fall 2022 – Educational Sociolinguistics

Greek schools in Québec; Maintaining Hellenic culture

Marina Koutsis

When my grandparents migrated to Québec from Greece more than 50 years ago, they made a promise to one another that they would not lose their culture and would pass it on to their children. Maintaining one’s culture when migrating to another country is very important as it is a way to stay connected to the home country, especially if one cannot easily travel back. And it is not always easy to pass down the culture to future generations when parents work a lot and children are sent to schools where only the host country’s language is taught. This was a reality for many communities, such as Greek immigrants, that came in large numbers to Montréal after the Second World War.

In 1909 in Montreal, the first Greek school was founded though it only counted 25 students, but by 1971, however, the school, named Socrates, was moved to a larger building with 11 classrooms. This gave access to Greek education and culture to even more students of Greek origin (https://www.socdem.org/). What is interesting with this school is that it is a good reflection of the multicultural aspect of Montréal. In fact, 66% of the lessons at Socrates are taught in French, 24% in Greek, and 10% are taught in English (École Socrates-Démosthène, 2022). Though I thought that 10% was little, the school does count more hours of English per year than regular public schools. And surprisingly, Socrates students read and analyse classic English novels such as Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies, which I had never read until I reached Cégep despite having done all my education in anglophone schools.

Other than through language, Socrates allows students to connect with their Hellenic heritage through traditional dance lessons. There are so many types of dances in Greece that vary depending on the region and they are all very much part of Greece’s culture and religious celebrations. Such a Hellenic school offers choice to parents seeking this approach, but unfortunately these remain private and are not affordable to all. This approach to instruction demonstrates that it is possible to study more than one language at once successfully. Québec has experienced various power dynamics associated with language, especially in relation to French vs English. It is understandable that French should be prioritised in educational institutions within the province, but second language education should not be ignored. Other languages should still be encouraged in schools, especially as multiliteracy and plurilingual education has been proven to be beneficial for student learning (Galante, 2020). Even though I did not personally attend Socrates, it is still important that people have the opportunity to connect to their heritage.

References

“Αccueil.” École Socrates-Démosthène, 20 Oct. 2022, https://www.socdem.org/.

Galente, A., Okubo, K., Cole, C., Elkader, N. A., Carozza, N., Wilkinson, C., Wotton, C., & Vasic, J. (2020). “English-only is not the way to go”: Teachers’ perceptions of plurilingual instruction in an English program at a Canadian university, Tesol Quarterly, 54(4), 980- 1009. 10.1002/tesq.584

The use of the L1 in the ESL classroom

Marina Koutsis

Before I started teaching I often wondered about the benefits of using the L1 in an L2 classroom. As a speaker of 5 languages, I was curious about how language learning could be made easier by doing so. I was eager to try this in my classes, but I remained aware that maintaining a balance between L1-use and practising the target language is necessary, otherwise there can be no progress. When I studied Italian at McGill, the professor would often use French and Spanish to explain Italian grammar and concepts that were similar across these languages. This idea fits with plurilingualism, a theory which promotes comparison between languages as well as the use of and the sharing of culture in foreign language courses.

When I started teaching, I applied the same methods where students were encouraged to use the target language without being forbidden from using the L1. However, my perspective was questioned when I taught a 6-week ESL course to immigrant students. Though they were all beginners, some were stronger than others as they already had a knowledge of English. As I was a fervent believer of plurilingualism, I made it clear from the start that any language was welcomed in this class and that I was looking forward to learning more about my students’ cultures. The majority of the class consisted of South American students who would mainly interact in Spanish with each other. It was a good tactic at first as the weaker students could ask the stronger students for assistance in their Spanish L1. Just as the International Teacher Training Organization suggests in an ESL classroom, one should “use English when possible and L1 when necessary” (https://www.tefl-online.com/tefl-jobs/online-tefl-articles/l1-in-the-classroom/). As stated in the article, finding the right balance is essential, and one must resist the temptation of translating rather than learning the language.

However, it wasn’t long before I noticed how heavily some students relied on their L1 and how little they practised during class discussions. In group activities, certain students would only speak Spanish whilst filling in their activity sheets. Though they had the right answer on paper, they would have trouble reading out what they had written, and their pronunciation barely improved. At the end of the course, students had to pass both an oral and a written exam. Speaking is one of the hardest parts of learning a language, as there is much more quick thinking involved as opposed to reading or writing. The students that had relied too much on their L1 did well on the written test, but for the oral exam, I noticed how little their speaking skills had improved since the first day of class.

This experience did not waver my opinion on the benefits of plurilingualism and will not make me forbid L1s in the future. It will, however, make me more mindful of the implications and perhaps even share this story with my future students to remind them of the importance of practising their target language orally.

Has anyone experienced this when teaching a second language? What were your solutions?

International Teacher Training Organization. (n.d.). Using L1 in the TEFL classroom. ITTO. https://www.tefl-online.com/tefl-jobs/online-tefl-articles/l1-in-the-classroom/

Multiplayer Gaming and ESL

Marina Koutsis

Learning English as a child was not my favourite activity as I saw it as invasive and unnecessary. I did not know anyone who was anglophone and thus could not imagine how English would become useful to me. Nevertheless, my parents and the education system compelled me to learn it. As a result, I was very resistant and put little effort into my English classes. This vision changed when I started playing World of Warcraft; a multiplayer online role-playing game in English. I initially managed to get by with my limited knowledge of English, but kept wondering if there was a French version of the game that I could play instead. I had always been aware of strong English influences around Québec which I perceived as negative and contrary to my francophone roots.

However, little by little, I started learning more words and I understood that the English language was not inherently bad. Instead, learning a new language opened up so many other possibilities for me, such as being fully immersed in media, from video games to films, in their original language and being able to communicate with other players. My resistance to English had to do with external dominating forces that threatened my first language, that is French, but it did not mean that learning a language could not be inherently good. Playing a video game enhanced my understanding of language learning and improved my skills in English. The game presented me with new vocabulary that was not only game-related but also included words that could be used in everyday life. As proposed by the International Center for Language Studies (2021), video games can complement the traditional methods used in language learning whilst promoting increased engagement and motivation in learners (https://www.icls.edu/video-games-help-people-to- learn-a-new-language/). In other words, gaming is an entertaining way of practising the challenging endeavour that is language learning, which was my experience.

The following image displays a typical game Quest. The writing is usually formal and integrates both game-related and everyday vocabulary words. Usually, quest descriptions contain important information about location. This meant that I had no choice but to read these descriptions in order to complete the tasks. These helped to enhance my understanding of and my reading skills in English. It also encouraged me to look up new words, thus broadening my vocabulary.

Video games offer unique opportunities to build knowledge and to build the confidence to interact with others, thus developing language skills in a motivating and entertaining way. Playing a video game allowed for my language learning to become a positive experience, rather than something that was forced upon me in school. Instead of remaining opposed to language learning, I now value linguistic development and am proud of understanding five languages. However, I have done so without forgetting my culture and whilst still being aware of the linguistic inequalities that persist in many communities around the world. I am glad to have had the opportunity to learn English in the most motivating and entertaining way, through a game that contributed to my love for languages and I hope that other Quebeckers have the opportunity to appreciate English as I do.

Has anyone else experienced language learning in an entertaining way?

Reference

ICLS: International Center for Language Studies. (2021). Video games help people to learn a new language. ICLS. https://www.icls.edu/video-games-help-people-to-learn-a-new-language/