Rethinking Power Dynamics in Multilingual TESOL: De-constructing and Re-constructing Power ‘in,’ ‘of,’ and ‘for’ Multilingual Classrooms
摘要
Often exerted as a negative force in the classroom, power may minoritize and racialize students, impose deficit assessments of language resources, and limit imagined futures. In this introductory chapter, we discuss the intricate dynamics of Power (Power with capital P), which refers to a coercive exercise of Power imposed by institutions and policy on multilingual TESOL classrooms, often reflecting their neoliberal or colonial agendas. Putting forth a need to focus on a more positive rethinking of classroom-level power (power with a small p), we call for beneficiary changes brought by de-constructing and re-constructing our thinking around power in the context of multilingual classrooms. Following French and Raven (1959), we identify four types of positive power (referent, expert, legitimate, and reward) that the chapters in this volume illustrate ‘in,’ ‘of,’ and ‘for’ multilingual TESOL classrooms and contexts. By distinguishing between macro-level Power and micro-level power, the volume highlights the potential for referent, expert, legitimate, and reward powers to transform TESOL practices. Ultimately, we emphasize the power of grassroots educators to challenge monolingual ideologies in multilingual TESOL where multilingualism is not only acknowledged but agentively—and powerfully—cultivated.