Centering Multilingual Learners in School Curriculum through Community Asset Mapping: A Practical Guide for Teachers (Demystifying Social Justice . Equity and Justice Practices in Schools)

Centering Multilingual Learners in School Curriculum through Community Asset Mapping is written for educators working with culturally and linguistically diverse student populations, particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds. It presents and explores Community Asset Mapping (CAM) as a transformative pedagogical approach that values students’ lived experiences, cultural wealth, and linguistic repertoires as essential components of learning. It speaks to teachers who seek to integrate students’ strengths and assets into the curriculum while challenging hierarchical structures of knowledge and language within the education system.

Written by two multilingual language education professionals who draw upon their own educational journeys and rich, multifaceted experience working with multilingual learners, this book is also grounded in a post-qualitative research approach. It weaves together culturally responsive teaching, translanguaging, and community asset mapping as a co-learning practice, alongside a diverse range of critical theories and pedagogical approaches. This resource extends beyond academic scholarship; it engages with community-based initiatives, social entrepreneurship, and lived experiences to offer both a holistic perspective and a practical, action-oriented approach. Through this lens, the authors aim to equip educators with the tools to transform classrooms into more equitable and justice-driven learning spaces. Throughout the book, numerous examples and practical resources are offered to bring these ideas to life, demonstrating how CAM can be implemented in the classroom as a powerful and enriching teaching strategy.

More than just a resource, this book is a call to action―an invitation for educators to embark on a collaborative journey. It embraces vulnerability, emphasizes co-learning, and celebrates the communities that shape the work of language education professionals. Through this shared effort, the authors invite educators to join them in critically reimagining education and advocating for more equitable, asset-based practices that truly honor the voices and experiences of their students.

Perfect for courses such as: Multicultural and multilingual Education; Sociolinguistics; Methods and Materials in TESOL Education; Curriculum Design in Education or TESOL; Language, Culture and Society; Urban Education; Family Engagement in Education

Dr. Ching-Ching Lin is a teacher educator specializing in TESOL and Bilingual Education at Adelphi University, New York. Originally from Taiwan, Dr. Lin has held leadership roles across local, national, and international teacher organizations. These include serving as Past Chair of the Bilingual-Multilingual Education Interest Section (B-MEIS) (2020–2021) and President of NYS TESOL (2022–2023), along with numerous positions within TESOL International. She is also the founder and director of a teacher education initiative grounded in co-learning and cultural humility, designed to empower educators in supporting multilingual learners through culturally responsive teaching practices. Dr. Lin’s research focuses on leveraging diversity as a catalyst for meaningful and transformative change. She has published extensively on topics related to diversity and inclusion. Dr. Lin is a co-editor and contributing author of three influential volumes: Inclusion, Diversity, and Intercultural Dialogue in Young People's Philosophical Inquiry, Internationalization in Action: Leveraging Diversity and Inclusion in the Globalized Classroom, and Reimagining Dialogue on Identity, Language, and Power.

Huseyin Uysal, Ph.D. is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of English Language Education at The Education University of Hong Kong. He holds a PhD degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in ESOL/Bilingual Education from the University of Florida. His scholarship is driven by the values of social justice and grounded in understanding power, identity, and inclusivity in linguistically and culturally diverse schools. His research interests, which tie back to several of his current endeavors, are primarily centered on criticality in TESOL teacher education, and plurilingualism at public schools. He is currently serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Education for Multilingualism, and the Associate Editor of the Journal of Education, Language, and Ideology.