Artanti Sari and I have a new article in the International Journal of Bilingualism. ‘Learning Qur’anic Arabic in a virtual village: Family religious language policy in transnational Indonesian Muslim families‘ examines how two Indonesian Muslim families in the United States used digital technology to support their children in learning Qur’anic Arabic in translocal and transnational contexts in which to connect with family, friends, Qur’anic Arabic educators, and voluntary kin. Our article is part of a special issue on sacred language learning, guest edited by Bene Bassetti.
language socialization
ICEM talk with Dr. Zulfa Sakhiyya
Dr. Zulfa Sakhiyya and I are invited speakers at the 9th International Conference on Education in Muslim Society, August 14-15. This year’s theme is ‘Integrating Multiculturalism and Literacy in the Educational Landscape’. My department had the honor of hosting Zulfa as a Fulbright Scholar last year. Our ICEM talk, ‘Faith literacies in multilingual context’, grows out of our collaborative exploration of Qur’anic schooling in diverse settings.
BAAL 2023 symposium
Artanti Sari and I are presenting today at the 56th Annual Conference of the British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL) at the University of York. We are part of the symposium ‘The Learning of Sacred Languages’, which features papers from a forthcoming special issue of the International Journal of Bilingualism, edited by Bene Bassetti. Our paper examines the use of digital spaces by transnational Indonesian-Muslim families to support their children’s Qur’anic Arabic language and literacy development.
AMI 2023 workshop on Language Socialization
Together with Min-Seok Choi (University of Louisiana at Lafayette), Grace Kim (Bucknell University), and Jackie Ridley (Kent State University), I facilitated a workshop for the 2023 Advanced Methods Institute: Advancing Qualitative Inquiry toward Innovation, Equity, Diversity, & Justice. In our workshop ‘Language Socialization Research and Social and Linguistic Justice’, we introduced participants to the paradigm, explored research methodology, and discussed the on-going shift in the field toward being more directly and explicitly engaged with issues of social and linguistic justice.
AERA 2023 paper & symposium
AERA 2023 in Chicago is wrapping up today. I am part of 2 symposia. I am the discussant for the symposium Illuminating Sociality and Learning in Diverse Educational Environments by Interrogating Movement, Touch, and Affect, organized by Sarah Jean Johnson (UTEP) and Ananda M. Marin (UCLA). I am second author on Jackie Ridley’s (Kent State) paper “¡Mira, the coche has wheels!” Supporting young children and families’ translanguaging through informal science’. The paper is part of a symposium organized by Jackie and Lindsey Rowe (Clemson U), In Supporting Children and Families in Early Childhood Education Contexts Through Translingual Practices and Pedagogies.
U Cambridge workshop
End of this month I will be a panelist and participant in a workshop focused on Language Learning in/as Religious Education. Dr. Artanti Sari and I will present together on Qur’anic Arabic learning in digital spaces. The workshop is the 3rd part of a series of events hosted by the Cambridge Interfaith Programme at the University of Cambridge. We will reflect on approaches, methods, and next steps in the research and teaching of religious languages. We will discuss the core questions: (1) What have we learned about how and why people teach and learn religious languages? (2) What do we do with that learning? (3) How does interdisciplinary discussion about such research impact our own work as teachers and/or researchers? This workshop will be of interest to educators, researchers, and practitioners of religious languages and literacies. We welcome participation and insights from attendees drawing from their own experiences with religious languages and literacies. This hybrid workshop takes place, Monday, 27 March, 2023, 13:15 to 16:45 GMT. For more information and registrations, click on the link above.
Jin-Wei Hung awarded OIA grant
My advisee Jin-Wei Hung has been awarded the International Research and Scholarship Grant for his dissertation research ‘Language Socialization and Academic Adaptation of Chinese Heritage Language Learners in Study Abroad Context’. This grant is awarded by OSU’s Offices of International Affairs, Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge, and Student Academic Excellence.
Supporting Black Children’s Language, Literacy, and Joy
Dr. Monique Mills and I the organizers of Supporting Black Children on Their Paths to Greatness: Language, Literacy, and Joy. This is a series of virtual convenings that bring together a small group of people to create a collaborative space for sharing strategies that work well in advancing research, educational practice, advocacy, and dialogue and collaboration between researchers and practitioners. Each convening includes one or more talks by members of our emerging community of practice, as well as opportunities to discuss and to get to know one another. In 2022-2023, we meet roughly once a month, and each convening has a theme.
Sessions at AAA 2022 in Seattle
I am participating in 2 sessions at the 2022 Meeting of the American Anthropological Association in Seattle. The panel ‘Using Anthropology Of Language And Literacy To Address Equity In Unsettling Times’ brings together educational anthropologists who draw on anthropological theory and methods to examine the teaching and learning of language and literacy, drawing on theoretical frameworks that challenge dominant understandings. The round table ‘Refugee Education Across The Life Span In Unsettling Times’ showcases research on/with the language and literacy dimensions of the refugee experience.
Intercultural English Language Programs at OSU
The Ohio State University’s English as a Second Language (ESL) Program has a new name: The Intercultural English Language Programs. The new name reflects a more expanded notion of English language learning. Learn more about our programs.