As globalization accelerates, increasing numbers of young children are entering classrooms where their mother tongue is not the dominant language, often without adequate linguistic support. This practice is commonly justified by a persistent language myth: the belief that young children can acquire new languages quickly and effortlessly. However, research demonstrates that this assumption is inaccurate. Moreover, for many children, this transition also coincides with their first separation from primary caregivers, intensifying the emotional and developmental challenges they face. Given these realities, culturally and linguistically relevant practices are especially imperative in early childhood education (ECE) settings. The Spanish term “Juntos” in the title means “together.” In this presentation, the author shares an ethnographic research project conducted in a Head Start classroom—a federally funded preschool program in the United States—located in a new immigrant settlement in Pennsylvania. In this classroom, the author and a teacher collaboratively implemented linguistically and culturally responsive practices for young Spanish-speaking children. Although the focus of the study is contextually specific, the philosophy guiding the work is broadly applicable to classrooms around the world that serve multilingual children. This project may offer valuable guidance to educators, particularly those working in settings where multilingualism is a relatively new phenomenon and teachers are seeking ways to better understand and support children’s linguistic and cultural identities.

Authors:
Kiyomi Umezawa, University of Hawaii at Manoa, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Kiyomi Umezawa is an assistant professor at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She received a dual-title Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction and comparative international education at Pennsylvania State University.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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