In multilingual classrooms, language can create a barrier to learning and communication especially when the students and teachers are not fluent in a more universal language like English. This is why in multilingual classrooms, using arts and crafts can be a useful tool for language development and bridging gaps in these classrooms.
Practical Use of Arts and Crafts in Multilingual Classrooms
- Visual Storytelling
One of the language arts activities that can be done in a multilingual classroom is visual storytelling. Through visual storytelling, students can convey their experiences, thoughts, and experiences with each other regardless of their language barriers. They make use of visuals to do this. They make artworks like paintings, drawings, murals or collages. They share stories surrounding their artworks, making them learn each other’s languages and vocabularies.
This visual storytelling helps students have a hands-on experience in practicing vocabulary, sentence structure, and storytelling which in turn helps their daily communication skills. In the process, they connect because their classmates will ask them questions when they do not understand something. With the help of visual storytelling, students have the confidence boost to share their drawings and ideas, and they will learn to appreciate each other’s languages and cultures.
- Vocabulary Building
Vocabulary building is another effective tool for learning new languages, words, phrases, and language structures. This is arts and crafts for teachers as well as students because it is a fun and interactive way to learn from each other. Arts and crafts materials like scissors, paints, markers, glues, etc, are used to learn the vocabulary relating to shapes, textures, and colours created with the art tools. Students learn how to listen and understand because their teachers will give them instructions on how to make their art.
Students also describe their work to other students and label them which makes the students retain the new words they learned. It is even better if they label their work in multiple languages used in the classroom. Doing this makes them not always depend on research paper services because they slowly start learning other languages and can write by themselves. Educators love using vocabulary-building methods to develop students’ languages because some people find it easier to remember the context words that were used. It also enforces students’ multisensory experience because they make use of multiple sensories at once.
- Collaborative Arts
In multilingual classrooms, another tool that teachers use for language development is collaborative arts between students. It makes students practice language since they will be working on projects together. Students learn how to communicate with each other and develop their social skills and empathy. Tasks like collaborating on art projects, choosing the kind of art they want to draw as a group, sharing their perspectives, and coming to an agreement while also building relationships with each other.
- Cultural Exchange
With the availability of different art forms like dances, music, drawings, and other forms, students can learn each other’s languages and cultural heritage through cultural exchange. Two individuals have different perspectives on things which will allow students to learn and try to understand each other’s perspective. This, in turn, helps them to be empathetic towards each other, have a contextual understanding of things, and have global awareness.
Reasons to Implement Language Development for Multilingual Classrooms
There are different reasons why language development should be implemented in multilingual classrooms:
- Visual context for language learning
When you make use of arts and crafts for language development in multilingual classrooms, students can easily understand the context the word is used and why it is used. They are better able to remember it because the language was used while talking about a particular object, experience, feeling, etc making it easier for them to grasp the visual representation of the word and the meaning of the word. For example, if a teacher points at a ‘chair’ and calls it that. A student is more likely to remember that word because they saw a visual representation of it.
- Promotes collaborative learning
Collaborative arts are one of the ways students learn how to make use of different languages because they are working in groups, forced to interact with each other and express themselves while also creating a group art project. So, when students use multiple modes of communication like speaking, drawing, writing, and listening, they can pick up on different languages and engage with these languages in diverse ways which is good for them. A clear example is students bringing up different ideas for the group project, writing descriptions of their art project, and presenting the art project in the classroom.
- Helps in the expression of cultural identity
In a multilingual classroom, one language mustn’t seem to outweigh the other so that students will feel valued and encouraged to learn other languages. It is, therefore, important to express different languages in the classroom. For example, allowing students to bring their cultural crafts like traditional masks, beads, pottery, and other things that are significant to their culture, make them discuss these cultural crafts in the classroom, and try to translate them into a target language that the majority of the students will understand helps to build the vocabulary all the students present. When students use arts and crafts to express their cultural identity it makes them build confidence in using different languages because they are in a creative environment and not under pressure in any way. So, students can speak up and write in new languages without fear of being laughed at.
- Supports linguistic development
Teachers use arts and crafts as a tool for language development because it stimulates students’ cognitive processes. They can make use of their spatial reasoning, problem-solve issues, and use their fine motor skills which have been seen to be linked to language development. They sometimes repeat actions in the process, like pasting, painting, cutting, drawing, etc, which helps them learn the vocabulary that is attached to those actions naturally.
Conclusion
Arts and crafts offer a powerful tool for language development in multilingual classrooms. Teachers make use of it because it helps to unlock students’ creativity, boosts their confidence, makes them feel seen, and helps them pick up different languages easily. When more multilingual classrooms take on these approaches to language development, it will make it easier for students to learn and become better at grasping other languages.
However, teachers must ensure that students are not ridiculed because they cannot pick up a language or they forgot something. Students should be praised when they can speak another language because some students will be ready to learn more if they feel appreciated and most importantly, the learning environment should not be stressful for students.