Course Overview and Goals
This case study summarizes content from two teaching modules created for two iterations of an upper-division undergraduate course in language acquisition (LIGN/EDS 119 First and Second Language Learning: From Childhood through Adolescence). The first iteration of the course reported on here was taught by Alicia Muñoz Sánchez in Winter 2023. Maho Takahashi served as a TA in this iteration of the course and subsequently taught the second iteration of the course discussed here in Summer 2023. Both iterations of the course covered a variety of topics related to L1 and L2 acquisition. The two modules highlighted here were designed to center anti-racist and inclusive content. The first module focused on debunking the myth of the 30-million-word gap. The second focused on critically examining ideologies surrounding racialized bilinguals.
Module: Debunking the 30-million-word gap myth
Module Overview and Goals
This teaching module was designed by instructor Alicia Muñoz Sánchez to critically evaluate research on L1 word acquisition from an anti-racist lens. The focus was particularly on research that stems and results from deficit perspectives related to race and socioeconomic status. Central to this discussion was the so-called 30-million-word gap: the since-problematized idea stemming from Hart and Risley 1995 that children from lower socioeconomic status households are exposed to significantly fewer words during early childhood than peers from higher socioeconomic status households.
The module is associated with two overall class goals:
- Critically evaluate the positionality of researchers and research in L1 acquisition from an anti-racist lens.
- Communicate concepts of L1 acquisition and apply them to real life situations.
The instructor would like to thank Barbara Conboy and Emily Clem for their inspiration and discussions about this topic. They would also like to thank Ana Celia Zentella for sharing the work of students in the class with the Committee on Language and Social Justice of the Society for Linguistic Anthropology (SLA).
Class Sessions
During the first iteration of the course, the content of this module was divided across three class sessions.
Session 1: Discussing our biases. In-class discussion about why socioeconomic status and race may be perceived as factors that affect L1 acquisition.
Session 2: History of the myth. Lecture that overviews Hart and Risley 1995 and the research that disproves it, Sperry, Sperry and Miller 2019. Slides for these two sessions can be found here.
Assignment: Students read the following collection and were asked to focus on one of the included papers:
Invited forum: Bridging the “Language Gap”. Avineri, Netta, Eric Johnson, Shirley Brice-Heath, Teresa McCarty, Elinor Ochs, Tamar Kremer-Sadlik, Susan Blum, Ana Celia Zentella, Jonathan Rosa, Nelson Flores, H. Samy Alim, and Django Paris. 2015. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 25(1):66-86.
Session 3: Debunking the myth. In class activity. Students were divided into expert groups to summarize one of the Avineri et al. 2015 papers. Each paper explores an aspect of the gap discourse ideology. Each group of students completed a slide with the following information about the paper:
- Problem stated
- Solution proposed
- Quoteworthy statement
Each group presented the information while they shared their slide. Other groups asked questions and commented on the presentation. The sharing of personal stories about experiences related to the readings was encouraged during the discussion. These slides were used in this class session.
Evaluation: Take-home midterm question. Debunk the myth. Students responded to a hypothetical statement from someone who believes socioeconomic status is a predictor of language development. See assignment here.
Some of the students’ responses were shared with the authors of the Avineri et al. 2015 paper who further responded with much praise for the work of the students. The responses were shared in class.
During the shorter summer term second iteration of the course taught by Maho Takahashi, this module was adapted to be covered in a single class session. Students read Avineri et al.’s (2015) paper and were required to submit a reading reaction by the night before the lecture so that they were ready to discuss the reading in class. For assessing students’ understanding of the word gap research, the instructor had students brainstorm (and actually create, as time allowed) an accessible material that debunked the myth during the class, instead of giving them a take-home assignment.
Module: Ideologies around racialized bilinguals
Module Overview and Goals
This teaching module was designed by instructor Maho Takahashi. Researchers on bilingualism have reported over the years that half of the world’s population, if not more, is bilingual (Grosjean 2012). Despite this, it is often overlooked that people’s perception of a bilingual person varies depending on their backgrounds, particularly their race. In the United States, for example, bilingualism of a white person whose first language (L1) is English is often praised and considered as their asset. In contrast, bilingualism of a person of color whose L1 is not English is often perceived as a handicap; their non-English L1 may be considered a barrier to their English learning, leading to students being discouraged from using the language in school. Bilingual students of color, often referred to as racialized bilinguals, have also been subject to biases about their language practices, including semilingualism – the idea that they lack “native-like” fluency in any language that they know, and that is why they engage in the mixing of languages (code-switching). Crucially, such a bias is applied to white bilinguals a lot less frequently.
The goal of this module was to discuss the differing views on bilinguals depending on their race, the legitimacy of the language practices of racialized bilinguals, and how educators can leverage those practices in order to teach bilingual students.
The instructor would like to thank Alicia Muñoz Sánchez for originally proposing this idea, and Emily Clem and Shai Nielson for their valuable feedback on the idea and course materials.
Class Session
As this module was taught during a 5-week summer term, the module took place during one class session. In a longer academic term, the module could be divided into multiple class sessions.
Prior to the session, students were encouraged to read the following article:
Rejecting abyssal thinking in the language and education of racialized bilinguals: A manifesto. García, Ofelia, Nelson Flores, Kate Seltzer, Li Wei, Ricardo Otheguy, and Jonathan Rosa. 2021. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies 18(3):203-228.
The session proceeded as follows:
- Lecture about (i) the general characteristics of bilinguals, followed by (ii) the notion of racialized bilinguals and ideologies about them, and (iii) leveraging bilingualism for education. The lecture slides for Part (ii) and (iii) can be found here.
- In-class discussion about the same topics. The worksheet can be found here.
Assignment: After the session, students completed an assignment where they were provided with some materials written in an accessible language about bilingualism and wrote a short essay to reflect on what they learned (link to the assignment). This assignment was graded based on completion; students received full points as long as they mentioned the resources they checked out and the word count was at least 200.