and effort we will always find a way to be inclusive for our multilingual students. It will definitely take some extra effort to implement these instructional strategies but it is worth it for our future students’ success. We can fight for their rights in school and we can be their advocates in the school system.