One trend in education that has
received limited attention in teacher librarian (TL) literature is the
demographic shift in schools to more
students with cultural and linguistic diversity. Statistics from the USA,
Canada and Australia indicate around one in five students do not speak English
- the language of school instruction at home (Australian Bureau of Statistics,
2013; “Canadian Demographics at a Glance: Some facts about the demographic and
ethnocultural composition of the population,” n.d.; Center for Public
Education, 2012). Data
from Sydney University indicates that a national average of 21% disguises local
figures at some (particularly state) schools with a range of 50-90% (Ho, 2011). International schools catering to an expatriate population are
particularly diverse environments.
Practitioner literature generally
concerns itself with cultural diversity in materials and the building of a
world literature collection in response to student diversity or as part of a
language / humanities curriculum (Garrison, Forest, & Kimmel,
2014). Some
international or bilingual schools, build a “Languages other than English”
(LOTE) collection. Schools may try to
recruit bilingual or minority TLs, or provide training in competencies in
multicultural education (Colbert-Lewis & Colbert-Lewis,
2013; Everhart, Mardis, & Johnston, 2010; Mestre, 2009).
Within a school, the main
educational and social issues are to ensure students acquire the language of
instruction (English) as quickly as possible and adapt to the new learning
environment without loss of educational momentum, while maintaining and
developing their mother tongue (Kim & Mizuishi, 2014). Even though there is evidence that support and maintenance of
mother tongue is the most effective way of scaffolding such students, schools
place most of their effort and resources on English acquisition (Carder, 2007; Cummins, 2001, 2003).
TLs in their own professional
development are familiar with the use of geographically dispersed personal
learning networks (PLNs) in order to create a personal learning environment
(PLE) using a variety technological tools (McElvaney & Berge, 2009;
O’Connell, 2014). They
also have extensive networks both locally and internationally that can be
tapped into. This provides TLs with an ideal opportunity of working with a
group of students and teachers in creating their own PLE with a variety of
resources, networks and personal web technologies (PWT) both in their mother
tongue and the language of instruction.
 |
| Figure 1: PLE of an IB self-taught language student |
The International Baccalaureate
(IB) program allows mother tongue students the option of guided self-study if
the school doesn’t offer the language. Tapping
into the experiences and communities of practise (COP) of distance education,
massive open online courses (MOOCs), PLNs and PLEs could ameliorate the
logistical, resourcing, teaching and learning difficulties of this option unbound
by time and geography. A successful pilot scheme with one language group could
be rolled out to other groups. Not only will this enhance the reputation of the
TL in the school but will also contribute to the schools goals of equity in teaching
and resources and ensure support and involvement by the whole school community.
Australian Bureau of Statistics.
(2013). Australian Social Trends, April 2013. Retrieved December
14, 2014, from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features
30April+2013
Canadian
Demographics at a Glance: Some facts about the demographic and ethnocultural
composition of the population. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/91-003-x/2007001/4129904-eng.htm
Carder, M.
(2007). Bilingualism in international schools: a model for enriching
language education.
Clevedon; Buffalo: Multilingual Matters.
Center for
Public Education. (2012, May). The United States of education: The changing
demographics of the United States and their schools. Retrieved December 14,
2014, from
http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/You-May-Also-Be-Interested-In-landing-page-
level/Organizing-a-School-YMABI/The-United-States-of-education-The-changing-
demographics-of-the-United-States-and-their-schools.html
Colbert-Lewis,
D., & Colbert-Lewis, S. (2013). The Role of Teacher-Librarians in
Encouraging
Library Use by Multicultural Patrons. In C. Smallwood & K.
Becnel (Eds.), Library services for
multicultural patrons: strategies to
encourage library use (pp. 73–81). Lanham: The Scarecrow
Press, Inc.
Cummins,
J. (2001). Bilingual Children’s Mother Tongue: Why Is It Important for
Education?
Retrieved May 27, 2014, from
http://iteachilearn.org/cummins/mother.htm
Cummins,
J. (2003). Putting Language Proficiency in Its Place: Responding to Critiques
of the
Conversational - Academic Language Distinction. Retrieved May 27, 2014,
from
http://iteachilearn.org/cummins/converacademlangdisti.html
Everhart,
N., Mardis, M. A., & Johnston, M. P. (2010). Diversity Challenge Resilience:
School
Libraries in Action. In Proceedings of the 12th Biennial School
Library Association of
Queensland. Brisbane, Australia: IASL.
Garrison,
K. L., Forest, D. E., & Kimmel, S. C. (2014). Curation in Translation:
Promoting Global
Citizenship through Literature. School Libraries Worldwide,
20(1), 70–96.
Ho, C.
(2011). “My School” and others: Segregation and white flight. Australian
Review of Public
Affairs, 10(1). Retrieved from
http://www.australianreview.net/digest/2011/05/ho.html
Kim, M.,
& Mizuishi, K. (2014, December 10). Language and Cultural Differences
and Barriers in
an International School Setting - Personal Experiences and
Reflections [Presentation].
UWCSEA-East.
McElvaney,
J., & Berge, Z. (2009). Weaving a Personal Web: Using online technologies
to create
customized, connected, and dynamic learning environments. Canadian
Journal of Learning and
Technology, 35(2). Retrieved from
http://www.cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/viewArticle/524/257
Mestre, L.
(2009). Culturally responsive instruction for teacher-librarians. Teacher
Librarian, 36(3),
8–12.
O’Connell,
J. (2014). Researcher’s Perspective: Is Teacher Librarianship in Crisis in
Digital
Environments? An Australian Perspective. School Libraries Worldwide,
20(1), 1–19.
