The Language of Belonging

As teachers we know the importance of fostering a sense of belonging for all the students in our care. In early years settings we tend to be masters of this simply by ensuring children know that they can find space within our rooms where they can save their work. When teachers value the work of children in any form it tells them that they matter. Giving children the agency and opportunity to create their own places in the classroom also sends this message along with a healthy dose of trust and independence.

We should then extend this openness towards the spoken or named languages children bring with them to school. We can create a warm, inviting environment of belonging when we not only accept home languages but actively promote them. For too long, especially in international schools, there has been a hierarchy of languages with English being viewed as the most important. This mentality has resulted in 'English only' policies and the demonising of home languages to the point were parents discourage their children from using their home language. In contrast I suggest that we openly place all spoken languages on an even footing in our classrooms. When we consider the language profile of children as a whole we take the stance that multilingualism is additive rather than view it as a deficit. This allows us to see what the children can do and use their home language as a lever to aid self expression and deepen understanding.

One way I do this is on day one of the school year by displaying a greeting in all the home languages of my students which we then use to greet each other on that morning and subsequent days.

Greetings are a simple way to invite home languages and send the message that you value them. We can then use a variety of translanguaging strategies to show children how they can use their home language to support them in the classroom. For example, when book making I will sometimes ask children to read their story to me in their home language using a translation app before then reading it in English. They will inevitably use greater elaboration in their home language and we can use this as an opportunity to broaden their vocabulary in English.

If teachers are willing to translate with children and even learn some words in their home languages it not only helps the children to feel welcomed but models the behaviours of a responsible community member. This is a fertile ground of social and emotional learning opportunities as we all know that languages can be used to isolate as well as foster belonging. Supporting children to use their languages responsibily is also vitally important when developing a community that values belonging and inclusion. Explicitly teacher children to observe who is working and playing near them helps them to make the choice over which language they use.

The image above shows one way in which we can create bridges between their home languages and English to support conceptual understanding. For each unit of study I take key words or concepts we will be discussing and translate them into their home languages. To do this I use well regarded websites such as DeepL however they are not always one hundred percent accurate. This is a great opportunity to involve parents to help with translation. I had an Israeli parent come and correct the translation on the poster above to ensure it was more accurate. By doing this we elevate the home language but also support its development as there are times when they do not know these words in their home language.

Eight weeks into the school year and this deliberate focus of honouring home language to foster a sense of belonging means that my students now ask when they want to translate something English or their home language, they offer to translate for one another and even demonstrate an eagerness to learn one another's languages. One snack time they even tried speaking to each other in their own languages to see if they could be understood without translation!

So keep making space in your rooms for the varied expressive languages children bring with them as well as making deliberate space for their spoken languages too.