The choice of the language or languages of instruction in schools presupposes the existence of language varieties suitable for the task. In the most widespread model of schooling, such a language of instruction is expected to be highly... more
The choice of the language or languages of instruction in schools presupposes the existence of language varieties suitable for the task. In the most widespread model of schooling, such a language of instruction is expected to be highly standardized (so that many different schools can use the same curricular and human resources) and both prestigious and widely used (so that education promotes economic mobility and intergroup communication). These are not “natural” characteristics for any language: they are the result of the more-or-less conscious influence of various powerful groups and institutions on sociolinguistic norms. In its most conscious, explicit and rationalized form, such influence is known as language planning.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
As a step towards a systematic comparative evaluation of the fairness of different language policies, a rationale is presented for the design of an index of linguistic justice based on public policy analysis. The approach taken is to... more
As a step towards a systematic comparative evaluation of the fairness of different language policies, a rationale is presented for the design of an index of linguistic justice based on public policy analysis. The approach taken is to define a ‘minimum threshold of linguistic justice’ with respect to government language policy in three domains: law and order, public administration, and essential services. A hypothetical situation of pure equality and freedom in the choice of language used by all members of society in communicating with the state is used as a theoretical benchmark to study the distributive effects of policy alternatives. Departures from this standard incur lower scores. Indicators are chosen to assess effective access to three kinds of language rights: toleration (the lack of state interference in private language choices), accommodation (accessibility of public services in different languages), and compensation (symbolic and practical recognition of languages outside...
Research Interests:
Research Interests: CARR and Indigenous
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Imagination has sporadically captured the attention of many great thinkers in philosophy, psychology, and the arts, yet it would be hard to argue that we are much closer to elucidating its central mysteries (Brann, 1991). Nor is its... more
Imagination has sporadically captured the attention of many great thinkers in philosophy, psychology, and the arts, yet it would be hard to argue that we are much closer to elucidating its central mysteries (Brann, 1991). Nor is its importance for education widely recognized. True, many people pay lip service to the educational value of engaging children’s imaginations, primarily through the arts. Such enga gement, though, is not generally regarded as the core business of education; it does not figure prominently in most approaches to teacher preparation, nor does it attract a great deal of attention from researchers. This book joins a handful of other edited collections in the recent literature (Blenkinsop, 2009; Leonard and Willis, 2008; Joneset al, 2008) that give voice to an opposing conviction: that an understanding of imagination forms an essential part of a fundamental rethinking of education “from the ground up” (Egan, 2008).
The inaugural issue of a new journal of Esperanto Studies provides insights into research traditions and current directions.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Please address correspondence to Marcia McKenzie at 4125 Fairway Place, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V7G 1Y8, 604-924-5573, mdmckenz@sfu.ca ... This case study examines the difficulties faced by eleven educators who have... more
Please address correspondence to Marcia McKenzie at 4125 Fairway Place, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V7G 1Y8, 604-924-5573, mdmckenz@sfu.ca ... This case study examines the difficulties faced by eleven educators who have endeavored to
We begin this paper by considering a practice that is not normally thought of as “environmental education.” That is, the land acknowledgement. In recent years, it has become standard for schools and other public institutions in British... more
We begin this paper by considering a practice that is not normally thought of as “environmental education.” That is, the land acknowledgement. In recent years, it has become standard for schools and other public institutions in British Columbia (BC) to acknowledge that they are situated on Indigenous land, especially when hosting events and presentations. And yet, as the paper continues, we are challenged to consider the greater implications these acknowledgements might bear for educators beyond simply a speaking of the words. In order to do this work, we focus on three strands: land, language, and listening, which we suggest arise directly from careful consideration of the contents and goals of these acknowledgements. Drawing from Indigenous, philosophical, experiential, and political sources we explore the strands and posit that they may become important educational well-springs for transforming human and more-than-human relationships. We end this paper with a short discussion of some work currently under way in BC.
Research Interests:
Esperanto has a long history in Asia, a fact often neglected in discussions of its cultural and social significance. That history includes the dimensions of politics, identity, and education, which together situate the language within a... more
Esperanto has a long history in Asia, a fact often neglected in discussions of its cultural and social significance. That history includes the dimensions of politics, identity, and education, which together situate the language within a complex network of interpersonal and interlingual relationships. If one wishes to forecast the future evolution of such a system, one needs to understand the structural factors that limit Esperanto’s growth, along with the factors that propel its spread. Such an analysis sheds light not only on Esperanto’s characteristics as a language, but also on the broader linguistic ecosystem within which it constitutes a minor but noteworthy index of systemic change. A few weeks after the Nitobe Symposium in Tokyo, the Japanese and Korean Esperanto movements will celebrate a noteworthy anniversary. Every year for the past quarter-century, the so-called Komuna Seminario has brought together young people from Japan, South Korea, and more recently China, to explor...
