Language Education in Multilingual Colombia Critical Perspectives and Voices from the Field

Contents

Critical perspectives on language education in multilingual Colombia: An introduction ANNE-MARIE DE MEJÍA, SILVIA VALENCIA GIRALDO AND NORBELLA MIRANDA

1. Multilingual Colombia: Dimensions of linguistic and cultural diversity

SILVIA VALENCIA GIRALDO, NORBELLA MIRANDA AND ANNE-MARIE DE MEJÍA

SECTION I

Creole and Indigenous Languages in Colombia

Decolonizing multilingual practices: Lessons from Colombia

MARIO E. LÓPEZ-GOPAR

2. Preserving the Creole language of the Caribbean archipelago of San Andrés and Providence: An ecolinguistic approach to multilingualism in Colombia

RAQUEL SANMIGUEL ARDILA

3. Between chants, games and elders (Andi Kanto, jarocheria ku tata ri mae mi). Local strategies for the strengthening of the Palenquero language among young people in San Basilio de Palenque (Bolívar-Colombia)

LUIS RICARDO NAVARRO DÍAZ, SEBASTIÁN SALGADO REYES AND RODOLFO PALOMINO CASSIANI

4. Colombia on the path of linguistic revitalization. Some thoughts from Cauca

LILIA TRIVIÑO GARZÓN AND TULIO ROJAS CURIEUX

　

SECTION II

Language education policy: Discourses, ideologies and local practices

Marginalizing discourses and teacher resilience in Colombian language policy and education

DAVID CASSELS JOHNSON

5. English in education policy in Colombia: Two decades of policy discourse and appropriation

NORBELLA MIRANDA AND SILVIA VALENCIA GIRALDO

6. English language teaching in rural Colombia amidst the armed conflict: A case study of teacher positioning vis-à-vis policy, practice and the profession

FERNEY CRUZ ARCILA

7. Late capitalism and the commodification of English in Colombia: The shaping of language education policy and practice

YECID ORTEGA

8. Colombian teachers of English as agents in the implementation of English language policies in a multilingual country: Villains or heroes?

ADRIANA GONZÁLEZ

　

SECTION III

Interculturality and pedagogy

Interculturality in languages and cultures education

ANTHONY J. LIDDICOAT

9. Transemiotizing and re-sourcing resources in language education: Towards a multimodal social semiotic perspective on intercultural communication

JOSÉ ALDEMAR ÁLVAREZ VALENCIA

10. Building intercultural language education in Colombia: Insights from research with English language teachers

BEATRIZ PEÑA DIX

11. Focusing on dimensions of interculturality in the context of language teacher education: Insights from a case study in Colombia

ISABEL TEJADA-SÁNCHEZ AND ANNE MARIE DE MEJÍA

　

　

SECTION IV

Reimagining teacher education: Taking account of diversities and inequalities

Decolonizing and decentering language teacher education in Multilingual Colombia

JUDY SHARKEY 　

12. Nurturing language teacher education in Colombia from a multilingual perspective

FANNY HERNÁNDEZ GAVIRIA AND MARTHA BERDUGO-TORRES

13. Contesting the hegemony of English in a country declared to be multilingual: The outcome of research with English language teachers in an in-service program

CARMEN HELENA GUERRERO NIETO AND ÁLVARO QUINTERO-POLO

14. Crossing linguistic boundaries with community literacies: A collaborative, place-based ethnography in two urban localities in Bogotá

AMPARO CLAVIJO-OLARTE AND THERESA Y. AUSTIN

15. Views on writing and pedagogic practices: A systematic review of the research literature on bilingual (Spanish/English) teaching in Colombia

NEIRA LOAIZA VILLALBA AND CLAUDIA ORTIZ RUIZ

NANCY H. HORNBERGER

Contributors

José Aldemar Álvarez Valencia is Professor at the Department of Foreign Languages　and Cultures　at Universidad del Valle, Colombia.　He has published in the areas of general linguistics, discourse analysis, language teaching methods, foreign language teacher education, multimodal studies and intercultural communication. His current research focuses on the intersection between multimodal social semiotics and intercultural communication, decolonial theories and multilingualism.

