EDUCATIONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY

final reflexion

INTERVIEWS

My FUNDS of:

MULTIS

deficit vs asset perspective

THIRD SPACE: experiences

INTRODUCING MY LIFE

ACADEMIC LIFE

DIFFERENCES

DEFINITION

ANASTASIA

LANGUAGE EXCHANGE

THE KITE RUNNER

REFLEXION

MOHA

WHAT CAN WE DO?

KNOWLEDGE

PERSONAL LIFE

MULTICULTURALISM

IDENTITY

MULTILITERACIES

MULTIMODALITIES

MULTILINGUALISM

VLADI

By Ana Llorens Ferrer

MY EDUCATIONAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY

my funds of identity

Being from Valencia, I have always had a strong bond with its vibrant culture. From the thrill of Las Fallas to the tunes of traditional Valencian music, these customs have inspired me to be creative and proud. I learnt the value of community and protecting culture while growing up talking Valencian at home and participating in local festivals. Since some people tend to think that being or speaking Valencian makes us less Spanish, this pride has been even more apparent in recent years. Some people see bilingualism as a weakness, or even as a sign that we are less worthy than them, rather than as a strength. Adopting an asset perspective makes being Valencian a source of identity and knowledge that significantly enhances a person and a student's academic path, rather than a limitation.

THE KITE RUNNER (2007)

In second of ESO I had a subject that I believe fits perfectly the concept of the third space. The subject was called "Ciutadania" and to increase our awareness of the various cultures and societies around the world, the teacher showed us films like this one. "The Kite Runner" tells the story of Afghanistan's tranquil pre-Soviet period and the destruction caused by the Soviet invasion, civil war, and the advent of the Taliban, the movie also sheds light on the country's past. It highlights both the ongoing cultural customs, such as kite flying, and the hardships faced by Afghan refugees.

DIFFERENCES

MY PERSONAL LIFE

Hi there! my name is Ana and I am 22 years old. I have only ever lived with my parents, even though I have three half-sisters. Although I currently reside and study in Valencia, I have always lived in Xàtiva. After having completed my studies in English philology, I am currently pursuing a master's degree in secondary education with the goal of becoming an English teacher.

VLADI, UKRAINIAN PARENTS, 22 YEARS

"Al nàixer ací tampoc vaig tindre cap complicació. Físicament no destaque ni tampoc tinc accent i la gent sempre es queda amb cara de sorpresa quan dic el meu nom. Segurament Moha ha tingut moltes més complicacions que jo".

MY ACADEMIC LIFE

Valencian and Spanish have been a part of my life since I was little. My father is from Llocnou, so he predominantly speaks Valencian, and my mother is from Valencia, so she mainly speaks Spanish. I have always attended the class both in school and in highschool where the primary language was Valencian (although Spanish and English have always been present in the curriculum). As I got older, my parents decided it would be a great idea to enrol me in extracurricular English classes, and I began to develop a deep passion for the language. As a result, I decided on English philology when it came time to pick a degree. In terms of other languages, I became interested in Korean a few years ago after listening to certain Korean musicians, but I still only know a few words.

reflexion

In high school, I recall a particular English teacher who set lower standards for us, which constrained our chances for progress. For example, he talked very little English with us, which is obviously inappropriate in an English session. However, after giving it some thought, I see that there are at least two options to explain his behaviour, and both are caused by the deficit perspective. The first possibility is that he did believe his students lacked proficiency in English, and rather than reinforce it, he concentrated on our shortcomings, which had an adverse effect on our academic performance. Speaking aloud, for example, has always been challenging for us students because, without experience, we become self-conscious about our pronunciation and accent, and his actions did not help. The second possibility that springs to mind is that he felt embarrassed by his non-native English. No matter their credentials or teaching skills, non-native English speakers may be viewed as less capable or less successful in their role as educators. Perhaps, then, he was self-conscious about his abilities.

language exchange in limerick

Two years ago I was doing my Erasmus studies in Ireland, Limerick. My flatmates and I wanted to meet new people, so we decided to attend a language exchange meeting the university was holding at the cafeteria. The place was divided into tables and each table had a paper with a language's name on it. If you wanted to practice a language or talk about a specific culture of a place, you could go to that table, and people who spoke that language were sitting there. In our case, we were a bit shy at first, so we sat at the Spanish table and waited for people to come and talk to us. In a matter of seconds, the table was filled with people that wanted to practice the language and learn more about our country. Now that I am aware of what the third space is, I believe, that language exchange was a safe environment for people to feel comfortable in their own skin and feel how others are interested in what they might think is irrelevant.

anastasia

This musical was another instance when cultures—in this case, languages—were able to shine. It was during my second year of "bachillerato" that some German exchange students visited our high school. The music teacher wanted to arrange the German and Spanish versions of one of the songs in Anastasia. The teacher reached out to me to perform. I recall singing my verses in Spanish on that small stage as a German girl sang hers in German next to me. The activity was well received by the students, and it's safe to say that music transcended all languages. I came to see that music is a great way to create a third space that is safe. Since music is inherently both incredibly personal and widely accessible, it is the perfect medium for promoting inclusivity, creativity, and cross-cultural dialogue.

