ABSTRACT
The mainstream English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) classroom can silence a rich tapestry of voices and identities through an imposition, either forced or covert, of a monolingual and monocultural learning environment. This pedagogy-oriented chapter will conceptualize how the “past”, “present”, and “future” aspects of a learner can be more fully validated and embraced in order to foster a more global, holistic, and sustainable worldview in the ESL and EFL classroom. Heritage languages and cultures (the “past” of the learner) possess a wealth of knowledge and ways of knowing and being which should be incorporated and acknowledged in our “present”-day English language classroom for a more equitable, culturally, and environmentally responsive “future”. The Worldviewer interactive video blog is introduced to exemplify how heritage language pedagogy could be implemented in the ESL/EFL classroom in a way that (1) addresses the cognitive and linguistic imperialism of the colonial monolingual English classroom, (2) validates heritage, non-dominant knowledge systems and languages worldwide (such as those which are Indigenous), (3) fosters discussions and decolonial orientations for a more environmentally and culturally responsive sustainable future, and (4) promotes positive identity formation for all multilingual and multicultural learners.
