Art As a Way of Listening: Centering Student and Community Voices in Language Learning and Cultural Revitalization

Offering a wealth of art-based practices, this volume invites readers to reimagine the joyful possibility and power of language and culture in language and literacy learning. Understanding art as a tool that can be used for decolonizing minds, the contributors explore new methods and strategies for supporting the language and literacy learning skills of multilingual students. Contributors are artists, educators, and researchers who bring together cutting-edge theory and practice to present a broad range of traditional and innovative art forms and media that spotlight the roles of artful resistance and multilingual activism. Featuring questions for reflection and curricular applications, chapters address theoretical issues and pedagogical strategies related to arts and language learning, including narrative inquiry, journaling, social media, oral storytelling, and advocacy projects.

The innovative methods and strategies in this book demonstrate how arts-based, decolonizing practices are essential in fostering inclusive educational environments and supporting multilingual students’ cultural and linguistic repertoires. Transformative and engaging, this text is a key resource for educators, scholars, and researchers in literacy and language education.

Amanda Claudia Wager is Canada Research Chair in Community-Engaged Research and Professor of Education at Vancouver Island University, Canada.

Berta Rosa Berriz is Professor Emerita of Creative Arts and Learning at the Graduate School of Education at Lesley University, USA.

Laura Ann Cranmer is a Professor of Indigenous / Xwulmuxw Studies at Vancouver Island University, Canada.

Vivian Maria Poey is Professor of Photography and Integrated Studies at Lesley University, USA.