In my Italian language classes it is not unusual for a variety of language backgrounds to be represented. One way we practise hospitality towards classmates in Kindy is to learn to count in each other’s first language (L1), establishing the foundation that language forms an important part of our identity and that all people (represented by their languages) are welcome. However, I had not really given much thought to building and encouraging L1 or heritage language in subsequent years. After all, learning Italian is the goal, isn't it? A favourite topic for Year Two is ‘Pinocchio’. One of my prized books is a wonderfully illustrated edition of the original story by Carlo Collodi. Using this as a basis, along with simplified Italian and English versions, we embark on a rich language and culture learning experience. I also invite my students to contribute any version of Pinocchio they may have at home or discover at their local library to expand our collection.
To my initial surprise, one of my students, let’s call her Sarah, brought in a neatly typed extract of Pinocchio in Chinese script. I displayed it with our collection, mentally dismissing it as a curiosity, and we got on with our lesson, learning Italian. Only later did it dawn on me that, intent on maintaining the (narrow) focus of my prescribed lesson, I had acted insensitively. I had missed the opportunity to model the kind of hospitality I was so keen for my students to learn! So in our next lesson, I invited Sarah to share with us her Chinese version of Pinocchio. I remarked that while it looked really interesting, I realised that without her help I couldn’t understand it. I would need to spend some time with her and ask questions to find out more. I couldn’t read it. Could she? Sarah adeptly read a few paragraphs in Mandarin (I had no idea she was so skilled). She then explained to us non-Chinese speakers which episode from Pinocchio it recounted. We all learnt the Chinese names for the characters and, with Sarah’s help, we compared some of the differences in this version from the original as well as features of the written language. Sometimes it’s the teacher who needs to learn a lesson more than the students. On this occasion, I was challenged to extend a wider embrace: not only using the target language as a vehicle for teaching hospitality, but modelling hospitality through my attitude to the L1 of one of my students. I learnt I need to focus on skills that help my students to listen with their hearts, being more open and flexible to engage with cultural others and ready to learn from them. And for that to be effective, it has to start with me. A recent SBS media report decries the steady decline in L1 of students from migrant families, laying the blame with current education policies. At the classroom level, could our Languages lessons more intentionally seek to affirm the bilingual or EAL student's family language and thus go some way to redress the trend? With our motivation based on a desire to connect intercultural language learning with love of God and neighbour, I believe we could make a significant difference. Libby Colla References: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/11/23/our-languages-national-resource-terminal-decline Christians and Cultural Difference, David I.Smith and Pennylyn Dykstra-Pruim, Calvin College Press, 2016 Original image source: http://hero.wikia.com/wiki/Pinocchio_(Shrek)
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