Logo
ScienceStack
Table of Contents
Fetching ...
Sign In

Teaching Linguistic Justice through Augmented Reality

Ashvini Varatharaj, Abigail Welch, Mary Bucholtz, Jin Sook Lee

TL;DR

The paper addresses how linguistic justice can be taught in schools by leveraging augmented reality to map and explore students' language experiences. It introduces the AR Language Map, an extension of the SKILLS program, enabling immersive, interactive language maps with audio/video narratives created by students using a Youth Participatory Action Research framework. By centering student agency and translanguaging practices, the approach aims to foster empathy, challenge linguistic racism, and valorize linguistic diversity. The work outlines future directions including curriculum development and AI-enhanced AR interactions to broaden impact and accessibility in linguistically diverse educational settings.

Abstract

This position paper presents the AR Language Map, a speculative artifact designed to enhance understanding of linguistic justice among middle and high school students through augmented reality (AR) that allows students to map their linguistic experiences. Through a social justice-oriented academic outreach program aimed at linguistically, economically, and racially minoritized students, academic concepts on language, culture, race, and power are introduced to California middle school and high school students. The curriculum has activities for each lesson plan drawn from students' culturally relevant experiences. By enabling interactive exploration of linguistic justice, this tool aims to foster empathy, challenge linguistic racism, and valorize linguistic diversity. We discuss its conceptualization within the broader context of AR in social justice education. The AR Language Map not only deepens students' understanding of these critical issues but also enables them to become co-creators of their learning experiences.

Teaching Linguistic Justice through Augmented Reality

TL;DR

The paper addresses how linguistic justice can be taught in schools by leveraging augmented reality to map and explore students' language experiences. It introduces the AR Language Map, an extension of the SKILLS program, enabling immersive, interactive language maps with audio/video narratives created by students using a Youth Participatory Action Research framework. By centering student agency and translanguaging practices, the approach aims to foster empathy, challenge linguistic racism, and valorize linguistic diversity. The work outlines future directions including curriculum development and AI-enhanced AR interactions to broaden impact and accessibility in linguistically diverse educational settings.

Abstract

This position paper presents the AR Language Map, a speculative artifact designed to enhance understanding of linguistic justice among middle and high school students through augmented reality (AR) that allows students to map their linguistic experiences. Through a social justice-oriented academic outreach program aimed at linguistically, economically, and racially minoritized students, academic concepts on language, culture, race, and power are introduced to California middle school and high school students. The curriculum has activities for each lesson plan drawn from students' culturally relevant experiences. By enabling interactive exploration of linguistic justice, this tool aims to foster empathy, challenge linguistic racism, and valorize linguistic diversity. We discuss its conceptualization within the broader context of AR in social justice education. The AR Language Map not only deepens students' understanding of these critical issues but also enables them to become co-creators of their learning experiences.
Paper Structure (10 sections, 2 figures)

This paper contains 10 sections, 2 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related works
  3. Education towards teaching linguistic justice
  4. Experiences of Latinx children of immigrants
  5. Linguistic Cartography
  6. AR as a Tool for Pedagogical, Social and Linguistic Justice
  7. Method
  8. SKILLS
  9. AR LANGUAGE MAP: A SPECULATIVE ARTIFACT
  10. Conclusion

Figures (2)

  • Figure 1: Example of a Language Map showing the creator’s use of different languages in different spaces.
  • Figure 2: An AR-based Language Map. The user can interact with the characters by clicking on them. The map can include both speech audio and video of social interaction within the space.