The following essay will discuss and examine the value of using identity texts with students in an international school setting. Students within a multicultural setting will have challenges which contribute to their barriers to learning. The academic and social benefits the students will gain when educators have action plans in place to make adequate provisions for their educational needs are important. The paper also reflects on the author's experiences as a student in the absence of identity texts.
Abstract
The following essay will discuss and examine the value of using identity texts with students in an international school setting. Students within a multicultural setting will have challenges which contribute to their barriers to learning. The academic and social benefits the students will gain when educators have action plans in place to make adequate provisions for their educational needs are important. The paper also reflects on the author's experiences as a student in the absence of identity texts.
Keywords: Academic, Essay, Identity texts, Multicultural, Reflections.
Introduction
The following essay will discuss and examine the value of using identity texts with students, and also the academic and social benefits and challenges of employing these strategies. Finally, the paper will reflect on the author’s own experiences as a student in the absence of identity texts.
According to Cummins et al. (n.d.), identity texts are “the products of student’s creative work or performances carried out within the pedagogical space orchestrated by the classroom teacher” (p. 5). What this means is that within a multilingual classroom where it is highly likely that many students only know one language, they are encouraged to express themselves in their primary language which is then later translated to the language of instruction or vice versa. Through such texts, students invest their identities in creating materials that can take the form of “written, spoken, visual, musical, dramatic or combinations in multimodal forms” (Cummins et al., n.d., p. 5). When students share their products with multiple audiences, they receive positive feedback that helps them to gain self-confidence which in turn fosters a sense of achievement in them.
There is immense value in using identity texts not only for students whose first language is besides the primary language of instruction but also for all other students. Identity texts provide students with a variety of mediums to learn and communicate thereby becoming able to access education in its totality. According to Zaidi et al. (2016), identity texts offer students both a reflection and narrative space. In the reflection space, students are able to reflect on the tensions that they face in their lives and careers. The narrative space, on the other hand, helps students to showcase their understanding of the world and its value in their lives.
According to Cummins et al., 2011) that identity texts “enable students to showcase their intellectual, literary, artistic and multilingual talents in ways that challenge the devaluation of their cultures and identities” ( p. 5). The resultant effect is that students benefit both academically and socially because all these experiences take place within the academic setting that aids their learning and by bringing their cultures to the fore they are able to establish profound social connections with others and the world. In this context, Cummins et al. (2015) states that “identity text acts as a vehicle whereby students can repudiate negative stereotypes and simultaneously construct identities of competence that fuel academic engagement” (p. 6).
Giampapa (2010) posits that the increase in linguistic and cultural diversity gives rise to both educational opportunities and challenges. The challenges, therefore, to employing this strategy are that the teachers should be willing to invest their time and energy to optimise learning and not be overburdened by other rudimentary academic expectations. Then there are the coercive power relations and “power dynamics” that often devalue student identities and hence need to be challenged (Cummins et al., 2015 & Giampapa, 2010).
The author’s schooling was attending a private boys' school with boarding facilities. This helped all students in the school to have one common language of communication that was also the national language. Even though most students were bilingual if not multilingual, the common thread of the national language bound everyone together and provided equal opportunities to all. At the same time, once a week all the many languages of the author’s country were showcased in the form of some cultural performances and discourses during morning assemblies and it was an expectation that all students participated in it wholeheartedly.
Hence, the author did not face any challenges linguistically or culturally as a student because the school was already very diverse owing to the fact the students represented a wide range of cultures. However, with the new knowledge the author is gaining, it is the author’s opinion that offering the option of developing identity texts to students is a very effective approach to ensuring learning is being accessed by all students in a safe and positive environment.
Conclusion
Teachers have opportunities to utilise these strategies correctly in their school environment by implementing identity texts to help students within an inclusive and diverse environment or with barriers to learning. It is important for teachers and administrators to know how to implement it correctly and how to support each student further. In doing so, it can only promote a positive environment for them to flourish to be stimulated academically, whilst feeling safe and educationally supported.
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- Citation du texte
- Mario Maxwell Müller (Auteur), 2022, How to Use Identity Texts for Students within an Inclusive and Diverse Background, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1284937
