Developing bilingual learning through partnerships between complementary and

mainstream teachers

Mahera Ruby & Charmian Kenner Goldsmiths, University of London

Tower Hamlets classrooms

Majority second and third generation British Bangladeshi children

Some children with other languages: eg Somali, Arabic, Russian...

Newcomer children from Bangladesh

Teaching assistants bilingual in Sylheti/Bengali

Some bilingual teachers Only English being used

in class

Parallel world: complementary classes

(thanks to www.stifford.org.uk for the image)

Often just round the corner or down the road After-school or weekends Children learning mother tongue and often

maths or other curriculum subjects as well Strong links with families

The need for a bilingual approach in both settings

Second and third generation in complementary school: English stronger

Same children in mainstream school: drawing on all their language resources (Kenner et al, 2008)

Children strong in both languages doing well in both settings

New project: partnerships between primary and community teachers

(funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Tower Hamlets)

Collaborative action research on bilingual learning

Teachers visit each other’s settings Plan jointly around a topic, adapt to own

context Deliver lessons and observe each other Plan and deliver again Supported by Goldsmiths and Tower Hamlets

Languages Service

Characteristics of complementary classes

Multi-age, multi-level Bilingual – children often stronger in

English, teacher in mother tongue Teachers devise strategies to meet the

challenges Zainab’s Somali class, visited by James,

primary school teacher: a learning community, everyone pools their resources

A two-way exchange

Mainstream teachers recognise the value of complementary teachers’ strategies, as well as vice versa

Example of James, primary teacher (music/drama) co-teaching at the primary school with Zainab (Somali class teacher)

Children in class mainly British Bangladeshi, two Somali children, one child from Afghanistan

Child as teacher

Changes power relationshipsMultiple practiceEach child highlights different aspectsFine-tuning learningSynergy in teaching and learning through exchange with peers (Gregory, 2001)

James on the child as teacher

‘It’s a more rounded use of resources, it develops the children in different ways – self-learning, self-monitoring… the understanding you get from having to teach something, to try to explain it, focusing in your head on what it should be’

Learning keywords through drama

Children choose keywords and build into English sentence, then act out – consolidate meaning, kinaesthetic learning

Equal status of teachers

James introduced Zainab and Muna: ‘we’re teaching buddies’

Co-teaching in the mainstream classroom was conducted seamlessly and with mutual understanding

James’ comment on complementary strategies: ‘it isn’t what you do, and that’s why it’s good for you to see it’

Developing topic-based bilingual learning

Primary school: adding a multilingual dimension to topics for IPC (International Primary Curriculum)

Community teachers help develop ideas and teach topic in own setting

From ‘parallel worlds’ to ‘connected curricula’

Grandparents

A partnership projectSmithy Street Primary School

& after-school Somali class

Grandparents

Family tree: words for relatives

Children learn with actions and rhythm

Grandparents Afternoon at Smithy Street School

Make family trees in different languages

Messages to grandparents Families bring photos of grandparents Imagine what you would like to say to

your grandparent in Somalia (practise orally and on phone)

Write messages to grandparents Create powerpoint presentation for

Tower Hamlets Languages Celebration

My sweet grandma I miss you could you come with me bye bye. Rahima

AYEEYO LUULRahima

Asalaamu caleykum

Ayeeyo macan wanku xisay ii imow.

Nabadeey ayeeyo luul.

Warqad awooweby Mohammad and Asya

Awoowe Salaam calaykumAad baan kuu salama aniga. Aad baan u fiicanahay. Awoowe Allah waxan kaaga baryaya-inaad ku waarto caafimaad.Awoowe ii so ducee.

Letter to dada (grandpa)Asalamu alaikum dada. Are you O.K. I am writing to you to hope you have good health and wealth. Could you read me dua (make a prayer for me).

Benefits for learning Community teacher’s understanding

enriches ‘grandparents’ theme for school

Children exploring their roots and who they are

Building attachment to grandparents Developing language to communicate

with elders

The Rag Trade

A partnership projectSmithy Street Primary School

&Stifford Community Centre

What can you see in these pictures?Tomra ei chobi gulate khi dekte parteso?

Why are they asking us to save their life?

Key words

Rag Trade – kaporer bebsha Labour - srom Export – roptani Slums - bosti Exploit – shujuger bebohar Trade - bebsha Fair Trade – sromer mullo

Questions to ask parentsMa babader jonno proshno

Bangladesher bachara ki bhabe thake?(How do the children in Bangladesh live?) Ora pora shunar kototuku shujug pai?(What opportunities do they get to read and write?) Amra ki bhabe bachader srom dur korte pari?(How can we stop child labour?) Tomra Bangladeshe tader che pora shunar kototuku

shujug pacho?(What opportunities did you get in Bangladesh to read and

write?) Tomra ei deshe eshe khi khi kaz korso?(What work did you do when you came to the UK?)

Investigation with children in Bangladesh

A teacher from Smithy Street School visited Bangladesh. Children from Smithy Street and Stifford Centre sent questions to children there.

Some children go to daytime school. Others work in the rag trade by day and go to night school.

The teacher brought back answers which children from Smithy and Stifford performed at Tower Hamlets Languages Celebration.

Night Time School

Benefits for learning

Engaging children in meaningful issue, drawing on knowledge of community teacher

Thinking through ideas in Bengali and English

Aiding biliteracy, using transliteration as a bridge to Bengali script

Developing speaking skills Empathy through role-plays and preparing

costumes

The importance of bilingual learning ‘It’s about the whole child really for me…just by

having contact with their community schools I feel I can understand a bit more about their learning in a broader context – they’ve got skills we don’t always use in class and doing the poetry work has given us the chance to use some of those skills…it was lovely to see the confidence of the children who were able to take on the task and engage with it, using their mother tongue, it just felt very positive to see them…obviously English is what we’re being asked to teach but what I think I learned from this is that children who are actually being very successful in English seem to also be children who are engaging with mother tongue classes as well’ (Annika, Smithy Street)

Ideas for joint activities between mainstream and community schools

Topic-based teaching International languages celebration

event Bilingualism advice panel for parents Dual language book making

Dissemination

Training for complementary and mainstream teachers, led by teacher partnerships from the project

Resources to be placed on Tower Hamlets languages website

National conference in Tower Hamlets, Thursday July 1st

References Kenner, C., Gregory, E., Ruby, M. and Al-

Azami, S. (2008) Bilingual learning for second and third generation children. Language, Culture and Curriculum 21 (2), 120-137. 

Kenner, C., Al-Azami, S., Gregory, E. and Ruby, M. (2008) Bilingual poetry: expanding the cognitive and cultural dimensions of children’s learning. Literacy 42 (2), 92-100.

Al-Azami, S., Kenner, C., Ruby, M. and Gregory, E. (2010) Transliteration as a bridge to learning for bilingual children. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism.