Translanguaging as a Pedagogical Practice for Successful Inclusion in Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Classrooms

The research was developed and implemented to investigate the attitudes and views of both Greek and immigrant students with regard to performing translanguaging and its role in their communication, as well as in enhancing their intercultural awareness and sensitivity, in an attempt to explore whether translanguaging can lead to a successful inclusion of students with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds at school. To clarify it more, the research focused on investigating whether translanguaging improved and enhanced 1) students' interaction and 2) collaboration on joint projects/tasks within and outside the school context. The researcher made use of 1) semi-structured interviews with students, while 2) special observation protocols were used by the researcher to record authentic interaction and communication of students and teachers in practice and to explore trends towards raising intercultural awareness and sensitivity in environments that encourage translanguaging.

Upper Secondary Teachers’ Experiences Promoting Belonging and Engagement in Culturally Diverse Classrooms

The aim of this study was to investigate upper secondary teachers’ experiences of promoting belonging and engagement in culturally diverse classrooms. The selected teachers in this study were employed in two upper secondary schools and had substantial experience in teaching in culturally diverse classes. They participated in focus group interviews to discuss their experiences. The interview topics were relationships in class, academic and social learning, discrimination and victimisation, academic resources and expectations, adaptation and support in learning activities. The interview data were transcribed, analysed and discussed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that the interviewed teachers considered 1) teacher-student relationships, 2) acceptance of diversity and student-student relationships, and 3) participation in learning activities to be important aspects of students’ belonging and engagement. Moreover, the findings indicated challenges in creating stable relationships to promote cross-cultural friend­ships. Based on these findings, teachers need more strategies to develop cross-cultural friendships. Furthermore, teachers need to know how and when to intervene in situations of exclusion or segregation. For the prevention of exclusion and segregation, it is important to further develop knowledge of how to promote belonging and engagement among culturally diverse student groups.

Building Global Teaching Capacity Among Pre-Service Teachers: Epistemological and Positional Framing in an Internationally Paired, Authentic Practicum

Building the capacity of pre-service teachers to work in globalized cross-cultural environments is essential to cope with the challenges of the 21st century. This study establishes the value of internationally paired, authentically collaborative practicums with strong epistemological and positional framing in pursuing such capacity development. It was conducted among 90 pre-service teachers from three different universities in Australia and India who participated in a three-week paired practicum in three schools in India. The practicum included the collaborative production of an integrated Australian and Indian combined theme presented in a whole school forum. Mixed methods and a design-based research approach yielded data affirming that such a model did indeed provide pre-service teachers with the confidence to teach in increasingly diverse classrooms and contexts, while also identifying which aspects of this practicum model were most influential in this regard.

The use of adapted teaching strategies in literacy by grade three educators in the northern KwaZulu-Natal region

The literacy levels in South African schools are alarmingly low. Educators are challenged in diverse classrooms with multicultural and multilingual learners as they are faced with the problems that these learners are experiencing in literacy. Educators therefore need to be able to adapt their teaching strategies to suit the needs of their learners to address learners’ different learning needs and styles. This study investigated the use of adapted teaching strategies used by grade 3 educators in literacy in selected schools in northern KwaZulu-Natal. A mixed methods research design was used which included the use of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to gather data. The findings which were linked to the literature review revealed that educators lacked adequate knowledge and skills to adapt their teaching strategies as they have not been adequately trained to teach literacy within multilingual contexts. Although some educators were using adapted teaching strategies they were not using them effectively in their multilingual classrooms while some educators did not have a wellstructured intervention programme at school to deal with learners who were experiencing problems with literacy. Inexperienced educators also had problems identifying learning styles and adapting their teaching strategies. This study found that teachers require continual professional development to enable them to effectively adapt their teaching strategies to suit individual learning needs and styles.

Review of the book Educators on Diversity, Social justice, and Schooling: A Reader

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) recognizes aboriginal and treaty rights (section 25), official bilingualism (sections 16-20), and multiculturalism (section 27). The Charter also protects citizens from discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or disability (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982). The spirit and values instilled by the Charter are significant to the field of education mission statements and policies endorsing diversity, inclusion and equity. Combined with different communities’ advocacy for social change, teachers are increasingly called to impart equal opportunities for all children in increasingly diverse classrooms with equitable curricular and pedagogical practices. In that context, Educators on Diversity, Social Justice and Schooling: A Reader provides insight for practitioners. This book is edited by Sonya E. Singer and Mary Jane Harkins, with each chapter’s authors representing various theoretical and methodological approaches. The book is organized in three thematic sections: diversity, social justice, and schooling.