Theresa Y. Austin is Professor of Bilingual/ESL and Multicultural Education within the Language, Literacy and Culture Concentration, located in the Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research is committed to serving and sustaining culturally and linguistically diverse learners, teachers and communities. She uses critical theories in her ethnographic and narrative research to examine race, gender, class and gender intersections　in planning　and policy.

Martha Berdugo-Torres is Professor at Universidad del Valle. She is also the Head of the Language Center at the School of Language Sciences. She has a doctorate in Language Sciences from the Université de Toulouse Le Mirail, France. She works in the area of language teacher education and teaches French as a foreign language. Her research interests include technology-enhanced learning environments, language teaching pedagogy, and teacher education, as well as language policies.

Amparo　Clavijo-Olarte is Professor of Literacy and a researcher in the areas of Literacies and Teacher Education at Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas in Bogotá, Colombia. Her most recent research is on the city as curriculum: opportunities for literacies, ethnography, and pedagogy of place.

Ferney Cruz Arcila is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Universidad EAN (Escuela de Adminstración de Negocios). He holds a B.A. in Spanish and English from Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, an MA in Applied Linguistics from Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas and a Ph.D. in language, discourse and communication from King’s College London.　His research interests focus on bilingual education, language policies, teacher identity and rural education.

Anne-Marie de Mejía is Professor in the area of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education at the School of Education at Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá. She holds a Ph.D in Linguistics from Lancaster University, U.K. Her research interests include teacher empowerment, interculturality, language and education policy, and bilingual teacher development.

Adriana González is Professor in the graduate and undergraduate programs in foreign language teacher education at the School of Languages of the Universidad de Antioquia. She holds a doctoral degree in Linguistics (TESOL) from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and an M.A in Language Sciences from the Université de Nancy II (France). Her areas of interest and publications include teachers’ professional development, language policies, and World Englishes.

Carmen Helena Guerrero-Nieto is Professor in the Ph.D program in Education and in the M.A. in Communication Education from the Universidad Distrital, Bogotá. She holds a Ph.D in the area of Second Language Acquisition. Her research interests and publications have to do with critical pedagogy, bilingualism, and teacher education. Her work has aimed at voicing English teachers’ concerns, experiences and interests and she is the main researcher of the group "Critical Studies on Educational Policies".

Fanny Hernández Gaviria is Professor and member of the EILA research group (Equipo de Investigación en Lingüística Aplicada). She holds a BA in Modern Languages, Universidad del Valle.　MA in Linguistics, Universidad del Valle. She teaches English and Classroom Research at Universidad del Valle, Colombia and is a researcher and writer of books and articles in research training, learning strategies, and foreign language teaching skills.　

Nancy H. Hornberger　is Professor Emerita at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. She has carried out research in the field of language and education in multilingual settings and　is well-known for her work in bilingualism, biliteracy, ethnography, language policy and Indigenous language revitalization. She has published widely and is the former editor of the journal　Anthropology and Education Quarterly　and the　Encyclopedia of Language and Education.

David Cassels Johnson is Associate Professor of Education at the University of Iowa and Visiting Professor of Applied Linguistics at Shanghai International Studies University. He holds a Ph.D. (with distinction) in Educational Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania. His research and teaching focus on how language policies impact educational opportunities for students in bilingual education and English language education programs. He is the author of Language Policy (2013, Palgrave Macmillan) and co-editor of Research Methods in Language Policy and Planning: A Practical Guide (2015, Wiley-Blackwell, with Francis M. Hult).

Anthony Liddicoat is Professor in the Department for Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick. His research interests include language and intercultural issues in education, discourse analysis, and language policy and planning. He is currently co-convenor of the AILA Research Network Intercultural mediation in language and culture teaching and learning/La médiation interculturelle en didactique des langues et des cultures and Executive Editor of　Current Issues in Language Planning.

