Monolingual teachers in multilingual centres

The Māngere Bridge community is culturally, linguistically, ethnically, and economically diverse. The philosophy of the kindergarten in this community highlights the importance of forging partnerships between teachers, children, whānau, and the community and the provision of an inclusive environment. At the time this TLRI research was conducted, there were 26 languages spoken in the kindergarten community, with some children confidently speaking three or more languages.  

Parents worked hard to sustain their home languages. In the kindergarten, teachers were monolingual and spoke only English. The children communicated mostly in English but, on occasion, in their own home language during play.  

Kaiako practices reflected the principle of additive bilingualism, believing that parents had enrolled their child in an English-medium centre in order for their child to add English language to their home language. This approach was inconsistent with the kindergarten’s philosophy to work inclusively with children’s cultures to foster strong relationships.

When the research explored parents’ aspirations, however, it became apparent that parents wanted their children to have support in learning multiple languages and for children to get to know and value each other’s language(s).

Kaiako reflected on these findings and subsequently altered some practices. 

Kaiako: 

• changed children’s portfolios to include spaces to prioritise the child’s language(s) and cultural identities
• found ways to incorporate more of the children’s languages in the kindergarten, asking parents to help them learn words and phrases
• used cards and artefacts with pronunciation prompts at group times
• let children show expertise by advising them on accurate pronunciation.

From these experiences, children’s heightened awareness added complexity to their understanding of difference and inclusion.