Valuing Student Assets through Inclusive Language Policies

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

As many international schools begin, or reinvest in, the call to engage in the work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, one area that must be included in the conversation is that of linguistic equity.  As we unpack the complex relationship between language, culture, and identity, we come to understand that the three truly cannot be separated. Therefore, deconstructing a school’s language policy and beliefs is an essential part of the work around diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.  In this workshop, we will explore a possible framework for developing a school language policy. We will discuss some of the critical questions facing international schools and explore the relationship between current research and how that may often conflict with stakeholder interests.  By the end of this session, participants will leave with a checklist for reviewing/developing a school language policy and have begun the work of analyzing the current language ideologies at play within their schools.

MEET THE PRESENTERS

Esther Bettney has spent the past 15 years engaged in multilingual education in Central and South America, as a classroom teacher, school administrator, teacher educator, and educational researcher. Esther’s research explores how international schools engage with innovative approaches to language education by moving away from an “English-only” model to the implementation of equitable language policies and pedagogies. Esther is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Project Assistant with the WIDA International School Consortium and is currently based between Medellín, Colombia and Kingston, Canada.

Matt Hajdun is the Assistant Director of Learning for Language Development at TCS in Medellín, Colombia. He has worked at international schools in Honduras, Brazil, Belgium, and Colombia as well as in the United States.  Matt has worked as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, language learning teacher, and school leader.  He has regularly facilitated learning experiences throughout Central and South America through Tri-Association, AMISA, and through partnerships with WIDA.