Hardy_L_1998029_A3_EDC494
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School
Curtin University *
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Course
494
Subject
Linguistics
Date
Apr 3, 2024
Type
docx
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6
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Language and Diversity
EDC494
Lynette Hardy
1998029
Take Home Exam
For Dr Bich Nguyen
Curtin University
1.
What is translanguaging? Would you encourage your students to use their own language
in your classroom in Australia? Discuss giving examples
to back up your response.
Translanguaging is when multilingual students use their linguistic repertoire to learn and
communicate, drawing upon their full knowledge to learn or communicate. Encouraging
students to read, speak, or write in their first language and then translate that to English to
take advantage of concepts learned in their first language. Australian culture is linguistically
diverse and has over three hundred languages spoken nationwide (Australian Bureau of
Statistics, 2018). Allowing for translanguaging has several advantages, including allowing students to scaffold
their understanding using well-known ideas from their first language, confirm their identities,
and promote deep learning and comprehension (Green,2020).
Creating an inclusive classroom is important to me as a teacher. As such, I would encourage
any multilingual students to use their full potential. When students use their first language as
a conduit to learning new concepts in English where these concepts may already have a
basis(The Bell Foundation, 2023), they can learn more effectively. Translanguaging is an evidence-based practice I will utilise to support multilingual students
in my classroom. Australia's diversity is increasing, and when we create inclusive
classrooms, everyone benefits by leveraging our students' cultural and linguistic capital
(Oliver et al., 2020). I could use translanguaging in a classroom during a book study where I
could ask the students to listen to the story in their first language and then discuss the book
in English, allowing the flexible use of language to enable deeper understanding (Gonzalez,
2022).
3.
The Australian Curriculum requires teachers to teach Standard Australian English. To
what extent do you agree with this requirement? Give reasons and examples
to support
your response with reference to multilingual classrooms in Australia. The Australian Curriculum requires Standard Australian English (SAE) (ACARA, 2023) to be
taught in the classroom because this is Australia's primary language and is needed for the
student to be proficient academically and professionally and navigate life independently in
this country. Teaching Standard Australian English in a multilingual classroom helps build a
common linguistic basis among students from different origins, which can aid in bridging
cultural divides and encourage understanding. For instance, using Standard Australian
English when teaching a math class exploring complex concepts ensures that all students
learn the same content and can support one another. There has been some criticism (Turner & Cross, 2015) of the monolingual nature of the
curriculum and its lack of understanding of the relationship between learning and students as
people, even though at least 25% of students come from a multilingual background. While
SAE enables students to move through the curriculum, it does not take advantage of the
diversity of today’s classrooms, missing out on important cultural and linguistic diversity that
students bring with them. I partly agree with the need to teach SAE; however, strong
evidence supports the classroom practice of incorporating students' sociocultural knowledge
(Gowett et al., 2017). Using translanguaging to support students from diverse linguistic
backgrounds not only helps EAL/D learners but also broadens the worldview of
monolinguals, creating an inclusive classroom that celebrates diversity (Sclafani, 2017). Part 2
Not knowing about the diverse ways in which people communicate means that we
are limited in our ability to interact effectively in multicultural and multilingual settings.
This ignorance can also lead to judgements and prejudices.
Do you agree with this statement? Discuss with reference to the many diverse linguistic and
cultural examples/scenarios and areas of possible cross-cultural breakdown considered in
the unit and including reference to multilingual classroom situations in Australia where
possible. (
Try to consider speech styles and cross-cultural areas that you have not
already discussed in Part 1 if you can
).
Our multicultural Society is increasingly becoming more connected, making effective communication vital for successful interactions. A lack of understanding regarding the myriad
of ways people communicate limits our ability to interact effectively in multicultural and multilingual settings (Turner & Cross, 2015) and hinders a culturally responsive pedagogy. Including explicit language instruction for all learners is essential to good classroom practice and even more important to EAL/D learners to enable them to understand the lesson's content (Dobinson & Nguyen, 2018). ACARA (2011, as cited in Dobinson & Nguyen, 2018) suggests areas of particular concern would be parts of speech, including prepositions, colloquialisms, and abbreviations, with teachers needing to pay close attention to these areas.
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