GROWING NEW ROOTS: COMING TOGETHER - NEW IMMIGRANT AND CANADIAN TEENAGERS

ANTOINETTE GAGNÉ, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Fostering Interethnic Collaboration and Addressing Discrimination in Immigrant-Receiving Schools

Metropolis 2011

AIMS OF RESEARCH

To uncover the nature of the relationships between teenaged ELLs and their NS peers in a secondary school context (the class and the school as a whole), particularly in regard to their participation and identity formation and development;

To examine the impact of the collaborative DVD project on ELLs and NS students as co-participants; and

To better understand the nature of interactions between ELLs and NSs at their school by making connections to the community of practice conceptual framework (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998).

THE CONTEXT - TORONTO

Of the little over a million immigrants who arrived in Canada from 2001 to 2006, Ontario was home to 52.3% of these immigrants. Statistics Canada (2007)

Toronto welcomed the majority of these newcomers and “one third are under the age of 19, and three-quarters from countries where English is not the first language” (People for Education, 2008, p. 20)

In the Toronto District School Board, 53% of the students have a language other than English as their first language

WILLIAM LYON MACKENZIE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE

There is a range of programs at this secondary school:

an advanced placement program a program for gifted students a wide variety of co-curricular programs

Of the 1100 students, 65% speak English as an additional language 20% were born outside of Canada and have

been living in Canada for less than 5 years: 9 % have been in Canada for 2 years or less, and 11% have been in Canada for 3 to 4 years (Toronto District School Board, 2009b

ELLS AT WLM CI

The timetabling for ELLs is somewhat integrated with native speakers

Lower and intermediate English language learners are provided with separate ESL classes about 60 percent of the time

The more advanced ELLs have about 20 percent of their schedule filled with ESL classes; the rest of their schedule is with native speakers in regular classes

An informal survey completed in the fall of 2008 shows that English language learners of all levels often encounter barriers to their participation when they are in mainstream classes

In addition, Soto Gordon’s (2010) study reveals a “disconnect” between the ELLs and NSs when there is limited integration between the two groups

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES SPECIFIC TO ELLS

The ESL Ambassadors’ Club The ESL Ambassadors’ Club welcomes new

students to the school by pairing them with a student who shares their first language

The ESL Drama Club The ESL Drama Club has been a part of the

school for the last four years and has produced two videos outlining the ESL students’ experiences as new immigrants.

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE

In order to understand how these barriers to interaction between ELLs and NSs can impact a community of practice, it is useful to consider Wenger’s (2009) description of the systemic nature of a community of practice as a social learning system which has: an emergent structure, complex relationships, self-organization, dynamic boundaries, ongoing negotiation of identity and cultural

meaning

FROM A COLLECTION OF INDIVIDUALS TO A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.

It has an identity defined by a shared domain of interest. Membership therefore implies a commitment to the domain, and therefore a shared competence that distinguishes members from other people.

http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

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BECOMING A COP In pursuing their interest in their domain, members

engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information. They build relationships that enable them to learn from each other.

Members of a community of practice are practitioners. They develop a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems ,in short, a shared practice. This takes time and sustained interaction.

It is the combination of these three elements that constitutes a community of practice. And it is by developing these three elements in parallel that one cultivates such a community.

http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY - PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH

Our research focused on the effects of the researcher’s/teacher’s direct actions of practice within the ELL community in one high school with the goal of improving the quality of life for these students.

Using critical pedagogy as a framework, the researchers were “guided by passion and principle, to help students develop consciousness of freedom, recognize authoritarian tendencies, and connect knowledge to power and the ability to take constructive action." (Giroux, 2010)

DETERMINING THE PARTICIPANTS

The participants were: English language learners (ELLs) and

Canadian-born native speakers (NS) of English in Grades 10 through 12.

The ELLs were members of the ESL Drama Club who showed an interest in talking about their challenges with integration.

The NS students were recommended as caring individuals by staff.

MEETING AND PREPARING THE ELLS

Initially, about 10 ELLs explored the challenges they faced as newcomers. Students shared their experiences with peers and submitted written responses.

The following questions guided student responses: Did you ever feel lonely when you first went to

school in Canada? If so, what happened and what other feelings did you have?

Can you describe any uncomfortable situations with native speakers of English you might have experienced in the classroom or school?

 

MEETING AND PREPARING THE NSS

The purpose of the initial meetings with about 10 NSs was to raise awareness of newcomers’ experiences learning English and create an atmosphere of empathy.

