{"id":54792,"date":"2020-11-11T00:00:51","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T08:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=54792"},"modified":"2020-11-10T11:46:24","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T19:46:24","slug":"language-learning-in-canada-needs-to-change-to-reflect-superdiverse-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/language-learning-in-canada-needs-to-change-to-reflect-superdiverse-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Language learning in Canada needs to change to reflect \u2018superdiverse\u2019 communities"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As\u00a0people moving across territorial borders continues to drive globalization<\/a>, our society needs to reflect on the linguistic identities of students who are learning English and French,\u00a0Canada\u2019s two official languages<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In language classrooms, where English as a Second Language (ESL) and French as a Second Language (FSL) programs reflect\u00a0Canada\u2019s bilingual mandate<\/a>, how we teach languages has not evolved much from the traditional grammar-based mode of instruction.<\/p>\n

Students are generally presented with a language structure (say, the\u00a0pass\u00e9 compos\u00e9<\/em>\u00a0in French), are encouraged to practise it in the classroom and are ultimately asked to present the language structure in the correct social context \u2014 all for a grade.<\/p>\n

In these dated language teaching and learning contexts, the everyday ways people communicate \u2014 that go against the rules and bounds of language \u2014 aren\u2019t taken into account. Research shows that in language learning, when students feel that teachers dismiss their prior linguistic knowledge and experiences,\u00a0they lose interest, become disconnected and may become set for failure<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fixed rules<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The everyday ways people communicate and that we hear in\u00a0streets, caf\u00e9s, malls and marketplaces<\/a>\u00a0typically do not follow traditional grammar rules (subject, verb, noun, for instance).<\/p>\n

Particularly in what have become known as Canada\u2019s \u201csuperdiverse cities<\/a>\u201d like\u00a0Toronto, Vancouver and Montr\u00e9al<\/a>, it\u2019s common to hear people using multiple languages (say English and Greek, or Arabic, French and English) at the same time. Such mixing and switching of language constitute authentic ways of communicating that reflect people\u2019s geographical and cultural backgrounds \u2014 their lived histories and their identities.<\/p>\n

This means teaching languages only by old fixed rules is not realistic in superdiverse schools across Canada. The lived experiences of students are shown in the mixed and hybrid ways they use language that go against the rules of grammar. In language learning we call this\u00a0plurilingualism<\/a>\u00a0or translanguaging<\/a>.
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