Neira Loaiza Villalba is Professor at Universidad del Quindío. She holds a doctorate in Educational Sciences from Rudecolombia, Universidad del Quindío. She teaches in the initial teacher education program with an emphasis on English and French and is the coordinator of the research area in bilingualism in the M. Ed. and Ph.D in Educational Sciences at Universidad del Quindío. She is the leader of the Interinstitutional Research Group on Learning Styles and Foreign Languages-Bilingualism (ESAPIDEX-B) and is the author of articles, books and book chapters. She has also served as a speaker at national and international events. She is an evaluator for the Ministry of Science and for CONACES (Comisión Nacional Intersectorial de Aseguramiento de la Calidad de la Educación Superior- National Intersectoral Commission for Quality Assurance in Higher Education).

Mario López-Gopar is professor at Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca. He holds a Ph.D. from OISE, University of Toronto. Mario’s main research interest is the intercultural and multilingual education of Indigenous peoples in Mexico. He has published numerous articles and book chapters in Mexico, USA, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Europe. His latest books are Decolonizing Primary English Language Teaching (Multilingual Matters, 2016) and International Perspectives on Critical Pedagogies in ELT (Palgrave MacMillan, 2019).

Norbella Miranda is Assistant Professor in the School of Language Sciences at Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. She holds a PhD in Educational Sciences from Universidad del Quindiìo, Armenia, Colombia. Her research and publications focus on educational language policies, bi/multilingualism and curriculum development for language education. She is a member of the EILA research group (Equipo de Investigación en Lingüística Aplicada) of Universidad del Valle. Her publications include: Appropriation of Colombian ELT policy in a targeted school: The creation of an "elite" yet still needy school in the public education system (book chapter, Routledge, 2021).

Luis Ricardo Navarro Díaz is Professor and researcher at Universidad Simón Bolívar in Barranquilla. He has a Ph.D in Social Science and a Master´s degree in Communication from Universidad del Norte. His academic interests have to do with communication for social change and development and he has recently published a book on the role of young people in San Basilio de Palenque in transforming social relationships in the territory.

Yecid Ortega holds a Ph.D. from OISE – The University of Toronto. His research interests have to do with decolonial critical ethnographic and case study approaches to research in international contexts. He explores how globalization, capitalism and neoliberalism influence language policy decision-making processes and their effects on classroom practices and students’ lived experiences.

Claudia Ortiz Ruiz is Assistant Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures of the School of Language Sciences of the Universidad del Valle. She graduated from the Modern Languages program at the University of Quindío (Colombia) and holds a Master's degree in teaching French as a foreign language from the Jean Monnet University (France). She is a member of the EILA research group (Equipo de Investigación en Lingüística Aplicada) of Universidad del Valle and the Research Group on Learning Styles and Foreign Languages-Bilingualism (ESAPIDEX-B) of University of Quindío.

Rodolfo Palomino Cassiani is the leader of the communication group "Kuchá Suto" based in San Basilio de Palenque. He has worked as the coordinator of audiovisual community media and has directed a film, "Fausto", shown at the International Film Festival in Cartagena, Bolivar in 2017.

Beatriz Peña Dix, Ed.D. is Associate Professor in Foreign Language Pedagogies in the School of Languages and Culture, University de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia. She researches and publishes in the areas of bilingualism, bilingual education, autonomy and critical thinking, intercultural competence and teacher training, Intercultural English Language Teaching (IELT), and critical intercultural pedagogies.

Álvaro Quintero-Polo is Professor at the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas where he coordinates the MA in Applied Linguistics for ELT. He holds a doctorate in education. His research interests have to do with language teacher education, language teacher identity, narrative studies, and political discourse analysis. He is co-director of the "Critical Studies in Colombian Educational Policies" research group – ESTUPOLI.

Tulio Rojas Curieux is a linguist and Professor in the Anthropology Department at Universidad del Cauca, Colombia. He is the director of the research group "Linguistic, Pedagogical and Sociocultural Studies in the South West of Colombia" (GELPS) at the same university.

