Bringing together sociolinguistic, linguistic, and educational perspectives, this cutting-edge overview of codeswitching examines language mixing in teaching and learning in bilingual classrooms. As interest in pedagogical applications of bilingual language mixing increases, so too does a need for a thorough discussion of the topic. This volume serves that need by providing an original and wide-ranging discussion of theoretical, pedagogical, and policy-related issues and obstacles in classroom settings-the pedagogical consequences of codeswitching for teaching and learning of language and content in one-way and two-way bilingual classrooms.

Part I provides an introduction to (socio)linguistic and pedagogical contributions to scholarship in the field, both historical and contemporary. Part II focuses on codeswitching in teaching and learning, and addresses a range of pedagogical challenges to language mixing in a variety of contexts, such as literacy and mathematics instruction. Part III looks at language ideology and language policy to explore how students navigate educational spaces and negotiate their identities in the face of competing language ideologies and assumptions. This volume breaks new ground and serves as an important contribution on codeswitching for scholars, researchers, and teacher educators of language education, multilingualism, and applied linguistics.

About the Author

Jeff MacSwan is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Language Education at the University of Maryland, USA.

Christian J. Faltis is Professor of Teaching and Learning at the Ohio State University, USA.

Reviews

"This is a fascinating volume that raises fundamental questions regarding the values and limits of theories and models of multilingual teaching and learning in institutionalized contexts. It brings the debates about theory, policy, practice and ideology together. The impact of the studies in this volume will be felt for a very long time to come."

Li Wei, Chair of Applied Linguistics, University College London (UCL), UK.

"Decades of (socio)linguistic research on language mixing has made two things abundantly clear: it is ubiquitous in bilingual communities and it is highly structured. As such, eliminating it is neither feasible nor desirable. The editors of this indispensable volume are to be congratulated for hammering these facts home to the educational community. May their and their contributors' sage observations lead teachers to recognize and capitalize on the stunning resources bilingual kids bring to school rather than treating them as a liability."

Shana Poplack, Distinguished University Professor and Canada Research Chair in Linguistics, and Director, Sociolinguistics Laboratory, University of Ottawa, Canada.

Book Information
ISBN 9781138225060
Author Jeff MacSwan
Format Paperback
Page Count 290
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 408g