Plurilingualism and language and literacy education

Russell Cross, Jacqueline D'warte, Yvette Slaughter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss the place of plurilingualism in Language and Literacy Education. The article problematises English-only, monolingual-centric assumptions upon which much of Australia’s current literacy education policy discourse has been based, to instead advance pluriliteracies as an alternate, more generative lens through which to view literacy learners, literacy learning, and literacy capabilities. The paper begins with tensions inherent in how policy “imagines” learners in Australian schools, and the problem of imposing English-only, monolingual-centric notions of literacy when multi-lingualism is increasingly more the norm than the exception in many mainstream Australian classrooms. We consider how a pluriliteracy perspective on literacy education offers a more appropriate approach to addressing learners’ developmental literacy needs, with particular attention to students’ identity and agency. Finally, we consider effective implementation of plurilingual approaches to language and learning, with a focus on the intersection of ideology, practice, and policy.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)341-357
Number of pages17
JournalAustralian Journal of Language and Literacy
Volume45
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

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