Sebastián Salgado Reyes holds a BA in Spanish and Communication. He has specialized in the area of Pedagogy of the Environment and is a teacher of the Palenquero language at the Benkos Biojó Institute in San Basilio de Palenque, Bolívar, Colombia.

Raquel Sanmiguel Ardila is Associate Professor at Universidad Nacional de Colombia.　She holds a PhD in Latin American, Caribbean and U.S. Latino Studies, from the State University of New York at Albany, an MA in the Management of Education, University of Bath, England and she has a B.A. in Specialized Translation (Université Paris VIII), and a Bachelor in Education in Modern Languages (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia). Her academic interests center on the relationship between education, language and culture, with an emphasis on Creole and English.

Judy Sharkey is the John & H. Irene Peters Professor & Chair of the Education Department at the University of New Hampshire (USA). Within the area of critical second language and literacy education, her research focuses on decolonizing approaches to teacher/teacher educator learning and development in plurilingual, transmigrant and diaspora communities in the US, Colombia, and Pakistan.　Her recent research has appeared in　Language Teaching Research, TESOL Journal,　and　Journal of Teacher Education.　She is the co-editor (with Megan Madigan Peercy) of　Self-Study of Language and Literacy Teacher Education Practices: Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Contexts.

Isabel Tejada-Sánchez is Assistant Professor at the School of Education at Universidad de los Andes (Bogota, Colombia). She obtained her Ph.D. in Language Sciences and Linguistic Communication and Multilingual Mediation from Université Paris 8 and Universitat Pompeu Fabra, in Catalonia, Spain. Her research interests include second language acquisition in education, interculturality, and growth mindset.

Lilia Triviño Garzón is Professor at Universidad del Cauca, Colombia. She holds a Master´s degree in Ethnolinguistics and is a member of the research group "Linguistic, Pedagogical and Sociocultural Studies in the South West of Colombia" (GELPS – Grupo de Estudios Lingüísticos, Pedagógicos y Socioculturales) at Universidad del Cauca. She is part of a team of academics who created proposals for initial teacher education programs in Ethnoeducation and the Master´s program in the Revitalization and Teaching of Indigenous Languages. She was the initial coordinator of this postgraduate program.

Silvia Valencia Giraldo is Professor in the area of Sociolinguistics and Bilingualism in the School of Education at Universidad del Quindiìo, Armenia, Colombia. She received her Ph.D from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK., in the area of bilingualism. Her research interests include bilingual classroom interaction, language policy, and literacy.

Biography

Norbella Miranda is Assistant Professor in the School of Language Sciences at Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. She holds a PhD in Educational Sciences from Universidad del Quindiìo, Armenia, Colombia. Her research and publications focus on educational language policies, bi/multilingualism and curriculum development for language education. She is a member of the EILA research group (Equipo de Investigación en Lingüística Aplicada) of Universidad del Valle. Her publications include: Appropriation of Colombian ELT policy in a targeted school: The creation of an "elite" yet still needy school in the public education system (book chapter, Routledge, 2021).

Anne-Marie de Mejía is Professor in the area of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education at the School of Education at Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá. She holds a Ph.D in Linguistics from Lancaster University, U.K. Her research interests include teacher empowerment, interculturality, language and education policy, and bilingual teacher development.

Silvia Valencia Giraldo is Professor in the area of Sociolinguistics and Bilingualism in the School of Education at Universidad del Quindiìo, Armenia, Colombia. She received her Ph.D from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK., in the area of bilingualism. Her research interests include bilingual classroom interaction, language policy, and literacy.

"In bringing together previously diverse research traditions and consolidating a platform from which to discuss multilingualism and language education in a broad sense, this volume makes an important contribution both locally and globally...In the dialogue around language education and multilingualism, the volume should be read as a much overdue long-turn from Colombian scholars, and we would all do well to listen to what they have to tell us." - Peter Browning, University of Birmingham, UK, Journal of English as a Lingua Franca