B-MEIS Newsletter - March 2021 (Plain Text Version)
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In this issue: |
CONNECTING EMERGENT BILINGUALS IN A GLOCALIZED CONTEXT: A MODEL FOR EMBEDDED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Tracey R. Jones, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
Introduction BRILLA (Bilingual Readiness through Interaction, Language, Literacy and Alliances) is an on-going, two-year partnership between a university and a dual language (DL) program in a local school district. The partnership is a unique, regular and sustained effort to connect two communities of emergent bilinguals—university lab students (ULS) of Spanish as a ML, and DL pre-k and kindergarten students. The laboratory is a place of experimentation and discovery. Dewey (1938) called the classroom a laboratory, a place for experiential learning. Curiosity about living and learning, inside and outside of the classroom is advocated by Sprague Mitchell (1951). Decades later, connections involving community engagement and global outreach are touted as “High Impact Educational Practices” by George Kuh (2008). BRILLA, a service-learning (SL) experience that is embedded into a modern language (ML) lab course, serves to glocalize these opportunities. Brilla is Spanish for shine and seeks to model the importance of engaging diverse, bi/multilingual communities and supporting bi/multilingual education as a resource for individuals and society. Design and Questions In BRILLA, a traditional foreign language lab course is reimagined, repurposed and transformed into embedded SL in the target language (Spanish). ULS of Spanish are referred to as Emergent Bilinguals, reframing their perceptions of their own language acquisition. Best practices in SL advise against isolated course activities, and recommend integration of the SL experience as the main focus of the academic course. ULS work with DL students weekly, at the same time, same place during the scheduled lab course at the DL school sites. Figure 1. Conceptual Framework for the BRILLA Program
While participating weekly in BRILLA, ULS engage in the following tasks, resulting in data collected: Table 1: Overview of Data Protocols and Analyses Strategies
The first semester of BRILLA was a traditional 15-week term, with 12 visits to the DL school site. The second semester was impacted by quarantine, but still involved seven face-to-face meetings of the participants. The most recent semester was entirely virtual, via Zoom, as DL students were in-person in their classrooms, and ULS were on campus, but no visitors were allowed at the DL site. Among all three distinct semesters, common themes emerge. Awareness of Oral Proficiency Objectives The ACTFL Oral Proficiency Level descriptors (2012) are used in BRILLA for ULS to pre-mid-and post-assess themselves with the “Can-do” checklists provided. Although in their third semester of university ML study, most ULS reported never having engaged with ACTFL language-acquisition standards. Questionnaire responses suggest that the requirement to self-evaluate and determine their levels and progress toward oral proficiency was helpful to ULS. Confidence in Engaging Native and Heritage Speakers of the TL In the initial questionnaire, most students responded “never” to intentionally engaging a native or heritage speaker of Spanish in conversation in their lives, unless the speaker was their teacher. Regular interaction in the TL every week with a native or heritage speaker of Spanish was seen as instrumental in increasing ULS confidence in speaking the TL. Student anecdotes included: “I learned to speak Spanish without fear,” and “I used my Spanish in ways that I never have before. I had to really challenge myself, and constantly learn new vocabulary.” Appreciation of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism BRILLA takes place, on site, at schools with DL programs. Anecdotes from BRILLA participants have been: “If I had a kid, I would put them into a Dual Language program. It’s a no-brainer.” An appreciation for bilingualism as a resource was expressed by many students: “My amiguito is five. He speaks two languages. He can read in both languages too. I am four times his age, and he is so far ahead of me—it blows my mind.” Transformational Education BRILLA has the potential to be transformational. Cone and Harris (1996) suggested that experiential education has transformational potential for learning. Further, Ukpokodu (2009) noted that transformational pedagogy can empower learners to “critically examine their prior experiences, assumptions, and beliefs and to reconstruct them in ways that enable them to acquire new knowledge, attitudes and skills in light of reflective experience,” (p. 63). Linguistic and Cultural Humility Linguistic and cultural humility both require flexibility and result in reflection.According to Tervalon and Murray-García (1998), cultural humility is characterized by flexibility and self-reflective actions in which individuals acknowledge what they know and do not know. Those who have developed cultural humility search for and access resources that may enhance the interactions and relationships in which they may find themselves engaged. Language cannot be separated from culture. ULS are regularly humbled by experiences in filling the gaps in their linguistic and cultural knowledge