Abstract
This paper explores an integrated approach to citizenship education through English-as-an-Additional Language (EAL) instruction for adults who are new immigrants to Canada. Teaching for citizenship and participation in Canadian democractic processes sometimes involves discussing non-consensual issues such as same-sex unions, human rights, and religious freedoms. The result is discussions that can be fraught with conflict and tension, posing challenges and feelings of unease for teachers and learners. Therefore, an integrated approach to citizenship education also requires considering theories on dialogue and communicative engagement. Following a discussion on issues of citizenship education for newcomers to Canada and the possibilities of an integrated citizenship program, this paper concludes with a brief exploration of the work of Gloria Anzaldua and Susan Bickford for inspiration on ways to engage with non-consensual issues that pose challenges for EAL learners and teachers.
Highlights
Since the mid-twentieth century, the Canadian government has articulated various visions of citizenship education for new immigrants to Canada through language instruction in either English or French
The most recent iteration of citizenship education exists in the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program where English-as-an-Additional Language (EAL) educators are expected to provide information on „Canadian values.‟ This expectation is problematic, in part because the government does not provide definitions as to what constitutes citizenship education or Canadian values (Derwing & Thomson, 2005; Joshee & Derwing, 2005)
The problematic of the situation is further compounded as evidenced by recent research which discusses EAL teachers feelings of inadequacy in teaching about issu es related to citizenship (Derwing & Thomson, 2005) as well as their unease in engaging with the dissonance surfacing from discussing non-consensual issues (Pinet, 2006 )
Summary
The process of citizenship learning is further complicated in adult EAL classrooms in Canada where learners often come from various religious, ethnic, political, economic and linguistic backgrounds that influence their philosophical and social understandings of and positionings in society. In such a pluralistic environment, discussions engaging with non-consensual issues can be fraught with conflict, tension and unease. This article proceeds with an overview of citizenship education for new immigrants to Canada since World War II, highlighting some of the main issues It moves into a discussion of Schugurensky‟s (2006) proposal for an integrated approach to citizenship education as a possible program for the Canadian EAL classroom. I conclude with a discussion on the ideas of Gloria Anzaldua and Susan Bickford, whose ideas on difference and citizenship serve as an inspiration for changing how dissonance through discussion is viewed in the EAL classroom
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