Embracing Language Diversity for Enhanced Learning Outcomes

In the modern world, classrooms are increasingly characterized by students from various racial, experiential and linguistic backgrounds, increasing classroom diversity in most schools. In such a diverse setting, effective learning of all students is a big challenge, especially when dealing with topics majoring in cultural understanding. This paper discusses learning in linguistically diverse classrooms, explicitly focusing on learning about African-American history in a diverse classroom setting within a synchronous online English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) lesson.

Learning

Learning can be understood as a complex process through which individuals acquire attitudes, knowledge and skills, and understanding through their experiences and interactions in the classroom environment. Individuals shape their understanding and competence in various domains by focusing on their emotional, cognitive, and social dimensions. In this context, learning does not necessarily include acquiring knowledge and skills but also developing cultural awareness, language proficiency and cultivating a sense of belonging. This paper looks at the challenges linguistically diverse learners face in an ESOL class, particularly when learning about their cultures. I aim to shed light on the impact of language diversity on motivation, sense of belonging, and learning outcomes for minority students who do not speak the instructional languages as their first language. In addition, I propose modifications to teaching practices that embrace language diversity and create a more inclusive and conducive learning environment for all students.

Diversity

In modern classrooms and education, diversity refers to a wide range of student differences based on various characteristics such as language, culture, socioeconomic status, abilities, experiences, race, and ethnicity (Alisaari, 2019). Diversity emphasizes recognizing and appreciating these differences by creating an inclusive and equitable learning environment that respects the learners’ different values, identities, and backgrounds. As a middle school History teacher, my class is linguistically diverse as it comprises learners who speak various first languages, Ebonics (African American Vernacular English), and students who are not native English speakers.

As I aim to teach the students more about African-American history, some of the challenges I face from the students are difficulties in understanding the lesson and a slower adjustment to the instruction language (English) among the minority learners who do not speak English as their first language. To support these learners, I must recognize and address language diversity in the learning materials and resources as it impacts their motivation to speak and learn the instructional language and their sense of belonging to the class, ultimately affecting their learning outcomes.

Description of Learner Diversity in the Classroom Setting

My history class is made up of learners from various backgrounds as follows:

i) First Languages

Students in the class speak different first languages, indicating a multilingual context where various languages are present.

ii) Ebonics (African American Vernacular English- AAVE)

Some students use Ebonics in the class, a distinct linguistic variety spoken primarily by African American communities.

iii) Non-English-Speaking Students

The majority of the class is made up of learners who are not native English speakers, highlighting the diversity of the group.

The table below represents the statistics of all learners in the class based on their linguistic diversity.

Specific Variety Focus for Consideration

In this classroom setting, the specific variety focus will be language diversity, particularly the challenges and learning needs of language minority learners who are not proficient in the instructional language (English). Through this focus, we will understand the impact of language diversity on the learners’ sense of belonging, learning outcomes and motivation. To effectively address the challenges faced by language minority learners, I plan to modify their teaching approach to African-American history by incorporating the whole student repertoire as a learning resource. This includes encouraging the learners to share what they have been taught from the African-American history lesson using their home languages, some of their terms in their native languages, any stories in their native language that explain the African-American history, and letting the learners interpret the information for everyone else in the class. Through this approach, I will be able to promote appreciation for the linguistic diversity in the class and enhance the understanding and participation of minority learners in the learning process.

Literature review

Lin, S. Y., & Scherz, S. D. (2014). Challenges facing Asian international graduate students in the US: Pedagogical considerations in higher education. Journal of International Students, 4(1), 16-33.

This article focuses on international students who are not native English speakers (NNES) and attend colleges and universities in the United States and how they frequently face challenges adapting to the new cultural setting. Apart from their unique cultural background, these students often need help grasping the academic language and comprehending the content and conceptual structures of different graduate-level disciplines. This article investigated the cultural and linguistic obstacles that NNES Asian international graduate students experience in the United States and devised a framework and suggestions to cater for the linguistic, cultural and academic requirements of this specific student population in education. Some recommendations included professors simplifying their languages and defining culturally specific terms when teaching the students, using supplementary videos in assignments and learning resources to make their understanding easy and faster. Also, professors needed to be culturally sensitive and effectively navigate cross-cultural encounters with NNES and apply inclusiveness in the learning process.

Allen, J. K., Robbins, M. A., Payne, Y. D., & Brown, K. B. (2016). Using enrichment clusters to address the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Gifted Child Today, 39(2), 84-97.

The article discusses diverse learners’ challenges in traditional educational settings and highlights the importance of culturally responsive teaching methods. Educators can create a more inclusive and supportive learning environment for these students by incorporating culturally relevant topics and materials into enrichment clusters. The study provides case studies of how the enrichment clusters were successfully adapted to accommodate diverse learners and how these learners benefitted from the approach. Through the article, educators gain several guidelines and strategies to implement enrichment clusters for culturally linguistically diverse students, hence promoting students’ academic growth in the class.

Alisaari, J., Heikkola, L. M., Commins, N., & Acquah, E. O. (2019). Monolingual ideologies are confronting multilingual realities. Finnish teachers’ beliefs about linguistic diversity. Teaching and teacher education, 80, 48-58.

The article explores the beliefs of Finnish teachers regarding linguistic diversity in the context of a country with a historically monolingual ideology. The study examines how teachers’ attitudes and beliefs influence their approach to language diversity in the classroom. The study shows that although Finnish educators generally hold positive attitudes towards linguistic diversity, they often lack the necessary pedagogical strategies and resources to effectively support multilingual students, with some adhering to past monolingual ideologies of the past, viewing other languages as potential threats to the dominance of the Finish in society. The study’s findings emphasize the need for teachers to be equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to embrace linguistic diversity in the classroom. Professional development will help these teachers effectively support their multilingual students’ academic and socio-emotional needs and create a more inclusive learning environment.

Summary

The above articles provide information and findings on how educators can best address the issue of diversity in a multilingual classroom setting, and ensure that all students are motivated, have a sense of belonging and equitably contribute towards the learning process. Through these articles, I can gain knowledge, guidelines and strategies to effectively and successfully teach African-American history to my diverse learners. Some recommendations that will help the learners include using supplementary videos in assignments and learning resources to make their understanding easy and faster. Also, simplifying their languages and defining culturally specific terms when teaching the students aligns with my objective of letting the learners tell stories in their native languages that explain the African-American history and explain them to their peers to ensure inclusivity and make the learning process fun and educative.

References

Allen, J. K., Robbins, M. A., Payne, Y. D., & Brown, K. B. (2016). Using enrichment clusters to address the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Gifted Child Today, 39(2), 84-97.

Alisaari, J., Heikkola, L. M., Commins, N., & Acquah, E. O. (2019). Monolingual ideologies are confronting multilingual realities. Finnish teachers’ beliefs about linguistic diversity. Teaching and teacher education, 80, 48-58.

Lin, S. Y., & Scherz, S. D. (2014). Challenges facing Asian international graduate students in the US: Pedagogical considerations in higher education. Journal of International Students, 4(1), 16-33.