Centering critical multilingual language awareness in language teacher education: towards more evidence-based instructional practices

Abstract

Critical multilingual language awareness (CMLA) serves as a valuable heuristic for recognizing linguistic diversity and, ultimately, contributing to the transformation of social inequities. The current Special Issue examines how CMLA development can be fostered through evidence-based instructional practices in pre-service language teachers. Building on previous work of critical applied linguists, Prasad and Lory’s (2020) revised framework places the power domain at its core, thereby, unifying the other domains, including cognitive, affective, performance, and social, as identified by James and Garrett’s (1992). This reconceptualization of the five domains of CMLA forms the foundation for the empirical-based instructional practices to CMLA development in language teacher education, which are the focus of the current special issue. The six studies and two commentaries demonstrate how CMLA can move from pedagogical stance to evidence-based practices across various educational contexts worldwide. By creating opportunities for pre-service teachers to identify how language and power intersect in their respective lives and educational settings, the authors in the special issue contribute to an expanding CMLA pedagogical toolkit. This toolkit aims to counteract the prevalent deficit perspective on multilingualism, aligning instead with asset-based pedagogic approaches, the call to decolonize pedagogy and the broader call for social justice.

ABSTRACT (DUTCH)

Critical multilingual language awareness (CMLA, kritisch meertalig taalbewustzijn) is een waardevolle heuristiek om linguïstische diversiteit te (h)erkennen en uiteindelijk bij te dragen aan het wegwerken van sociale ongelijkheden. Dit special issue onderzoekt hoe de ontwikkeling van CMLA kan worden bevorderd door middel van onderzoeksgebaseerde instructiepraktijken bij toekomstige taalleraren.

Voortbouwend op het eerdere werk van kritische toegepaste taalkundigen plaatst het herziene raamwerk van Prasad en Lory (2020) het machtsdomein centraal, waarbij de andere domeinen, zoals geïdentificeerd door James en Garrett (1992), zijnde cognitief, affectief, performatief en sociaal, worden verenigd. Deze herconceptualizering van CMLA vormt het uitgangspunt voor de empirische studies in dit special issue. De zes studies en twee commentaren in dit nummer tonen aan hoe CMLA kan evolueren van een pedagogisch standpunt naar op onderzoek gebaseerde praktijken in diverse onderwijscontexten wereldwijd. Door kansen te creëren voor toekomstige leraren om te identificeren hoe taal en macht op elkaar inspelen in hun respectieve leef- en onderwijscontexten, dragen de auteurs bij aan een groeiende CMLA-pedagogische toolkit. Deze toolkit heeft als doel het gangbare deficit perspectief op meertaligheid te bestrijden en in plaats daarvan aan te sluiten bij assets-gebaseerde pedagogische benaderingen, de oproep tot een gedekoloniseerde pedagogie en de bredere oproep tot sociale rechtvaardigheid.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY

Critical multilingual language awareness (CMLA) is a useful tool for understanding the variety of languages spoken by children and communities. The current Special Issue examines how CMLA development can be fostered through evidence-based instructional practices in pre-service language teachers.

CMLA can help address and reduce social inequalities. Prasad and Lory (2020) provide a revised framework for CMLA that focuses on the role of power in language, and sees power as the central domain that binds the remaining domains (cognitive, affective, performance, and social) together. This framework is the basis of the six empirical studies in language teacher education, which make up the current special issue. In this collection, six studies and two commentaries demonstrate the impact of research-based teaching practices that use various meaning-making tools and practices to help future language teachers develop CMLA. The authors create opportunities for future teachers to see how language and power are connected in their own lives and in the schools where they work. These studies help expand the CMLA pedagogical toolkit, which aims to move away from seeing multilingualism as a problem and instead seeing it as an asset. This approach also aligns with the call for decolonizing the curriculum and social justice.

Keywords:

• Critical multilingual language awareness
• teacher education
• pre-service teachers
• assets-based pedagogy
• decolonizing pedagogy
• social justice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter I. De Costa

Peter I. De Costa is a Professor in the Department of Linguistics, Languages & Cultures and the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. He is the co-editor of TESOL Quarterly and the President Elect of the American Association for Applied Linguistics.

Koen Van Gorp

Koen Van Gorp is an Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics and Less Commonly Taught Languages Coordinator in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, & Cultures at Michigan State University. He is the founding co-editor of TASK. Journal on Task-Based Language Teaching and Learning.