‘When they act, they speak more': strategies that encourage language production in a bilingual preschool

ABSTRACT

The objective of two-way language programs is to promote intergroup communicative competence and cultural awareness. The purpose of the study was to explore teachers’ strategies implemented to create a language-conducive classroom context. To address this purpose, we used triangulation of data sources: weekly classroom observations, video recording of teachers’ reflections during periodical formal meetings; and field notes. The findings indicated the following language-conducive strategies: the classroom as a community of learners, explicit request to use Arabic, ritual repetition, teacher mediated socio-dramatic play, associative mediator and language area. These strategies brought with them a change of pedagogical approach that led to increased openness to Arabic. An analysis of teachers’ critical reflections of the strategy implementation revealed that they perceived these strategies as a positive factor in the enhancement of openness to Arabic.

KEYWORDS:

• Preschool bilingual education
• majority-minority languages
• ecological n language learning
• language-conducive contexts and strategies

Acknowledgements

The findings of the present study were previously presented at the European Educational Research Association Conference in Hamburg, in September, 2019. Link: https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Feera-ecer.de%2Fecer-programmes%2Fconference%2F24%2Fcontribution%2F46755%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C3d8766089ed2462167e908d7934f693e%7C1faf88fea9984c5b93c9210a11d9a5c2%7C0%7C0%7C637139841586765204&sdata=Cwo609knC0vMITET5exXCFCna9j04lQqEZI%2BJ2Vv%2Fys%3D&reserved=0

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1 It is noteworthy that since this was the initiative of one of the female teachers, who made a sash for herself, the inscription included the word ‘Queen’ (and not ‘King’).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mila Schwarz

Mila Schwartz (Ph.D. in Literacy Acquisition in Second Language, University of Haifa) is a Professor in Language and Education and Head of Language Program (MEd) in Oranim Academic College of Education (Israel). Her research interests include language policy and models of early bilingual education; linguistic, cognitive, and socio-cultural development of early sequential bilinguals; family language policy; and bilingual teachers' pedagogical development.

Inas Deeb

Inas Deeb (Ph.D. in Social psychology) is currently the educational director at the Hand in Hand- center for Arab- Jewish education in Israel. Among the various responsibilities, Inas develops and leads in-service teacher's training programs at all bilingual schools and advances the creation and implementation of special curriculum in specific subject areas that are relevant to bilingual integrated schools in Israel. Her PhD research was on the “Impact of Integrated education on Jewish and Arab children's conception of ethnic categories and essentialism”. Her research interests include bilingual and integrated education, multicultural education and ethnic diversity.

Deborah Dubiner

Deborah Dubiner (Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition, Carnegie Mellon University) is a Senior Lecturer at Oranim Academic College of Education in Israel. Her teaching load is distributed in the graduate and undergraduate language teaching programs. Her sociolinguistics research focuses on multilingualism and identity, heritage language maintenance, and bilingual education. She specializes also in second language acquisition/teaching and teacher education. She has taught foreign languages for over 25 years in three continents.