Talking about Language in Pre-school: The Use of Video-Stimulated Recall with Emergent Bilingual Children

Abstract

After first discussing the ideologies (standard and monolingual) implicit in language education in the United States, we argue for a necessary ideological shift in the way multiple languages and other forms of semiotic communication are understood, used, and supported in preschool for emergent bilinguals. We present examples from a preschool study in Illinois where emergent bilingual children in two classrooms used video-stimulated accounts to make sense of their actions. Students used multiple semiotic resources – including English, Spanish, and embodiment – to collaborate with others and represent their ideas. Our findings include evidence of language awareness and awareness of audience in choosing the language of interaction. We argue that very often, preschool teachers are not taught to support or encourage students’ use of languages other than English, even in classrooms designated as bilingual. Implications are discussed for universal preschool with growing numbers of students with multilingual abilities.

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