Educational policy in Europe is deliberately shifting towards a more consistent focus on inclusion, meaning provisions to ensure effective education in mainstream classrooms for all students. A considerable gap exists, however, between... more
Educational policy in Europe is deliberately shifting towards a more consistent focus on inclusion, meaning provisions to ensure effective education in mainstream classrooms for all students. A considerable gap exists, however, between the policy and research frameworks of the inclusion movement, on the one hand, and research and policy on language teaching and learning, on the other. This chapter explores the reasons for this, and what engagement with inclusion may imply for teaching practices in schools, for programs of teacher education, and for scholarly thinking and practice in second language acquisition and language policy. It argues that inclusion requires a rethinking of the settings, participants, and questions central to such areas of research.
Research Interests:
We live contradictory lives. We long to live on, with, and through the earth … yet we get in the way of such possibilities. We get in the way of ecosystems, we get in the way of life unfolding as it knows best, we get in the way of our... more
We live contradictory lives. We long to live on, with, and through the earth … yet we get in the way of such possibilities. We get in the way of ecosystems, we get in the way of life unfolding as it knows best, we get in the way of our own best intentions. We touch and are touched by our phones, our computers, our machines, our buildings, but not each other. It is even rarer for us to genuinely encounter, or allow ourselves to be held by, the earth, the trees, the foliage, the animals.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Both experience and imagination are restricted in modern schooling, arguably because their unpredictability threatens to undermine the dominant assembly-line metaphor of curriculum. Kieran Egan's account of imaginative development... more
Both experience and imagination are restricted in modern schooling, arguably because their unpredictability threatens to undermine the dominant assembly-line metaphor of curriculum. Kieran Egan's account of imaginative development assigns a foundational role to embodied understanding, but leaves its educational cultivation largely unexplored. Nonetheless, Egan's narrative metaphor of curriculum can be extended to highlight educationally important features of experience. This idea leads to a curriculum model for cultivating the imaginative meaning of sensory encounters with the world, involving the phases of Orientation, Complication, Transformation and Integration. Consideration of the role of language, along with other tools, in mediating learning within this framework lead to a revised account of imaginative development that places greater weight on the importance and variety of experience. It is suggested that this theoretical approach could enhance conversations between ...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Inspired by papers developed for the 6th International Conference on Imagination and Education: Imaginative Practice, Imaginative Inquiry, (Canberra, Australia, 2008), this book connects a cross-section of educators, researchers... more
ABSTRACT Inspired by papers developed for the 6th International Conference on Imagination and Education: Imaginative Practice, Imaginative Inquiry, (Canberra, Australia, 2008), this book connects a cross-section of educators, researchers and administrators in a dialogue and exploration of imaginative and creative ways of teaching, learning and conducting educational inquiry. Imagination is a concept that spans traditional disciplinary and professional boundaries. The authors in this book acknowledge diverse theoretical and practical allegiances, but they concur that imagination will play an essential role in the building of new foundations for education in the 21st century. From our conception of human development through our ways of educating teachers to the teaching of mathematics, they argue for the centrality of imagination in the realization of human potential, and for its relevance to the most urgent problems confronting our world. Introduced by a wide-ranging literature review and extensively referenced, this volume makes an important contribution to a rapidly expanding field.
Research Interests:
Title: Al lingva demokratio = Towards Linguistic Democracy = Vers la democratie linguistique. Proceedings of the Nitobe Symposium of International Organizations (Prague, Czech Republic, July 20-23, 1996). ... Al lingva demokratio =... more
Title: Al lingva demokratio = Towards Linguistic Democracy = Vers la democratie linguistique. Proceedings of the Nitobe Symposium of International Organizations (Prague, Czech Republic, July 20-23, 1996). ... Al lingva demokratio = Towards Linguistic Democracy = ...
Research Interests:
Included in the Calls to Action of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission are several Calls pertaining to Indigenous languages. However, the terms of Western discourse on rights, and on language itself, risk obscuring the... more
Included in the Calls to Action of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission are several Calls pertaining to Indigenous languages. However, the terms of Western discourse on rights, and on language itself, risk obscuring the fundamental connections between language and land that Indigenous Elders and scholars have insisted on. Drawing on a diverse literature, I argue that language is, indeed, bound up with the ways in which we inhabit the living world, and that genuine reconciliation requires rethinking language policy and management from this perspective.
Research Interests:
Included in the Calls to Action of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission are several Calls pertaining to Indigenous languages. However, the terms of Western discourse on rights, and on language itself, risk obscuring the... more
Included in the Calls to Action of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission are several Calls pertaining to Indigenous languages. However, the terms of Western discourse on rights, and on language itself, risk obscuring the fundamental connections between language and land that Indigenous Elders and scholars have insisted on. Drawing on a diverse literature, I argue that language is, indeed, bound up with the ways in which we inhabit the living world, and that genuine reconciliation requires rethinking language policy and management from this perspective. Résumé : Entre autres appels à l'action de la Commission de vérité et de réconciliation du Canada, plusieurs touchent les langues autochtones. Cependant, les termes des discours occidentaux sur les droits et la langue risquent d'occulter les liens fondamentaux entre la terre et la langue, liens sur lesquels des Aînés et des chercheurs ont pourtant insisté. En m'appuyant sur de nombreuses ressources, je montre qu...
