A seminar:Understanding the Shaping Effect of Multilingual Ecologies on

Children’s Language Awareness

Dr Rahat Naqvi, University of Calgary, Alberta & University of Toronto

16th October 2012

! In light of the importance of early literacy achievement to long term academic

and economic success, educators urgently need to comprehend the sociocultural

complexities manifested in learning contexts that involve multilingual students. Dual

language books (DLBs; i.e., books written in English and another language) are one tool

that can be used to examine these complexities as they allow teachers and students to

identify and express cultural and linguistic assets and, in so doing, access and benefit

from the cultural and linguistic capital of multilingual learners.

Researchers (Gutierrez et al, 2011; De Graaf, De Graaf and Kraaykamp, 2000)

have highlighted the need for a robust research agenda focused on the development of

language and literacy interventions that serve as cultural amplifiers. They argue that

these interventions should extend, rather than constrain, children’s repertoires of

practice. Naqvi’s research embraces the notion of metalinguistic awareness and how a

child’s language and culture can help develop literacy through a variety of initiatives

building on multilingual resources. This presentation will focus on the results of a

longitudinal study carried out in eight kindergarten classes (105 children) with diverse

language backgrounds (35% English, 31% Punjabi, 16% Urdu, 18% other languages) in

four suburban schools in Western Canada using dual language books published in Urdu,

Punjabi, French and English.

The study analyzes culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and learning

in dual-language book reading vignettes to demonstrate how teachers and volunteer

readers build on linguistic and cultural repertoires of emergent-literacy learners to help

them gain metalinguistic awareness, cultural empowerment and identities as capable

learners.

A Seminar:Understanding the Shaping Effect of Multilingual

Ecologies on Children’s Language Awareness

The seminar will be in Room 7.02, 388 Glossop Road, The School of Education, 16th October 2013 from 12.30 - 2.00pm.

Further information from: newliteracies@sheffield.ac.uk

Dr Rahat Naqvi, University of Calgary, Alberta

& University of Toronto