Teachers voyaging in plurilingual seas: Young children learning through more than one language [Book Review]

Abstract

From the very metaphor used in the title of the book, my attention is drawn to the imagery of rough choppy seas and the skilled and attuned navigator responsible for the sea voyage, so here I ask why the significance to voyaging plurilingual seas? I would like to speak of this from a Polynesian perspective; as for Polynesian peoples, the art of navigation is highly regarded and locates historical, cultural knowledge in embodied forms, connecting land, skies, waters, cosmos, forces and flows (Lewis, 1994). How could such a metaphor help us to rethink the complexities of traversing multiple languages in early childhood education? And why is this particularly pertinent to our early childhood education contexts in Aotearoa/New Zealand? This book invites the reader to engage with the politics of education and the role of language in our early childhood education settings, drawing specific attention to policy, curriculum and the rights of the child to engage in learning that is inclusive of heritage language(s), cultural knowledge, concepts and values. This commitment to the rights of the child is echoed throughout the chapters of the book and notably situates the place of language for children and families together in a network of relations, with centre, with teacher, culture (metalinguistics) and belonging. For early childhood practitioners, the book also introduces key definition of terms, which may help to distinguish the dynamic linguistic opportunities and challenges many early childhood contexts must navigate. In this regard, the book identifies pragmatic and critical insights to teaching and learning with bi/plurilingual children and families.