A3 Book section, Chapters in research books
Multilingual Pedagogies for Anticolonial TESOL? An Analysis of Pre-service Teachers’ Voices from Finland (2023)

Ennser-Kananen, J., Iikkanen, P., & Skinnari, K. (2023). Multilingual Pedagogies for Anticolonial TESOL? An Analysis of Pre-service Teachers’ Voices from Finland. In K. Raza, D. Reynolds, & C. Coombe (Eds.), Handbook of Multilingual TESOL in Practice (pp. 479-492). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9350-3_31

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Ennser-Kananen, Johanna; Iikkanen, Päivi; Skinnari, Kristiina

Parent publication: Handbook of Multilingual TESOL in Practice

Parent publication editors: Raza, Kashif; Reynolds, Dudley; Coombe, Christine

ISBN: 978-981-19-9349-7

eISBN: 978-981-19-9350-3

Publication year: 2023

Pages range: 479-492

Number of pages in the book: 517

Publisher: Springer

Publication country: Singapore

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9350-3_31

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access: 

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/93497

Abstract

In this chapter, we bring together critical perspectives on the position of English in Finnish society and in the world with data and experiences from a Finnish teacher education context. We show how pre-service English teachers reflect on their experiences as multilingual language users and future educators and interpret this data from a focus group interview against the backdrop of the position of English in Finland and the larger context of the colonial enterprise that Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is. We align with anticolonial scholars like Motha (2014), who have who have outlined the entrenchedness of coloniality in the field of TESOL and ask about the potential of teacher education studies like LAMP (Language Aware Multilingual Pedagogy) to equip teachers with tools to turn their classroom into spaces where multiple languages are not merely tolerated but actively promoted, and where the difficult heritage of TESOL is acknowledged and dealt with in ways that open spaces for decolonizing practices. Our study shows that language awareness and cultural sensitivity are normalized and familiar ideas to the students and could support an effort to challenge images of Finns as white and Finnish-speaking. This could in turn normalize an image of Finland that is racially and linguistically diverse and promote pedagogies and materials that support teachers in dismantling whiteness and Finnish-speakerism as social and educational norms.

Keywords: languages; language policy; multilingualism; language teaching; English language; teacher training

Free keywords: TESOL; language policy; linguistic diversity; multilingual education; English language teaching

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2023

Preliminary JUFO rating: 2