In English 100, instructors encounter students with a wide variety of experiences in English as well as in other languages. This section provides a short overview to orient your work in a multilingual classroom and offers practical advice for multilingual writing pedagogy.

Multilingual speakers and writers include students who have been labeled “English as a Second Language” (ESL), second-language writers, and non-native speakers of English. In contrast to these labels, multilingualism steps away from English as a norm and attempts to respect the great variety in language diversity. It includes not only second-language but also third- and fourth-language experience as well as experience with dominant and non-dominant forms of English.

Historically, composition in the U.S. has been shaped by mono-lingualist assumptions and approaches. More recently, scholars in the field have stressed the national, social, and policy problems inherent in such approaches and call instead for a focus on English as a Global or World language that understands and values a variety of Englishes (Canagarajah, 2006; Matsuda and Matsuda, 2010). A multilingualist approach understands that students have a wide variety of language experiences and focuses on the strengths that these writers bring, instead of on only weaknesses or error (Vieira).

Who are UW-Madison’s multilingual writers?

UW Professor and writing researcher Kate Vieira stresses that the most important thing to understand about multilingual writers is that they vary: in language, fluency, education, race, class, and learning styles. However, she also presents some general guidelines for beginning to understand who UW-Madison’s multilingual students are:

• Multilingual students include both international students and students from within the U.S.
• International students often have studied English for years
• Multilingual students from within the U.S. (including from Madison) often come from communities where English is not the only language used in school or the home

UW-Madison’s International Students

• In Fall 2022, 7,330 international students came to UW-Madison from more than 115 countries (14.6% of all 49,886 students enrolled)
• UW-Madison enrolls about 1,400 new international students each year
• UW-Madison is consistently ranked among the top 20 universities with largest number of international students

Principles for Multilingual Writing Pedagogy

Approach English as a Global or World language for all students

Composition scholars urge teachers to resist teaching English as a monolithic entity, such as only Standard American English (SAE). Of course, it is useful for students to be familiar with expectations they are likely to face in college, and instructors should make these dominant expectations or codes available to students. At the same time, it is also useful and ethical to expose students to varieties of English that can be considered “nondominant” and to the many ways that these discourses are negotiated (Canagarajah, 2009; Matsuda and Matsuda, 2010).

Understand (and teach) that writing styles, structures, norms, and assessments are cultural

Writing norms are always culturally influenced, and you can help your students build awareness in this area. This might include making writing itself a focus of your course content, such as teaching grammar as rhetorical. “Writing Across Borders,” a short video from Oregon State University (https://media.oregonstate.edu/media/0_v4s6xtpp), provides student and instructor perspectives on some of these cultural differences, with particular focus on how organizational preferences are cultural. These backgrounds may also influence what kinds of topics/prompts students are comfortable approaching, how they engage in critique, and what kinds of feedback they focus on.

Acknowledge multilingual talents and challenges

Multilingual students are not necessarily “basic writers.” When we avoid approaching multilingual writers from a deficit model, we can better appreciate the unique skills that multilingual writers often have, such as cross-cultural communication (Vieira). This valuing of writers’ talents includes a resistance to lumping together all multilingual students together or making assumptions about “Western” or “non-Western” styles.

Best Practices

Assignment Design

Make assignment requirements and expectations clear. This might include providing examples, models, or detailed rubrics.

Avoid cultural knowledge barriers. Consider whether your assignments require any extensive cultural background knowledge or are related to a cultural history not otherwise covered by the course.

Provide multiple prompts and ways to be successful in assignments. For example, sensitive topics may present extra challenges or discomforts for some, and you want to avoid assessing students on cultural knowledge instead of their writing. You may also consider providing multiple genre options.

Use short writing assignments to help students successfully build skills and drafts. Think of your short writing assignments as opportunities to check in and assess individual writers’ needs.

Assessment

Portfolios. Being mindful in your portfolio assessment about process and multiple ways to be successful in an assignment can help you provide more equitable assessment.

Assess a variety of aspects of writing. This includes rhetorical effectiveness, instead of a focus only on error.

Prepare for your approach to grammar. Instead of focusing on many grammatical problems, provide feedback on two or three of the most common problems that would most help a student develop their rhetorical effectiveness. Make your approach clear to students before and after assessment.

Student Relationships and Community Building

Language background questionnaire. Having students complete a language background questionnaire at the beginning of the semester is a great way to keep you from making assumptions about their language abilities as well as let your students know that you are interested and care about them as writers. One model for this can be found from Rebecca Lorimer in the WAC Sourcebook: https://writing.wisc.edu/wac/student-questionnaire-on-language-background/

Hold one-on-one conferences. Working with individual students whenever possible can help you address the wide variety of experiences and talents students possess.

Keep communication open. Ask for clarification if you don’t understand and give students a variety of spoken and written opportunities for clarification. Because their comfort with speaking and writing may differ, invite students to email you for clarification on spoken questions.

Sources and Further Reading

Canagarajah, A. Suresh. “The Place of World Englishes in Composition: Pluralization

Continued.” College Composition and Communication 57.4 (Jun 2006): 586-619.

“CCCC Statement on Second Language Writing and Writers.”

http://cccc.ncte.org/cccc/resources/positions/secondlangwriting

Matsuda, Aya and Paul Kei Matsuda. “World Englishes and the Teaching of Writing.” TESOL

Quarterly 44.2 (Jun 2010): 369-74.

Robertson, Wayne. Writing Across Borders. Film.

https://media.oregonstate.edu/media/0_v4s6xtpp

Viera, Kate. “An Introduction to Multilingual Writers at UW-Madison.” UW-Madison Writing

Across the Curriculum Sourcebook. https://writing.wisc.edu/wac/an-introduction-to-multilingual-writers-at-uw-madison/

You, Xiaoye. “ESL and Composition, Spring 2011.” Handout.