A Description of Monolingual English Teachers Appreciations of Student Language Repertoires in Hutterian Colony Schools

Abstract

This phenomenological study describes five monolingual English teachers’ understandings of the language repertoires of their students in a Hutterian colony context. The five participants deliver the provincial curriculum through the English language to Hutterian colony students who have the three languages of spoken Hutterisch, written High German and English. In brief, findings demonstrate that the teachers had limited or inaccurate understanding of the students' language repertoires before beginning their teaching positions. In addition , the teacher participants’ awareness of the students’ language resources was, and is, an ongoing developmental process, one that is shaped by their own linguistic identities. The self-reflective journey of the researcher is also addressed in relation to the participants’ experiences. The thesis concludes with discussion of possible considerations for teacher education, professional development for in-service teachers working in Hutterian contexts, and future research.