Truth Versus Fiction: Pedagogies of Multilingualism in U.S. and German Schools Serving New Immigrants

• In Event: 45.059 - Educational Equity for Bilinguals: Leveraging Agentic Actions to Disrupt "Truths" in the Post-Truth Era

Abstract

This study explores facts and stubborn fictions about new language learners in public schools in the US and Germany, two nations experiencing both rapid growth in numbers of immigrant students entering schools and publicly articulated xenophobia. Mixed methods are used to examine state and district educational language policies and how they align and/or clash with teachers’ understandings and pedagogical approaches in multilingual classrooms. Findings reveal tensions among policy, research and teacher beliefs. Although state and district policies promote additive multilingualism, teacher understandings and approaches promote a “monolingual habitus” (Gogolin & Kroon, 2003). Tenacious “fictions” about best practices are discussed and recommendations provided for practical approaches to school- and district-level teacher training and supports as well as directions for future research.

Author

• Marguerite Lukes, Internationals Network for Public Schools