Should we allow students to use L1 in an English class? – Part II

As a result of sharing the link to yesterday’s blogpost ‘Should we allow students to use L1 in an English class?’ on Facebook, a very enriching and thought-provoking conversation ensued, which you can read here.  Thank you, Dr Nayr Ibrahim, Phil Dexter and Peter Hasler for your kind permission to reproduce it. I hope readers will find it useful and thought-provoking. Comments are welcome.

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Stephen Peter Hasler: If the teacher is up to it and the students have the same L1 on occasions it can be a huge time-saver and far more efficient than other strategies.

Annie Altamirano: Of course! It is a great resource if used judiciously. 

Phil Dexter: It’s a complex issue but definitely yes, in my view, used in positive ways that support learning. I believe it’s about more than translation. It’s about promoting conceptual thinking strategies which is, most obviously, likely to be best processed through your strongest language.

Implications here also for materials. Giving learners the authority to use language of choice, where that is appropriate, is also an issue of inclusive practises. Therefore, all language classes are multi-lingual, in some ways, whatever language learners/teachers share.

Annie Altamirano: Phil, I totally agree.

Nayr Correia Ibrahim: Interesting blog, Annie, and interesting comments, Phil. It very often depends on how confident teachers feel in managing the linguistic reality / diversity of their classrooms and their beliefs in what is the best way to teach a language. This is still very much based on the Direct Method, where everything happened in the TL and the learners’ languages are completely excluded, which was wholehearted supported by Berlitz at the beginning of the 20th century.

I think there are benefits of immersing children in a monolingual English context, but our English classrooms are artificial monolingual contexts and it very much depends on the willingness of our students to play the game. Approaching our language classrooms from a multilingual perspective, where languages are used, accepted and managed is not only inclusive, but will aid language learning by using all of the learners’ linguistic resources, when needed.

Also, learners don’t want to learn a new language through their ‘L1’ but they also don’t want it completely banned from the classroom. This brings me to the next point: I wonder if ‘using the L1’ is the right term as very often our students speak multiple languages, and their ‘L1’ or ‘L1s’ are not the same as the language of schooling or of the context they are living in. Yes, terminology is a conundrum! 😅

Annie Altamirano: Thank you, Nayr. You rightly say ‘… how confident teachers feel in managing the linguistic reality / diversity of their classrooms and their beliefs in what is the best way to teach a language’. In my experience, this largely depends on how they have been trained. When I was at teacher training college (the 70’s) it was anathema to use Spanish in class. I was already doing some teaching and I quickly realised how misguided that was but, of course, I wouldn’t dare contradict my teachers! At least, not until I attended a workshop by someone who was an authority at the time (can’t remember the name) and I asked him. His reply was a combination of the comments made here. As for ‘using the L1’, I see and share your point. What would be more appropriate, in your opinion?

Phil Dexter: Annie Altamirano I think what you say is really the point. You were given/learnt the current ‘thinking/theory’ at the time then your actual experience contradicted that. There is definitely a ‘paradigm shift’ in how learning happens – if not entirely new- and actually it’s all about what is best in promoting positive learning. As with everything it’s not either/or…..much more about different options in what works best….  Good points Nayr

Annie Altamirano: Phil Dexter absolutely!

Nayr Correia Ibrahim: Annie, absolutely- it depends on training! You mention the 70’s…well we’re on the 21st century and training in multilingualism is still not happening!

Teachers are multilingual themselves, they have multilingual children or learners in the classroom, yet they still don’t know how to manage this amazing linguistic resource, because their education does not include understanding multilingualism and using plurilingual practices. I’ve introduced a multilingual approach, which I call, an ‘English + approach into my courses so the student teachers can see and experience what they can do with children’s languages. I hope this will make a difference to their future teaching

As for the terminology…I think it’s a matter of being specific. Gail [Ellis] and I use ‘shared classroom language in Teaching Children How to Learn (2015); the ECML /EU uses ‘language is schooling’; Hall and Cook (2013) use ‘own languages’; I use ‘children’s languages’ to designate any language they may have, which could include the language of the country or region they are living in.

Annie Altamirano: As a writer of teacher resource books, I always try to introduce opportunities for teachers to use their learners’ language as a resource. Fortunately, my publisher is on the same wavelegth. I think as materials writers, we also have a responsibility here.

Nayr Correia Ibrahim: Annie,  you’ve just mentioned another issue with using children’s languages or cultures – it is very rare in published material. It’s really refreshing to hear that you can do it and your publisher is on board with the idea

Annie Altamirano: Yes, they even defended the idea when an external body objected! And I also encourage teachers to bring the children’s cultures in and compare languages and features. It’s so enriching! And if you have an international class, even better!

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