"This book shows that teachers at monolingual schools respond ambivalently to their linguistically diverse groups of pupils. It does so to reveal practices which often fall off the scientific radar: language-in-education research is mainly interested in describing teachers with a critical or conservative view of monolingual school policies. These teacher types are useful for advocating multilingual education policies, but they leave much ordinary, inconsistent, behaviour unaccounted for. The interest in critical and conservative teachers equally encourages us to praise or blame teachers, while it invites incompatible explanations: critical teachers have somehow escaped a monolingual ideology that their conservative colleagues are completely deceived by. Based on linguistic-ethnographic research in five Dutch-medium schools in Brussels, Belgium, this book seeks to explain how teachers who severely impose monolingual policies also adhere to an egalitarian pedagogy; why teachers who criticise monolingual policies also maintain and justify them; and why teachers who recognise pupils' primary varieties in class also prohibit these varieties on various occasions. The book suggests moreover that ideology can account for teachers' habitual as well as critical activity, by viewing ideologies as contradictory; so, when people internalise ideologies, they adopt contrary opinions which allow them to think. The book argues that this capacity is crucial for attending to the multiple, competing, goals that classroom interaction presents; that it typically invites inconsistent, albeit rational, behaviour; and that if this inconsistency is common and chronic, researchers on language-in-education need to improve their radar and develop a different kind of dialogue with teachers"--

The book proposes a round the world exploration of the way our traditionally monolingual school systems are being challenged by students from diverse language backgrounds, forcing educationalists to question entrenched ideologies of language and challenging teachers in their everyday classrooms to rethink their relationships to language learning and the issue of diversity.

This book shows that teachers at monolingual schools in Brussels approach their multilingual pupils in quite ambivalent ways (severely imposing the school language, but also recognizing pupils' multilingualism). Underlining this ambivalence is important because the scientific literature typically prefers a focus on teachers who either support or suppress their pupils' multilingualism. Much ordinary, inconsistent, teacher behavior thus falls off the radar, while those teachers who appear in the literature are either praised (as critical) or blamed (as ideologically deceived). This book thus explores uncharted territory, it explains teachers' inconsistency as a type of thinking, and it suggests that we can evaluate their behavior in more complex terms than simply good or bad.

This volume challenges the monolingual mindset by highlighting how language-related issues surround us in many different ways, and explores the tensions that can develop in managing and understanding multilingualism. The book features analysis and discussion on the use of languages across a range of contexts, including post-migration settlement, policy, education, language contact and intercultural communication.

Your guide to culturally and linguistically sustaining practices in your dual language classroom and school. It’s time to set the record straight: Multilingualism is a tremendous asset that must be nurtured and valued and the most effective pathway to multilingualism is dual language education. Despite significant evidence attesting to the cognitive, social/emotional, and economic benefits of multilingualism, the majority of our classrooms and schools are monolingual. Encouragingly, recent shifts in state policies have increased the demand for dual language programming in our schools. This increased momentum brings new challenges, including the need for more bilingually authorized teachers, high-quality instructional resources, and accurate assessment and accountability in the target languages of instruction. With contributions from ten experts in multilingual education, Breaking Down the Monolingual Wall outlines the systemic and pedagogical approaches necessary for successful multilingual and dual language programs. The book supports educators to: Shift the paradigm from one that is subtractive and deficit-based to one that is additive and assets-based Embed culturally and linguistically sustaining practices in their instruction Understand how to promote multilingualism in the context of teaching academic content Develop assessments as, for, and of learning in multiple languages. Lead high-quality dual language schools and programs Recruit and retain highly qualified bilingual educators Offering a comprehensive overview of bilingual policies and historical context all educators should understand, Breaking Down the Monolingual Wall is an invaluable guide to creating dual language learning environments that build on the precious assets of our multilingual students and families.

This is a book about language and education in one of the smallest European Union member-states, Luxembourg. It presents the results of an ethnographic study of code-switching and language ideologies among transnational, luso-descendant youngsters attending a number of youth centres in Luxembourg city. It offers a comprehensive description of the processes of construction and negotiation of new, emergent identities and ethnicities. The author considers the implications of these results for language-in-education policy, including the EU policy of multilingualism. He criticizes mother-tongue education and advocates instead the use of «literacy bridges». Clearly argued and widely applicable, this book is essential reading for students and researchers interested in multilingualism, migration and education.

The effects of colonialism in education and society have deep and difficult legacies. This book argues that it is necessary to better understand the deep roots of colonialism in order to realize justice and overturn forms of oppression in education policy, in classrooms, or in family and community-based education. Highlighting research from across Abya-Yala with examples from various parts of North, Central, and South America, chapter authors explore the ways that colonialism manifests in current educational policy and practice; how this happens through language use and communication; and, by starting locally, what comparisons can be gained across different cases across the continent. This volume examines forms of communication and knowledge--such as Indigenous and/or colonial languages, standardized testing, and institutionally sanctioned forms of literacy--and seeks to historicize, provide further context, look at other cases, and follow encouraging examples with the goal of interrupting colonial trajectories. Book Features: Offers a unique focus on education, colonialism, and language across the Americas. Challenges current education status quos, including some that aim to decolonize, in language policy, international education, and educational development. Presents a multiplicity of positionalities and methods and brings together scholars who conduct research and reside in locales across the continent.