Context-appropriate crosslinguistic pedagogy Considering the role of language status in immersion education

Date

2017

Authors

Ballinger, Susan
Lyster, Roy
Sterzuk, Andrea
Genesee, Fred

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

John Benjamins Publishing

Abstract

In the field of second language education, researchers increasingly call for crosslinguistic pedagogical practices meant to encourage bilingual learners to draw on all of their linguistic resources regardless of the focus of instruction or the status of the target language. These recommendations include a relaxation of the strict language separation common in many bilingual education programs. Specifically, some Canadian French immersion researchers suggest that it may be beneficial to allow immersion students to use English for peer interaction during instructional time allotted to French. In this position paper, we argue that researchers should proceed with caution in calling for increased majority language use in the minority language classroom. We use Canadian French immersion as a case in point to contend that until empirical evidence supports increased use of English in immersion, crosslinguistic approaches that maintain a separate space for the majority language may represent ideal pedagogical practices in these contexts.

Description

This is the author's accepted manuscript. Copyright 2017, John Benjamins Publishing Company, Contact the publisher for permission to re-use or reprint the material in any form.

Keywords

bilingual education, crosslinguistic pedagogy, translanguaging, French immersion, language status, biliteracy instruction

Citation

Ballinger, S., Lyster, R., Sterzuk, A., & Genesee, F. (2017). Context-appropriate translanguaging: The critical role of French in French immersion. Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language Education, 5(1), 30-57 https://doi.org/10.1075/jicb.5.1.02bal

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