About the book
Through real-life stories and sociolinguistic analysis, this guide provides the tools to transform classrooms and schools into spaces that celebrate multilingualism and foster biliteracy.
Multilingual learners (MLs) deserve more than assimilation—they deserve equity, empowerment, and celebration of their full linguistic repertoires and identities. This groundbreaking book uncovers how deficit ideologies about language perpetuate assimilationist practices that harm MLs’ heritage languages, cultural identities, and equitable opportunities for academic success. Through real-life stories and sociolinguistic analysis, author Dr. Lillian Ardell provides the tools to transform classrooms and schools into spaces that celebrate multilingualism and foster biliteracy, even in places where deficit thinking about MLs determines instructional practices and outcomes.
Rooted in research and supported by actionable strategies, this book calls on educators to evolve as advocates,
inspiring them to shift their mindsets and practices to nurture bilingualism and biliteracy. Features include:
Detailed exploration of the "Monolingual Bias" and how it operates within policies, curricula, and classrooms
Insights into five "Disruptor Archetypes" to help educators identify their advocacy roles
Real-life "Disruption Stories" offering inspiration and strategies for combating the Monolingual Bias
Self-reflection tools like the "Small Brave Moments Quiz" to guide professional growth
A call to action for educators ready to challenge deficit mindsets and champion multilingualism in their schools,
Disrupting the Monolingual Bias offers educators the tools they need to dismantle harmful practices and create classrooms that
honor and uplift MLs.
book testimonials
What the industry leaders are saying
Dr. Margo Gottlieb,
co-founder WIDA
“A true awakening for all teachers who work with multilingual learners and their families. Ardell passionately defends multilingualism from a personal, collective, and institutional stance. This is a volume that should not sit on a bookshelf but rather inspire you to rethink spaces for infusing multilingualism in your context and join the compelling cause of Disrupting the Monolingual Bias.”
r. José Medina, Educational Advocate, Dr. José Medina Educational Solutions
“This book is a must-read for anyone serving culturally and linguistically diverse student communities. By weaving research with the very personal, transparent, and inspiring anecdotes of leaders in our field, Dr. Ardell manages to illuminate the continued harms of linguistic oppression, while also providing needed tools to engage in the courageous dismantling of educational systems that continue to marginalize some of our most vulnerable students.”
Kathy Escamilla,
Professor Emeritus, University of Colorado, Boulder
Disrupting the Monolingual Bias is engaging and readable. It is often written that culture is what we USE but seldom what we ACTUALLY SEE. The same can be said of the monolingual bias in schools. In this book, Dr. Ardell has concretely defined the Monolingual Bias and then presented in great detail examples of these biases in school contexts, district policies and classrooms, enabling readers to not only SEE the bias but also decide how to address it. The book does not sugar-coat the challenges presented when addressing the Monolingual Bias, but lays out a powerful rationale for why addressing these issues is an imperative in the evolution of bilingual/dual language education.
WHAT’S INSIDE
Part 1: Build your Knowledge Base
Chapter 1: Introducing the Monolingual Bias
Chapter 2: Bilingual Education is a Social Justice Issue
Chapter 3: Sociolinguistics Matter
Chapter 4: Teaching Language Ideologies
Part 2: Disruption Stories
Chapter 5: Disruptor Archetypes
Chapter 6: Success Stories
Chapter 7: Bummer Stories
Chapter 8: Redemption Stories
Part 3: Your Marching Orders
Chapter 9: Doable Disruptions to the Monolingual Bias
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About the Author
Dr. Lillian Ardell is a speaker, coach, and the founder of Language Matters, LLC, an educational consulting firm. As a sociolinguist and trained qualitative researcher, she blends theory, practice, and adult learning principles to design transformative activities and coaching cycles focused on equity and teacher empowerment. Known for her engaging style, she incorporates humor, poetry, and even dance into her presentations. Disrupting the Monolingual Bias is her first book and represents a significant effort to challenge mainstream, deficit perspectives about bilingual learners.