The Why, What and Hows of Inclusive Pedagogy in the context of South Asian Language Classrooms 

Seema Khurana, Yale University (Hindi) 

Ahmed Shamim , University of Texas (Bengali) 

Gautami Shah, University of Texas (Hindi) 

Increasingly diverse student populations in terms of race, linguistic repertoire, gender identity and sexual orientation, beg us to re-examine current student centered approaches which tend to be limited to student interests, learning styles and abilities, and cultural background. Inclusive Pedagogy (IP) which strives to provide equal opportunity to all students, refers to situating student learning within their own experience and context. As language educators, we are in the unique position to create spaces in the curriculum to include such diverse perspectives. However, linguistic features of target languages and the culture(s) with which they are associated often pose a challenge. Negotiating the two can be daunting. Additionally, with globalization, diaspora communities, shifting senses of identity, multiculturalism, and multi-modal communication, multilingualism and the related phenomenon of translanguaging (TLG) is becoming the norm in language classes. Teachers are often at a loss as to how to deal with this phenomena, as dismissing it can lead to alienation of the students involved and current day pedagogical practices are not equipped to deal with it. This session explores implications of Inclusive Pedagogy and ways to effectively engage with such diversity. 

Ahmed Shamim BIO:

Ahmed Shamim is a lecturer in the Department of Asian Studies. He has taught Bangla at UT since 2015. He taught Linguistics and Modern Bangla Literature at CUNY LaGuardia Community College and Bangla Language at SASLI, University of Wisconsin, Madison. He completed his MA in Linguistics from the City University of New York and now is a doctoral candidate in Linguistics in the same university. His research interests include Endangered Language Documentation and Description, Phonology, Morphology, Grammar, and Language Policies and Ideologies. He is currently working on a morphophonological description of Koda, an endangered Munda language of Bangladesh. He penned two books on Bangla language, literature, and linguistics: Bangla Kotha (2013) and Shobdo Hoy Shobder Ghore (2018).

Gautami Shah BIO:

Gautami Shah has established and expanded Hindi programs at Rice, Yale and Duke Universities and is currently at U.T. Austin. She has been involved in a number of national projects related to less commonly taught languages (lctls) , including developing national Standards for Hindi pedagogy. Shah’s research interest lie in: Issues of inclusivity, Translanguaging and language pedagogy (Hindi); Contemporary South Asian literature and popular culture (specifically Bollywood) with a focus on communal conflicts, gender issues, caste, religion and immigrant experiences; Program and curriculum development, and Innovative use of technology in language teaching;.In addition to several material development projects, recognizing that the gendered nature of Hindi verb conjugations lag behind the social and legal realities of the day, Shah is currently working on a linguistically sound “transgender” conjugation of Hindi verbs.

 Seema Khurana BIO:

Seema Khurana has been teaching Hindi language and literature for 20 years as a Senior Lector at Yale University and is nationally recognized for leadership in Hindi pedagogy. Khurana was instrumental in mentoring and establishing the national Yale Hindi Debate, which has meanwhile evolved to be the most prestigious such event nationally. Khurana is also widely visible as organizer and active participant in language pedagogy workshops and meetings. She is past president of the national organization, South Asian Language Teachers Association (SALTA). Khurana’s current projects involve creating teaching content for Hindi, such as “Partition Narrative Project”—a collection of recorded and edited filmed interviews of Partition survivors in Hindi; “Hindi in Diaspora” – a collection of written works and audio/video clips – from news broadcasts, interviews, soap operas, readings and Hindi cinema depicting Hindi in Diaspora that serve as a growing database to understand issues of assimilation and identity. Besides this leadership in language pedagogy,  Khurana is also renowned as a creative writer in the language. Her short stories and poems have been published in various Hindi-language magazines and anthologies