Language ideologies in text and place: Reflective practices of lower secondary Swedish teachers

As part of everyday practice, Swedish as a school subject is (re)construed by teachers’ choice of classroom design and use of various texts and artifacts when teaching: textbooks, wall posters, and applications in virtual learning environments. Such texts and artifacts are not value neutral but always connect to language ideologies that assign values to language, and represent different versions of what Swedish language, and language in general, is and can be. Which versions of Swedish language are represented through different choices? Which potential contradictions and conflicts can be identified? Thus, Swedish teachers can be viewed as actors of language ideology, and in order to  increase their awareness if this in relation to their teaching practice, they need more knowledge of language policy and language ideologies as well as insights into their own preconceptions and values.

The aim of this collaborative project between researchers and lower secondary school teachers is twofold. First, the aim is to investigate how language ideologies are materialized as teaching materials, classroom design and other texts and artifacts that are drawn into teaching practice. Second, the project aims to develop a framework for teachers' reflections on language ideology and the teaching of Swedish. By extension, the results from the project will contribute to the development of teacher education courses at Örebro University – above all through new modules that focus on the relation between language ideologies and the practices of Swedish language teaching.