during BRILLA. A background in “textbook Spanish” only gets them so far. Verbal negotiations around “helado” vs. “nieve” and “perrito” vs. “cachorro” leave ULS re-assessing their linguistic knowledge and adding to their mental vocabulary lists. Transition phrases hardly used before, suddenly become essential. Keeping a conversation going with a native or heritage speaker of Spanish for a full-hour is a challenge. Coming face-to-face with linguistic a-ha moments and their own limitations in Spanish is not only humbling, but also results in many ULS reporting a desire to continue studying the language because now they “know what they don’t know”. BRILLA ULS reported an appreciation of the opportunity to experience and understand a community that they do not have much contact with while in the university “bubble”. Also reported were human connections that transcended linguistic limitations: “[Working with the same student often] was everything! I’ll never forget B___ as long as I live. He was so cute. So smart! He made my week every week. He got me out of my comfort zone. Challenged me. Was not afraid to tell me that I’d made a mistake. I will never say that an elefante is largo again!” Unexpected Results Although not an implicit objective, BRILLA has resulted in academic/professional major changes in its initial semesters. Focuses have shifted from the worlds of business and medicine to those of language, education and service. As shared by one ULS: “I am just a freshman. And, I came into college undecided. After BRILLA, I am going to major in social work. I would love to be a bilingual social worker. I think being proficient in Spanish would help a lot in helping others.” Implications Embedded SL programs in ML programs may address needs at many levels. This study may have particular significance for: (1) Spanish as a ML educators at many levels of education; (2) for teachers and leaders of Spanish bilingual and dual language K-12 programs; and (3) for teacher education programs who are preparing bilingual teachers for the classroom. Community Connections in the TL First, engagement in the TL in the local community offers authentic language acquisition and application opportunities closer to home. This may be valuable as travel concerns for study abroad persist. As course content, the embedded experiences are included in regular tuition for university students. These opportunities for students may lead to further education or future civic engagement. Community Partners Language teachers at all levels have similar goals as they endeavor to foster the linguistic development of emergent bilingual, biliterate and culturally responsive human beings. University ML divisions should reach out to colleagues in bilingual education in their local communities. And, teachers and leaders in the bilingual and DL education communities must feel comfortable reaching out to ML faculty in their local areas. Public schools can look to university ML departments for support for their DL teachers and programs. Community Building on Campus An embedded SL program like BRILLA creates potential bilingual educators. Schools of Education can look to Spanish students on their campuses as potential teachers to recruit, even if the students are not currently education majors. In addition, SL programs that flourish in ML divisions can pave the way to develop interdisciplinary courses that reveal the importance of bilingual education programs in a community, and bilingualism as a life-long pursuit. Final Thoughts At all levels of education, educators are tasked with preparing Global Citizens. What better way to live bi/multicultural education than to intentionally pour into our bi/multilingual communities, and do so in languages other than English? BRILLA provides an opportunity for so much light to shine on bi/mulitlingualism, bilingual education and pure, human connections through language References Ash, S.L., & Clayton, P.H. (2009c). Generating, deepening, and documenting learning: the power of critical reflection in applied learning. Journal of Applied Learning in Higher Education, 1, 26-48. Cone, D. & Harris, S. (1996). Service-Learning Practice: Developing a Theoretical Framework. Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning. 3, 31-43 Kuh, G. (2008). High-impact educational practices: what they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Association of American Colleges and Universities: Washington, D.C. Retrieved from: https://www.aacu.org/leap/hips. Tervalon, M. & Murray-García, J. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence a critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. 9(2), 117-125. Ukpokodu, O. (2009). The practice of transformative pedagogy. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 20(2), 43-67.
Tracey Jones is a Lecturer in Spanish in the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at Baylor University. She teaches TESOL Methodology in the Curriculum and Instruction Department of the School of Education, and English as an additional language for International students in Baylor’s Global Gateway program. Tracey has over 23 years experience teaching language learners from children to adults. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Bilingual Education and TESOL from New Mexico State University. |
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