NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1365479
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Sep
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1461-0213
EISSN: EISSN-1570-5595
Exploring Bilingual Teaching and Learning in a Jewish-Palestinian Language Café
Haim, Orly; Kedar, Yarden
AILA Review, v35 n1 p128-151 Sep 2022
The context of this exploratory study is a "Language Café," a bottom-up initiative in which Jews and Palestinians, residing in the same multilingual neighborhood in Jerusalem, learn Hebrew and Arabic from each other. The study explores the features of the bilingual pedagogy which has evolved in the "Language Café" and the participants' perceived teaching and learning experiences. A qualitative research design was applied utilizing several data sources: (a) observations and field notes (b) language learning materials; (c) semi-structured interviews with the project leaders; (d) interviews with the Jewish and Palestinian participants and (e) photos posted on social media. Inductively oriented content analyses revealed a number of themes suggesting that the bilingual pedagogy applied in the "Language Café" is based on principles of "equality," "equity," and "bidirectional respect" with regard to the participants' plurilingual/pluricultural repertoires. The learning process is primarily learner-centered, with a continuous "engagement" of the participants in interactional activities. Yet, given the unique geopolitical situation, conflictual issues surface. The analyses further reveal that the language learning experience in this context is conducive to the participants' language and cultural knowledge and to their engagement with the Other group. The participants' accounts suggest that the "Language Café" sessions have reduced prejudices and feelings of fear and tension between the two groups. Indeed, the "Language Café" is perceived as part of the broader geopolitical endeavor to reconfigure the neighborhood within the local municipal binational context where language is used as a means to foster identity affirmation and sociocultural connectivity.
John Benjamins Publishing Company. Klaprozenweg 105 Postbus 36224, NL-1020 ME Amsterdam, Netherlands. Tel: +31-20-6304747; Fax: +31-20-6739773; e-mail: subscription@benjamins.nl; Web site: https://www.benjamins.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Israel (Jerusalem)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A