Dr. Pandey is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, and Coordinator of Professional Communication at Morgan State University in Baltimore, U.S.A. She was born and raised in a bilingual home in Africa. She picked Up Hindi, English, Yoruba, Hausa, and Nigerian Pidgin in her Childhood, and learned French and Spanish as a teenager—primarily from children. Her doctorate is from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds two M.A. degrees (the first in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), and is Associate Editor of the Journal of English as an International Language, and guest editor of two forthcoming issues of the International Journal of Communication.
With over 40 years of commitment to revitalizing Major Indian and other lesser known languages, and over 600 refereed publications, and media resources, the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) takes great pride in celebrating and sustaining languages and speech communities everywhere. At the forefront of linguistic research, CIIL has been instrumental in ensuring that societal multilingualism is embraced and its value recognized across the globe.
It is, therefore, very befitting that this book, on child-facilitated cross-age collaboration, community dual language and literacy enhancement, stronger home-school-community ties, and heritage language advancement in a predominantly monolingual context is being published by a press located in a multilingual nation where everyday negotiations necessitate use of more than one language.
This volume reflects our diversified research focus and speaks for its unique yet universal message. It prioritizes both the communication needs and instructional resources of language minorities, including children and senior citizens, two groups that deserve greater research attention. The innovative pedagogy proposed, namely, Collaborative Continuity is timely, pragmatic, research-driven, globally applicable, and inclusive. Aimed at bridging cultures, languages, and age groups in multiple learning environments--not just in the designated classroom--this approach to community language and literacy enhancement and global citizenry is truly promising. The uniqueness of this volume lies in the following findings or research highlights:
1. Children and young adults play a critical role in first and second/subsequent language and literacy development, both inside and outside the classroom.
2. Children and young adults facilitate not just their peers’ language and literacy, but adults’ as well.
3. Language loss, including heritage language attrition and/or loss is especially damaging to children and young adults, and can be averted through Collaborative Continuity.
4. Children and young adults have the potential to contribute much more to community language and literacy enhancement (e.g., when trained)
5. Classrooms, homes and communities could be seamlessly connected through intercultural and intergenerational engagements in which children simultaneously facilitate language/literacy.
6. Conversation analysis is a highly effective linguistic tool: it highlights language learning or scaffolding points, and the rich language- instructional potential of children and young adults.
7. Child-facilitated approaches to speech-and-language "therapy" are more meaningful and family-centered. As Pandey notes, ‘intervention approaches recommended by speech therapists tend to be adult-centric’ and "The terms "speech therapy" and "rehabilitation" suggest that one’s... prior linguistic skills can be restored" when, in fact, this is not assured.
CIIL applauds research efforts aimed at Strengthening families and communities, and at demonstrating the value of linguistic diversity and innovative language-instructional practices such as Collaborative Continuity. This is especially important in our ‘e-connected’ world. CIIL also recognizes that research on language and literacy (re)learning in variable cultural, geographic, and language contexts is critical, as research insights from this field inform applied linguistics, education, and a host of other disciplines.
The Institute appreciates Dr. Anita Pandey for sharing this volume and additional CIIL resources with scholars, educators, families, and students everywhere.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
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