Aria and Teaching Multilingual Children 4/3

Rodriguez argues in “Aria”, that learning English and assimilating into American culture caused him to lose his personal identity to his culture, highlighting the difficulty of being multilingual in America. On the flip side, Collier argues in “Teaching Multilingual Children”, that teaching students who are learning more than one language can be effective and they do not have to lose a sense of themselves as long as there are practices in place that honor the diversity and continue to foster learning. 

Rodriguez was recounting the time his family was asked if they speak English at home because he seemed timid and shy in class. His parents were asked “is it possible for you and your husband to encourage your children to practice their English when they are home?”... “of course my parents complied”. This is unsettling. Why does it matter what language the student and their family speaks at home, as long as they are present in school and are trying their best to acquire a new language and understanding. What made it worse is the family felt that was the best option- because who were they to argue against the church? Should there be a separation of church and state? Is that not possible at a catholic school (do they make their own rules?).

Later, Rodriguez named: “at last, at seven years old, I came to believe what had been technically true since my birth: I was an American citizen” (36). He was born an American citizen but did not feel he belonged or was truly worthy of that right all because of a language. Once he knew English well enough to talk in class, that helped. It is disconcerting that people live their lives that way and that they live in a country that makes them feel ‘less than’ because they are learning, or, are already speaking a different language. This idea of learning English came at a great cost. 

As Rodriguez and his siblings learned more English and became more fluent, they lost ties with their Spanish and they “shared fewer and fewer words with our parents” (37). I can’t imagine not being able to communicate with my family because we no longer understand each other. Why is there such an emphasis on forcing students to learn English? 

Collier addresses this as an issue in his article. Despite there being research “which speaks with one voice: to dismiss home language in literacy development instantly places immigrant children at risk” (233), it is still happening, as seen with Rodriguez and his experience. 

Rodriguez and his family could have benefited from the knowledge Collier provides and names:  “English-language learners who can chat comfortably in English do not automatically develop the academic language skills needed to compete… It is worse for many students who are placed in English-only classrooms with teachers who have no training in second language acquisition and who use an English-only curriculum. So, the choice of language in which the student works academically is less important than success in mastering school skills, or academic language proficiency” (225/226). He should have never been forced to only speak English. 

Collier states at early stages of instruction that “using home language for literacy builds the self-worth of language minority students…any academic home language development that benefits a child’s cognitive development, whether written or oral, will transfer to the second language” (233). According to Erikson’s Theory on Psychosocial Development, students who are 6-12 are wrestling with industry vs inferiority. They are wondering “can I make it in the world of people and things?” A strength to help them is competence. If a child is learning a language, they feel comfortable in their own language, are competent, and the skills are applied to their second language, this helps them develop. Students in this stage spend a lot of time at school, and they rely on learning new skills. Providing multi-language learners with new skills and allowing them to use a curriculum that emphasizes their home language is beneficial. How can this be accomplished by individual teachers?

“The teacher’s challenge is to find ways to integrate immigrant students with other students their age, while presenting meaningful lessons…the best way is for teachers to use all available language resources at hand” (234). At my school, we do not have a specific MLL or ESL room/ program for students to go to, so ultimately it does fall on the teacher. We were given a website called “Ellevation”- which provides numerous ideas and videos on different types of activities to try in the classroom to enhance the reading, writing and speaking skills of the students. You can break it down by specific skill, or try to find activities that incorporate multiple skills. Ultimately, I found that most of these activities are already done in my room- such as exit tickets, turn and talks, and jigsaws. So, I am left straddling this line. On the one hand, I think I could be helping them by doing these activities, but, on the other hand, I feel like my use of these strategies isn’t having the impact that it needs to for my students. 

If we zoom out from the individual teachers though, and look at the whole school view, we learn that encouraging home language and multiple voices can help with the classroom culture. When “children come to class with their non-standard varieties of English and home language, teachers must look at the benefits of having multiple ways of thinking in the classroom” (227). In the last blog post, I referenced Lisa Delpit and “The Silenced Dialogue” and it proves to be relevant here as well. What stood out in that reading was the teacher who taught her students their native language. She asked them: “that is the way we say things, doesn't that feel good? Isn't it the absolute best way to get that idea across?” Her whiteboard has “Village English” and “Heritage English”. This encourages students to find comfort. To see that it is okay to both speak in their familiar ways, and simultaneously learn new ways, or more “acceptable” ways, as citizens in America. 

The white board, and encouraging both languages, reminded me of Collier’s 5th guideline on code-switching. It is common for bilingual communities to use and do. Students should be encouraged to do this, as it helps them continue to learn and process both languages at once. 

All bilingual or MLL students should feel they have a voice in their education. Learning a new language is hard, and it is a skill. Students should be supported in the best ways possible, not penalized or hurt, or forced to create a public self and a private self, which often results in losing a part of who they are.