Research Interests:
The United Nations system has been engaged for some years in setting new development priorities to replace the Millennium Development Goals following their expiry in 2015. While language issues are almost wholly absent from documents... more
The United Nations system has been engaged for some years in setting new development priorities to replace the Millennium Development Goals following their expiry in 2015. While language issues are almost wholly absent from documents intended to guide this policy process, there are thought-provoking implications for language planners in some of the key ideas advanced by agencies within the UN system. These include the need to address structural inequalities, greater emphasis on cities as loci of social planning and management, growing interest in social protection floors as a policy mechanism, and the implications of sustainable development as an alternative planning paradigm.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
DESCRIPTION This is the text I developed for a workshop at the Stabilizing Indigenous Languages conference in Kamloops, BC, in May 2012. It represents (in summary form) my current response to questions posed in my 1997 SILS paper,... more
DESCRIPTION This is the text I developed for a workshop at the Stabilizing Indigenous Languages conference in Kamloops, BC, in May 2012. It represents (in summary form) my current response to questions posed in my 1997 SILS paper, "Stabilizing What? An Ecological Approach to Language Renewal".
MARK FETTES CRITICAL REALISM, ECOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY, AND IMAGINED COMMUNITIES Foundations for a naturalist theory of language acquisition 1. INTRODUCTION Ecological thinking does not come readily or unproblematically to us moderns, for... more
MARK FETTES CRITICAL REALISM, ECOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY, AND IMAGINED COMMUNITIES Foundations for a naturalist theory of language acquisition 1. INTRODUCTION Ecological thinking does not come readily or unproblematically to us moderns, for reasons to be examined in ...
Research Interests:
The geostrategies of interlingualism Mark Fettes Since the end of the fifteenth century, when the printing press delivered the means of linguistic standardisation into the hands of centrist rulers (Illich 1981; 1983), the field of... more
The geostrategies of interlingualism Mark Fettes Since the end of the fifteenth century, when the printing press delivered the means of linguistic standardisation into the hands of centrist rulers (Illich 1981; 1983), the field of language policy and planning has been dominated by what ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Teacher education, the process of becoming a teacher and aiding others to become teachers, is in part a journey of imaginative development. Students come to imagine teaching, and themselves as teachers, in new ways. This essay reports on... more
Teacher education, the process of becoming a teacher and aiding others to become teachers, is in part a journey of imaginative development. Students come to imagine teaching, and themselves as teachers, in new ways. This essay reports on an attempt to ...
Research Interests:
... however, Hogan opts for Gadamer's notion of ''cultural tradition as a kind of conversa-tional partner'' (120) as more inviting and inclusive. ... ''heartwork'' is widespread in schools, a... more
... however, Hogan opts for Gadamer's notion of ''cultural tradition as a kind of conversa-tional partner'' (120) as more inviting and inclusive. ... ''heartwork'' is widespread in schools, a natural form of teaching practice just waiting for the right conditions to burst out all over the place. ...
Research Interests:
SAŽETAK Kakva se jezicna zajednica moze formirati napodloziplanskoga jezika? U clanku se razmatraju pitanja sociologije esperantske jezicne zajednice, povodom novoizdane knjige koja daje pregled deset anketnih istraživanja provedenih... more
SAŽETAK Kakva se jezicna zajednica moze formirati napodloziplanskoga jezika? U clanku se razmatraju pitanja sociologije esperantske jezicne zajednice, povodom novoizdane knjige koja daje pregled deset anketnih istraživanja provedenih izmedju 1927 i 1992. Za razliku od ranijih istrazivanja, u kojima se podatke interpretiralo na nacin pogodan za analizu drustvenih pokreta, ovaj pregled stavlja naglasak na sociologiju jezicnih manjina. Istrazivanje provedeno na uzorku 156 aktivnih esperantista 1985 godine, ukazuje da esperanto funkcionira prvenstveno kao sredstvo usmenog i neformalnog opcenja, a tek na drugom mjestu kao sredstvo neformalne ili poluformalne pismene komunikacije u dopisivanju i unutar siroke mreze esperantskog tiska. Govornici ocjenjuju svoju jezicnu kompetenciju kao blisku onoj u materinskom jeziku. Znacajan dio govornika ne predvidja skorô sirenje podrucja uporabe esperanta. RESUMO La Esperanto-komunumo: ĉu kvazaŭ-etna lingva malplimulto? Kia lingvokomunumo povas formi...