Moha, muslim, 22 years

"Si la pregunta és en quin moment he sentit que he pogut ser jo mateixa, òbviament a cap. Sempre he sentit l'obligació d'adaptar-me. Però no ho veig com algo mal, estàs en una societat, t'has d'adaptar a eixa societat. Però m'hauria agradat que es normalitzara el que soc jo. Jo no m'he sentit exclòs, però tampoc m'he sentit acollit. He sentit que he tingut que adaptar-me, que he hagut de demostrar que soc normal. Eres el rar, però has de demostrar que eres normal. Este treball l'hauria pogut fer un professor o els pares dels alumnes, i no crear esta diferència. No és algo palpable, és una experiència difícil de comprendre. M'agrada que em fesses esta pregunta perquè mai ho he parlat. Crec que és molt important parlar-ho, parlar en el xiquet, parlar de com se sent i parlar individualment en els xiquets de la classe de totes les cultures. Vladi entra dins de la normalitat occidental, jo no".

Here are the responses I got from two of my high school classmates that belong to different cultures or religions when I asked them if they ever felt comfortable being themselves in class:

third space

The third space is an intersection where students can combine informal, personal knowledge from their homes, communities, and cultural backgrounds with formal, academic knowledge that is frequently connected to schools and popular culture. I always felt included, although my opinion is biassed because I do not belong to any community or culture from outside of the territory at hand. Nevertheless, I can remember a few distinct instances in which, although brief, various cultures were discussed or appreciated in the academic environment.

MY FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE

My father used to work as a singer in a restaurant on the weekends. Because of this, I was introduced to the world of music, performing, and interacting. Every weekend as a little kid I watched my father sing with his band. I learnt the value of preparation and emotional connection from witnessing his commitment to rehearsals and his amazing capacity to captivate the audience. I fell in love with performing and last year, we shared a stage for the first time. My confidence regarding public speaking and creative projects in school has been really influenced by this. Through the years I have noticed how my fear of public speaking has diminished.

multilingualism

Multilingualism is the use of multiple languages by a single person or by a group of people. In the classroom, students should be encouraged to work together in both their native tongue or by another language they are learning. In my case, I have always spoken both Valencian and Spanish in class. It was neither encouraged or rejected, it was just part of our day, we switched between languages because we have grown with them. Regarding English, as I mentioned before, the teachers did not speak English during English classes so we did lack the speaking skill in the classrooms. Regarding other languages, there was an optional subject of French, but aside from that, there were not more options. The system still lacks the sensibility to understand the importance of multilingualism. A classroom can benefit from multilingualism for the following reasons: It creates a lively, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating atmosphere.

what can I do as a future teacher?

As a future educator, I should intentionally practise behaviours that promote trust, respect, inclusivity, and involvement in order to create a safe space that allows pupils to share their culture and sense of self. There are several things I could do to make this happen, like: Establish a base of mutual respect and trust; Include students' cultures and heritage in the class' curriculum; Provide opportunities to self-express; Foster a multilingual and multicultural atmosphere; Actively listen and validate their feelings and opinions; Provide a safe tangible and emotional space; Promote peer-to-peer teaching and learning; Reflect on my own conduct and Encourage students to change and grow. These are some of the things teachers should have in mind in order to be a safe space for their students and respect their needs. I will try to follow these in the future.

multiliteracies

Multiliteracy is the capacity to comprehend and generate meaning in a variety of formats in various contexts. In an educational environment, teaching students to evaluate and produce communications not only in print-based texts but also in a variety of media, such as websites or videos. I have to admit that teachers have used different multiliteracies to challenge us. For instance, a teacher once combined sound effects, spoken language and some images to explain us a historical event. I do remember feeling that the class was less boring and more efficient this way and I missed it when we went back to just reading the book.

multimodalities

Multimodality is the process of communicating meaning using a variety of modes like, visual, linguistic, gestural, etc. Acknowledging and instructing students in a variety of ways to comprehend and express concepts. Similar to the example of multiliteracies, a teacher has used different multimodalities with us before. There was an English teacher that prepared a game of charades. Therefore, using just gestures, we had to guess the action our partner was doing in English, these types of activities encourage team collaboration.

MULTICULTURALISM

Multiculturalism is the existence and acknowledgment of various cultural groups in a community, highlighting the importance of inclusivity and diversity. In the field of education, multiculturalism entails fostering respect for cultural diversity, guaranteeing representation and incorporating student's varied cultural backgrounds. Speaking from my own experience, the only time I felt that other cultures were being talked about is in the subject I mentioned before, "Ciutadania". Aside from that and celebrating Halloween, without really explaining anything about it and just making us dress up, I do not recall other moments in which a student from other cultures had a space to talk about their culture and family traditions.