This presentation describes an art-based intervention between preservice teachers and Yazidi refugees which examines the way that visual arts and dance aided teachers in disrupting stereotypes of migrant/refugee students while providing a space to explore the complex relationships that bind community members together and break down linguistic barriers.
While much research recognizes the importance of preparing language teachers to work with students in the process of learning English (García et al, 2010; Reeves, 2006), there is limited scholarship that deals with the ways in which creative inquiry can be used to build community while at the same time help preservice teachers understand immigration experiences of their students and how to better serve them. This presentation describes an arts-based intervention between preservice teachers and Yazidi refugees in which participants came together to learn about each other, about immigration, and about how to work with refugee/migrant students through interactive museum exhibits and dance workshops. Employing perspectives and tools from critical discourse analysis (Wodak & Meyer, 2016), the authors analyze the way that participants talk about immigration before and after the workshops in focus group discussions, noting the way in which visual arts and dance affected their perceptions and emotions and aided in changing pre-conceived notions and stereotypes about migrants/refugees and (from the perspective of Yazidi participants) American teachers. Findings reveal the power of creative inquiry in applied linguistics studies, particularly through the way in which the arts reached students on an emotional level, providing a space for students to explore the complex relationships that bind them together and to break down linguistic barriers. References García, E., Arias, M. B., Harris Murri, N. J., & Serna, C. (2010). Developing responsive teachers: A challenge for a demographic reality. Journal of Teacher Education, 61(1-2), 132-142. Reeves, J. R. (2006). Secondary teacher attitudes toward including English-language learners in mainstream classrooms. The Journal of Educational Research, 99(3), 131-143. Wodak, R., & Meyer, M. (Eds.). (2015). Methods of critical discourse studies. Sage.
