Facilitating agency and engagement: Visual methodologies and pedagogical interventions for working with culturally and linguistically diverse young people

Abstract

The 21st century has brought rapid global change to the cultural and linguistic landscape of many nations; this rapidly changing landscape has prompted educators to argue that the lived and evolving reality of contemporary classrooms demands a re-examination of current curriculum, pedagogies and assessment practices. Australian classrooms now include young people who speak many different languages and dialects of English; these young people draw on multiple ways of learning and understanding and are increasingly mobile and connected across time and space. Over the last two decades, rather than building on this linguistic diversity Australia’s national assessment program has relegated difference to a problem fixed by further commitment to standardized English curriculum and assessment practices. In this environment, attention is given to what is perceived as limited or lacking in young people’s knowledge of the English language and literacies practices most valued in school. This article presents research that aimed to acknowledge and build on the foundational linguistic resources of young people in super-diverse mainstream primary classrooms through the application of visual methodologies (language mapping) and corresponding pedagogical work. This research, undertaken in Western Sydney, one of the most diverse regions in Australia, offers possibilities for perpetuating and fostering a pluralist present and future in 21st century classrooms.