ERIC Number: EJ1365896
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0790-8318
EISSN: EISSN-1747-7573
Available Date: N/A
Putting Languages at the Centre: Developing the Language across the Curriculum (LAC) Faculty Seminar at LaGuardia Community College, Queens, New York
McNair, Lucy R.; Garrison-Fletcher, Leigh
Language, Culture and Curriculum, v35 n3 p275-289 2022
Our article presents the development, conceptual toolkit, and preliminary observations of an interdisciplinary Language Across the Curriculum (LAC) professional development seminar at our urban community college in Queens, New York. Although innovative in promoting inclusion and diversity, the college reflects a common monolingual 'Standard American English-only' ideology in U.S. higher education. Linguistic difference is celebrated yet often viewed as an instructional and professional obstacle. LAC argues that such an approach compromises our institutional commitment to diversity and fails to use these cultural and epistemological assets as resources in learning. In contrast, LAC puts languages at the centre of a multidisciplinary inquiry and outlines a paradigm shift from a 'language-blind,' deficit model to a 'language-aware,' asset-based, translanguaging pedagogy. Targeting both classroom and college-wide change, the seminar guides participants in reflective and critical discussion of language ideologies and theories of acquisition before developing and applying new teaching strategies. We connect evidence-based translanguaging approaches with critical insights from anti-racist pedagogy, encouraging faculty and students to develop a nuanced appreciation of linguistic identities and to use and build on their full linguistic repertoires. The article provides an overview of the seminar's interdisciplinary framework, conceptual foundation, and preliminary impacts on faculty, students and campus culture.
Descriptors: Community Colleges, Urban Areas, Language of Instruction, Interdisciplinary Approach, Translation, Language Attitudes, Teaching Methods, Second Language Instruction, Evidence Based Practice, Faculty Development, Teacher Workshops
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York (New York)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A