Breaking the Language Barrier: Supporting and Celebrating Multilingual Learners

Language barriers shouldn’t be learning barriers — explore how you can uplift and empower multilingual students.

In conversation with

​Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang
CPET Executive Director & Host of Teaching Today 
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​Vince Moua
Teachers College Zankel Fellow

​Maria Luisa Garcia Underwood
Senior Professional Development Advisor​​​

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Snapshot

​In this episode, we discuss the importance of recognizing and valuing multilingual learners, with a focus on the connection between language and identity. Maria Luisa Garcia Underwood, Senior Professional Development Advisor at CPET, and Vince Moua, CPET Professional Development Coach, and Teachers College Zankel Fellow, share origin stories of their personal and professional passion for supporting multilingual learners. Alongside Teaching Today host Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang, they explore the challenges faced by students whose primary language at home is not English, and the need for educators to create safe spaces for linguistic mobility. We share practical ways educators can use available tools and resources to connect with students who may have language barriers, and emphasize the need for ongoing conversations to better support and affirm multilingual learners in classrooms.

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Breakdown

In this episode, we bridge theory and practice in the classroom as we discuss the following:

• Language, identity, and personal experience
• Challenges and support in multilingual education
• Decolonizing language education and cultural understanding

Language, Identity, and Personal Experience
Language is fundamentally intertwined with personal identity, similar to gender, race, or ethnicity. This connection is exemplified through personal experiences, such as Maria's journey as a Cuban immigrant balancing English acquisition while maintaining her native language, and Vince's experiences with linguistic barriers in academic settings. The discussion highlights how language proficiency stereotypes often incorrectly link language ability to intelligence and aptitude. Personal stories reveal how individuals must navigate different cultural spaces through linguistic mobility and code-switching, while emphasizing the importance of maintaining and celebrating one's home language throughout the English acquisition process.

Challenges and Support in Multilingual Education
Multilingual learners face unique challenges in educational settings, particularly when their primary language at home isn't English. These students carry an additional burden of learning a language they may have limited access to outside of school. Educators must recognize and reflect on each child's specific needs, understanding that language acquisition occurs through constant communication and exposure, even when students cannot immediately produce the language. Supporting multilingual learners requires specific strategies, such as getting to know students from the beginning of the school year, celebrating their home languages, and utilizing available tools like Google Translate to facilitate communication. The creation of safe spaces where individuals can express themselves without fear of judgment is crucial for effective learning.

Decolonizing Language Education and Cultural Understanding
The educational approach to language learning requires a critical examination of socio-historical contexts and power relations to avoid perpetuating oppressive systems in the classroom. This includes understanding how histories of voluntary versus involuntary migration shape dispositions toward learning English and participation in standardized schooling. Educators need to adopt a decolonial lens that values multilingualism and diverse knowledge systems. This perspective emphasizes the importance of storytelling, particularly for communities like Hmong Americans, where language is integral to cultural identity. The value of multilingual communities extends beyond those who speak languages other than English, benefiting the entire educational community through diverse lived experiences and perspectives.

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Taking Action

• Learn about the different communities represented in your classrooms through books, documentaries, or other resources
• Collaborate with colleagues across subjects to ensure consistent use of key terms for multilingual students
• Use tools like Google Translate to communicate basic phrases with multilingual students
• Affirm and celebrate students' use of home languages when getting to know them at the start of the school year and at the start of each term
• Seek out additional resources to better understand second language acquisition and effective pedagogical practices

Summary assisted by Zoom AI Companion and Claude (Anthropic, 2024) ​​