Abstract
Multilingual classes are a reality in many countries worldwide, and students with rich linguistic repertoires count on competences that extend beyond the sole language(s) of schooling. Such diversity calls for inclusive and socially just approaches that guarantee equitable education and participation for all pupils, regardless of their knowledge bases and trajectories. This also means leveraging the competences they have in all the languages of their repertoires as a resource for teaching and learning (Cummins 2021; van Avermaet et al. 2018). Inspired by Menezes de Souza (2017), in this talk I will use the concept of ecology of knowledges and of languages to argue that language education can be a site for epistemic (in)justice. Drawing on participatory research conducted with teachers in linguistically diverse classes in South Tyrol, a multilingual region in Italy, I then provide examples of how multilingual repertoires can become a means for empowerment and inclusion in the educational and social community. By doing so, the talk aims to stimulate an exchange that goes beyond situated experiences and acknowledges the reality of a variety of contexts worldwide.
References
Cummins, J. (2021). Rethinking the Education of Multilingual Learners: A Critical Analysis of Theoretical Concepts. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Menezes de Souza, L.M.T. (2017). Epistemic diversity, lazy reason and ethical translation in post-colonial contexts: The case of indigenous educational policy in Brazil. In C. Kerfoot, & K. Hyltenstam (Eds.) Entangled Discourses: South-North Orders of Visibility (pp. 189–208). Routledge.v
an Avermaet, P., Slembrouck, S., Van Gorp, K., Sierens, S., & Maryns, K. (Eds.) (2018). The Multilingual Edge of Education. Palgrave Macmillan UK.