Silence as literacy and silence as mobility: Australian students shifting learning modes in foreign language learning

In this chapter we discuss silence as literacy and silence in relation to learning mobility. We do not refer to mobility in terms of geographical space but rather attend to the mobility across silence and talk as learning takes place, with a particular focus on the foreign language learning domain in the context of Australia. We conceptualise silence as an aspect of embodied literacy performance (Leander & Rowe, 2006) which affects and is affected by, is shaped and reshaped by, internal as well as social interactions. Leander and Rowe (2006) argue that student literacy performances (such as their classroom talk) should be recognised as dynamic, improvisational, multidirectional and interactional, and as challenging presumptions of cultural, ethnic and racial learner identities. We argue that viewing silence as an aspect of embodied literacy performance offers ‘unexpected’ space for analysing and practicing language learning.