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Empower multilingual learners and challenge deficit thinking nowMultilingual learners (MLs) deserve more than assimilation-they deserve equity, empowerment, and celebration of their full linguistic repertoires and identities. This groundbreaking book uncovers how deficit ideologies about language perpetuate assimilationist practices that harm MLs' heritage languages, cultural identities, and equitable opportunities for academic success. Through real-life stories and sociolinguistic analysis, author Dr. Lillian Ardell provides the tools to transform classrooms and schools into spaces that celebrate multilingualism and foster biliteracy, even in places where deficit thinking about MLs determines instructional practices and outcomes.
Rooted in research and supported by actionable strategies, this book calls on educators to evolve as advocates, inspiring them to shift their mindsets and practices to nurture bilingualism and biliteracy. Features include:
- Detailed exploration of the "Monolingual Bias" and how it operates within policies, curricula, and classrooms
- Insights into five "Disruptor Archetypes" to help educators identify their advocacy roles
- Real-life "Disruption Stories" offering inspiration and strategies for combating the Monolingual Bias
- Self-reflection tools like the "Small Brave Moments Quiz" to guide professional growth
A call to action for educators ready to challenge deficit mindsets and champion multilingualism in their schools, Disrupting the Monolingual Bias offers educators the tools they need to dismantle harmful practices and create classrooms that honor and uplift MLs.
List of contents
Foreword by Margo Gottlieb
Preface - Why Advocacy?
Part 1: Build your Knowledge Base
Chapter 1: Introducing the Monolingual Bias
Lesson Plan: Take the Small Brave Movements Quiz
Chapter 2: Bilingual Education is a Social Justice Issue
Chapter 3: Sociolinguistics Matter
Lesson Plan: Sociolinguistics by Lang Proficiency: Friends or Foes?
Chapter 4: Teaching Language Ideologies
Lesson Plan: The White Listening Subject
Part 2: Disruption Stories
Chapter 5: Disruptor Archetypes
Chapter 6: Success Stories
Lesson Plan: I¿m the type of advocate who...
Chapter 7: Bummer Stories
Lesson Plan: Equity in Bilingual Education Looks Like...
Chapter 8: Redemption Stories
Lesson Plan: If I could change one thing in bilingual education, it would be...
Part 3: Your Marching Orders
Chapter 9: Doable Disruptions to the Monolingual Bias
Lesson Plan: Advice for the Next Generation of Disruptors
About the author
Dr. Lillian Ardell is a speaker, coach, and the founder of Language Matters, LLC, an educational consulting firm. As a sociolinguist and trained qualitative researcher, she blends theory, practice, and adult learning principles to design transformative activities and coaching cycles focused on equity and teacher empowerment. Known for her engaging style, she incorporates humor, poetry, and even dance into her presentations. Disrupting the Monolingual Bias is her first book and represents a significant effort to challenge mainstream, deficit perspectives about bilingual learners. Visit her website to learn more: www.languagematters.org.
