Multilingual Literature in the Classroom: Promoting Social Justice Through Many Voices
Abstract
In a globalized world, teachers encounter bilingual/multilingual students in their classrooms. Immigrant students bring their own background – culture, language(s), customs and traditions. The diverse classrooms which we witnessed in the past couple of decades can be a blessing: it can open our hearts and minds to new perspectives, and can be a wonderful opportunity to establish a community of diverse learners that enrich each other through the art of story-telling. As teachers in multicultural classrooms, this diversity provides rich opportunities to develop cultural sensitivity and accommodate the multilingualism that takes place.
To capture the essence and richness that multicultural education offers, this session will feature a curriculum that is developed to include story-telling and other forms of authentic narratives of the many familial ancestries we have privilege to encounter. The end product will be children's books written by the students to be shared with families and communities.
A collaborative effort that includes students, parents, caregivers and community members will create bilingual and multilingual books based on oral traditions. This curriculum can be integrated into any subject matter and used in a year-long curriculum or in modules.
Presentation Description
An international doctoral student from Israel. An activist feminist educator, has been focusing on liberatory pedagogy and critical feminist pedagogy and was involved in community-based projects. Her current scholarly focus is on immigrant communities and hybrid students.
Keywords
Social justice, Literature, Children's books, Community, Parental involvement, Bilingual education, Multiculturalism, Curriculum, Art, Oral tradition
Location
Magnolia Room B
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Zilonka, Revital, "Multilingual Literature in the Classroom: Promoting Social Justice Through Many Voices" (2014). Curriculum Studies Summer Collaborative. 27.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cssc/2014/2014/27
Multilingual Literature in the Classroom: Promoting Social Justice Through Many Voices
Magnolia Room B
In a globalized world, teachers encounter bilingual/multilingual students in their classrooms. Immigrant students bring their own background – culture, language(s), customs and traditions. The diverse classrooms which we witnessed in the past couple of decades can be a blessing: it can open our hearts and minds to new perspectives, and can be a wonderful opportunity to establish a community of diverse learners that enrich each other through the art of story-telling. As teachers in multicultural classrooms, this diversity provides rich opportunities to develop cultural sensitivity and accommodate the multilingualism that takes place.
To capture the essence and richness that multicultural education offers, this session will feature a curriculum that is developed to include story-telling and other forms of authentic narratives of the many familial ancestries we have privilege to encounter. The end product will be children's books written by the students to be shared with families and communities.
A collaborative effort that includes students, parents, caregivers and community members will create bilingual and multilingual books based on oral traditions. This curriculum can be integrated into any subject matter and used in a year-long curriculum or in modules.