After an inclusion / exclusion circle activity, students submitted written responses to the following questions: Describe a time when you felt like you did not belong in

a classroom/school. How do you think your peers might have helped you

through this difficult situation? Describe a time when you were in a place where you

did not understand the language. How did you feel? Describe a time when you were in a place where you

did not understand the culture. How did you feel?

MORE MEETINGS

At another meeting, after viewing the Growing New Roots: Voices of Immigrant Teenagers and Growing New Roots: Reflections of Immigrant Teenagers DVDs, students were asked to respond to these questions: What is your overall impression of the videos? What impacted you the most?

  During the final meeting of this phase, the native

English speakers were asked to consider the following question: What could English language learners do to help themselves with integration into the school?

BRINGING THE ELLS AND NSS TOGETHER Four meetings occurred to encourage ELL and NS

participants to become acquainted and build trust. students worked together on teams to build a house of cards, guided his/her blindfolded partner through an obstacle course, shared their fondest memories and life goals.

Before the summer break, students and teachers were given bracelets to symbolize their commitment to this project.

In September, the group met to break the ice, and share their feelings based on the following questions: What are some barriers you have faced interacting with NSs

or ELLs in the regular classroom/school community? How could you have helped yourself to overcome these

barriers? How could NSs or ELLs have helped you? How could other adults (parents, teachers, administrators)

in your life have helped you?

DEVELOPING THEMES AND NARRATIVES

Stephanie Soto Gordon collated the responses, developed them into themes, and shared them with students.

Participants further developed their narratives to share with their peers.

After hearing about each other’s experiences, the participants were asked to provide feedback on the impact of the project on their attitudes toward ELLs or NSs.

REHEARSING AND FILMING

A few weeks later the group combining ELLs and NSs met to begin rehearsals.

Rehearsals were held twice a week for two months. Initially, rehearsals consisted of sharing stories with a member of the same peer group (i.e., one ELL with another ELL).

After a few weeks, smaller mixed groups (NSs and ELLs) of two or three worked together to ensure all sections of the narrative were included and presented clearly.

Each participant described their experience and highlighted the main theme, the ways they might have helped themselves, and the ways their peers or adults might have helped them.

A few weeks later the performances were recorded.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

A qualitative/interpretive approach which included:The process described in the previous section was

documented. The teacher kept a journal with her plans and

related notes. The students kept a journal where they responded

to questions at various stages in the process. There were also individual and focus group

interviews with some of the ELL and NS participants.

BARRIERS TO INTERACTIONBarriers to interaction

Perspectives of English Language Learners Perspectives of Canadian-Born Native Speakers of English

Language in the Classroom

But because I was afraid to make grammar mistakes, I couldn’t talk and I felt very isolated.

The problem was, the teacher wanted us all to have equal participation and this was a little hard for him because he didn’t know any English.

Language in the School

I was really afraid to talk. I was really shy, and wasn’t confident at all. I was always by myself. Whenever someone asked me a question, I would answer them but then I would turn my back to them because I didn’t want to keep on a conversation with them because I was embarrassed by my English and my accent.

When we hang out with our group of friends, we talk normally, we talk quickly, we use inside jokes, and we use slang. She (an ELL) was very quiet, but I thought that was just her personality. But one day I was talking to her and she said that she felt left out because she couldn’t communicate as easily as the rest of us could.

BARRIERS TO INTERACTIONBarriers to interaction

Perspectives of English Language Learners Perspectives of Canadian-Born Native Speakers of English

Group Work I didn’t have a group, so I asked the teacher to put me in a group and he did. I could tell though that the group didn’t really want me to be there because they thought I wasn’t going to contribute, and I was going to do everything bad, even though I did the same experiment in my old country and so I knew the results and so I could really help them, but they didn’t want me to do anything... It made me feel really lonely and shy, and that made it even worse to be by myself.

There were two ELL students and one Canadian born. It was a group effort, so we were supposed to create this together. The two girls took charge, and when we tried to put in our ideas they wouldn’t listen to us and they would speak in a different language and act as though they were talking down to us because we couldn’t understand what they were saying. That was one issue in that group.

Exclusion in the Classroom

When I first came to Canada, I started school here. I had a lot of problems in the classroom due to language. I did not know any English and it was really hard for me to communicate with the Native Speaking students. Therefore, I felt like I didn’t exist. I wasn’t able to participate in any group work that the class was involved in.

