Legitimizing Linguistic Diversity: The Promise of Plurilingualism in Canadian Schools

Authors

  • Karen Krasny York University
  • Sonya Sachar

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20360/G2G02K

Abstract

Policies and practice related to the production and treatment of human difference and diversity figure prominently in educational discourse related to language and identity (Piccardo, 2013; Schecter & Cummins, 2003; Wenger, 1999).  In this article, we undertake a historical review of Canadian language and multicultural policy and how it has shaped educational practice in Canadian schools. In response, we advance a critical understanding of plurilingualism as it more accurately reflects changing communities and conditions of diversity within the global context. Focusing on students as social actors and their ability to use languages for intercultural interactions, our review yields important pedagogical implications for leveraging the dynamism and interconnectedness of language competencies to reimagine Canadian classrooms.  

Author Biographies

Karen Krasny, York University

Karen A. Krasny, PhD is Associate Professor of Language and Literacy at York University where she teaches undergraduate courses related to the teaching of Intermediate and Senior English and language arts and graduate seminars in theoretical models of reading and children’s and adolescent literature.  As a former teacher of FL2, she has longstanding interest in how Canadian language and multicultural policy has shaped educational practice. 

Sonya Sachar

Sonya Sachar, M.Ed; PhD (Candidate) is completing her doctoral studies in the Graduate Program in Education at York University.  Her dissertation focuses on linguistic diversity in Toronto schools and builds upon her M. Ed. thesis, The Cognitive, Social, and Affective Dilemmas of Generation 1.5 English Language Learners: 1990-2011 which was the GPE’s nomination for York University’s Faculty of Graduate Studies Outstanding Thesis Award in 2011. 

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Published

2017-05-02

How to Cite

Krasny, K., & Sachar, S. (2017). Legitimizing Linguistic Diversity: The Promise of Plurilingualism in Canadian Schools. Language and Literacy, 19(1), 34–47. https://doi.org/10.20360/G2G02K

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 1 (2017): Special Issue: Community Literacies: Research and Practice; Editors: Nicola Friedrich and Carol Doyle-Jones

Section

Articles

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