A Pedagogical Habitus for the Inclusion of Emergent Bilinguals
In consideration of what we learned from Prof. Toncelli and the readings, it is clear that traditional attitudes towards teaching emergent bilinguals has been inadequate to meet their individual learner needs. Instead of considering what they lack, or deficit-based, we need to consider them as assets to the classroom and "start from what students can do" (Fu 22). Requiring emergent bilinguals to communicate and write solely in English is absurd, for as Toncelli mentioned, humans only have one set of linguistic tools. Some have a more complex and stronger linguistic skillset than others, but by allowing emergent bilinguals to use their assets and knowledge of their native tongue, their English acquisition will be improved.
Yet I also understand that this may be challenging for teachers. If a student's native tongue is Chinese, chances are the teacher will have no clue what their student is writing. While this might be uncomfortable as an educator, it is critical to consider how the student feels. If I were to migrate to a new country and were asked to write in a language I did not know, I of course would fail in that effort. But by using my skills as an English speaker, I could be scaffolded to learn this new language. Thus we must do this for our emergent bilingual students. If we are not fortunate enough to have the student's work translated for us, it is effective to have the student explain their writing to the best of their ability and translanguage their composition. Through this, they can reach higher levels of complexity and language acquisition.
Additionally, it is important to consider the relevance of what students are doing in the classroom. If we are teaching them to take tests, they will be driven out of schools because it will be meaningless to the students (Fu 45). Therefore, as Stewart writes, it is critical to incorporate artifacts into a students' writing, for "objects carry emotional resonance, and these infuse stories" (Stewart 10). These can be objects or memories that matter to the students, which would motivate them to write. This bolsters literacy, and when married to multimodality--not just written texts--the process of learning English becomes less like cutting through a steak with a dull knife (Fu 13). In so doing, the students' habitus, or set of habitual activities that transcend through generations and communities, can be positively used and infused into creating culturally-relevant pedagogy for all students, regardless of a student's linguistic ability.
Yet I also understand that this may be challenging for teachers. If a student's native tongue is Chinese, chances are the teacher will have no clue what their student is writing. While this might be uncomfortable as an educator, it is critical to consider how the student feels. If I were to migrate to a new country and were asked to write in a language I did not know, I of course would fail in that effort. But by using my skills as an English speaker, I could be scaffolded to learn this new language. Thus we must do this for our emergent bilingual students. If we are not fortunate enough to have the student's work translated for us, it is effective to have the student explain their writing to the best of their ability and translanguage their composition. Through this, they can reach higher levels of complexity and language acquisition.
Additionally, it is important to consider the relevance of what students are doing in the classroom. If we are teaching them to take tests, they will be driven out of schools because it will be meaningless to the students (Fu 45). Therefore, as Stewart writes, it is critical to incorporate artifacts into a students' writing, for "objects carry emotional resonance, and these infuse stories" (Stewart 10). These can be objects or memories that matter to the students, which would motivate them to write. This bolsters literacy, and when married to multimodality--not just written texts--the process of learning English becomes less like cutting through a steak with a dull knife (Fu 13). In so doing, the students' habitus, or set of habitual activities that transcend through generations and communities, can be positively used and infused into creating culturally-relevant pedagogy for all students, regardless of a student's linguistic ability.
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