In the classroom, sometimes we are asked to get into groups. Sometimes, the ELLs will group together and start talking in their native tongue. I realize that it is just easier for them to communicate that way, but I can’t help but feel a bit left out because the only thing I have to understand is their body language, which may not always be interpreted correctly. It makes the situation awkward, and no work gets done.

Exclusion in the School

I felt like a ghost because I was there, but nobody saw me. No one actually cared.

I find that we tend to separate ourselves between native speakers and non-native speakers. This causes a lot of negative tension and jealousy. It’s really unnecessary.

Lack of Knowledge of School Culture

Where I came from, there weren’t any lockers, and there was no such thing as a cafeteria. Everything from the hallways to the teachers looked very different to me… Also, lunch was difficult. I didn’t know what people here ate for lunch, so for the first couple of days I didn’t eat anything, and I was just by myself.

SELF-HELP STRATEGIES SUGGESTED BY PARTICIPANTS

Overcoming Barriers: Perspectives of ELLs on self-help

strategies to interact with NS

Overcoming Barriers: Perspectives of NSs on self-help strategies to interact with ELLs

Classroom work harder imagine presentations are with

only ELLs; this alleviates fear communicate with NSs in order to

find a shared goal imagine there is no language

differenceSchool be less shy attempt conversation with NSs approach NSs with a group of ELL

friends social networking via email is less

intimidating than speaking face-to-face

be positive imagine all people are the same

Classroom tap into strengths of group

members—imagining connections with work

request accommodations ask opinions of others envision ways to help increase

ELL confidence through conversation - outside of group work time to help create an inclusive environment

School approach someone one-to-one or

only a few people rather than a group of people

imagine how the ELL might feel recall past experiences which are

similar to the experiences of ELLs

SUGGESTED STRATEGIES FOR PEERSOvercoming Barriers: Perspectives of

ELLs Overcoming Barriers: Perspectives of

NSs

Support from NSsELLs stated that NSs could help them with challenges they faced. Suggestions for their peers included

Classroom trust ELLs with the work empower ELLs to lead the group treat ELLs like NSs-give the ELLs freedom

to work independently then edit work with them

reach out to ELLs to be in their group be direct with ELLs about need to correct

work—“don’t do it behind their back” ask ELLs for their opinion

School invite ELLs to participate on a team reach out to ELLs to include them in a

group greet ELLs in the hallways/be friendly have food parties have an club with ELLs and NSs as

Ambassadors

Support from ELLsNSs suggested that ELLs could help build bridges with NSs. The proposed strategies included Classroom show enthusiasm toward school work be open about academic ability; this

builds trustSchool introduce other ELLs to NSs use a safe one-on-one basis to

communicate

SUGGESTED STRATEGIES FOR EDUCATORS AND PARENTS

Overcoming Barriers: Perspectives of ELLs Overcoming Barriers: Perspectives of NSs

Support from educatorsELLs believe that teachers can them overcome the challenges they face in interacting with NSs; they suggest the following strategies:

Classroom provide accommodations

o extra time may help NSs to empower the ELLs-time pressure is removed

o discussions in small groups instead of in front of the whole class

adopt inclusive processes for grouping studentso place people who don’t know each other in

groupso do not force students to pick groupso include both ELLs and NSs in groupso check in with ELLs – one-to-one time

School keep class quiet during morning announcements

so that everyone can hear about co-curricular activities

be welcoming by approaching ELLs to offer support for co-curricular involvement

greet students in the hallways show kind body language – eye contact/less

formal provide venues for ELLs to mix with NSs such as

this project stress importance of multiculturalism promote school-wide projects

Support from educatorsNSs point out that teachers could support both ELLs and NSs in their interactions with each other; they suggestthe following strategies: Classroom provide accommodations for ELLs group work

o make groups which prevent the exclusion of ELLs

o design groups based on student strengths o assign daily logs describing participation to

give students feedback on their progressSchool reassure ELLs through conversation – one-to-one

attention, encourage the sharing of food from different

parts of the world introduce ELLs to a reliable, kind NS students understand the connection between what goes

on in the classroom and the school more broadly

FINAL PRODUCT - A DVD

In this DVD, students identify the following factors:

barriers that often exist between ELLs and NSs;

strategies for self-help to overcome these obstacles;

strategies for peers to help break down barriers; and

ways that adults, including parents, teachers, or administrators, can empower students to prevail over these challenges.