Lecture: Victoria Odeniyi, Re-imagining conversations with multilingual students
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VO: Slide 2: ’Diversity sometimes described as a problem not as a resource (see Dovchin, 2020)’ and Slide 9: ‘Languages other than English absent’.
What can I learn?
What needs to be worked against.
How can I apply what I’ve learnt?
This could be addressed in both project briefs and through behaviour in all learning sessions. In upcoming project, ‘Unpacking the Issue’ in BA Illustration Year 1 this could be relevant.
In the project, students research a given social, cultural and political issue areas in groups then create a poster based on this individually. I could highlight the diversity of the cohort in the project briefing and how this could and should mean we will have an exciting variety of viewpoints. Also, I could encourage students to address issues in their own countries, communities and languages with an English translation.
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VO: ‘Language is deeply political’ and the language background categories ‘competence’, ‘heritage’ and ‘affiliation’
What can I learn?
Language-use is an inclusion and diversity issue and how it might be addressed positively.
How can I apply what I’ve learnt?
In an ongoing way, I need to ensure I am creating more opportunities for students to share language in the same way I create spaces for students to share their knowledge, experience and culture.
The language background breakdown reminds me to think beyond foreign language and ensure I consider what type of language students are implicitly and explicitly required to use in their reflection and communication. Does formal language in standard English exclude? Yes sometimes, perhaps in formative feedback sessions and situations where students are trying ideas out and things are in flux. However, it is a necessary professional skill to communicate your ideas in a way that does them justice and that others can understand. Therefore, maybe it’s still appropriate to require formal language in assessment documents? With more support and discussion around the transition in language type and helping students prepare for verbal presentation.
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VO: Victoria mentioned something called ‘Contemplative Pedagogy’ which centres silence.
I looked this up and found useful information in a resource form Columbia: https://ctl.columbia.edu/resources-and-technology/resources/contemplative-pedagogy/
In terms of aims:
‘Barbezat and Bush note, “Professors find that not only are students better able to be present in the moment with the subject matter and each other, but they are better able to hold on to what they are learning over time and integrate it into meaningful patterns.”’
And
‘Contemplative methods expand the traditional focus of teaching and learning to include:
- Focus and attention building: Learning is enhanced as students are attentive to what and how they are learning.
- Deeper understanding of and connection to course materials: Learning becomes more meaningful and relevant as students reflect upon course material and make connections to their experiences.
- Compassion and connection to others: Learners develop empathy and interpersonal connection.
- Self-inquiry, personal meaning, and creativity: Learners engage in a process of self-inquiry to deepen their relationship to their learning, tap into their creativity and insight, and develop more awareness about their own learning processes.’
It would be useful for me to consider future opportunities where I could use these methods.
See blog post Contemplative Pedagogy for more.