Natasha MacDonald: Working towards decolonizing second language learning
Many of you may know Natasha MacDonald as a previous Human Resources Director at Kativik School Board, now Kativik Ilisarniliriniq. But did you know that these days, Natasha is working towards decolonizing second language learning?
A bit of background information: Natasha started her career as an English as a second language (ESL) teacher and later transitioned to human resources. In 2021, Natasha returned to school as a PhD student at Concordia University, for a degree in educational technology and applied linguistics, focusing on intercultural communication in second language learning.
I’m originally from Kuujjuarapik, where both of my parents were teachers. My dad was Qallunaaq, and my mom was Inuk, so this interest for me in intercultural communication is a big deal. It has always been a part of who I am; being that in between person, almost translating even though they both spoke English. So this area for me is key, but there’s also the process of decolonizing second language learning.
Intercultural communication is a discipline that studies how culture affects communication. It takes into consideration elements that naturally appear when individuals of different religious, social, ethnic and educational backgrounds interact, either in a social or professional context. In other words, intercultural communication tries to understand how people from different countries and cultures act, communicate and perceive the world around them.
“I’m originally from Kuujjuarapik, where both of my parents were teachers. My dad was Qallunaaq, and my mom was Inuk, so this interest for me in intercultural communication is a big deal. It has always been a part of who I am; being that in between person, almost translating even though they both spoke English. So this area for me is key, but there’s also the process of decolonizing second language learning.”
So what is decolonizing second language learning? For Natasha, it is about Inuit empowerment and agency, and the idea of turning culture into power when learning a second language. With a focus on social media, Natasha is working to help establish culturally responsive pedagogy for learning a second language authentically – in a way that can be adapted to Nunavimmiut reality and reinforce Inuit culture.
My goal is to be able to contribute to literature and research on second language learning in Inuit communities, specifically in Nunavik. I see the research as fresh snow, and I’m making footprints and hoping that mine won’t be the only footprints, that there will be more authentic research from Inuit researchers who will contribute to this dialogue.
This past May, Natasha submitted and won a Canada Graduate Scholarship through the national Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Doctoral Competition for her dissertation research proposal on Intercultural communication and decolonization in language learning. Natasha has also previously presented her findings in Hawaii for the Hawaii International Conference on Education and Reykjavik in Iceland, and has been accepted to be published in AlterNative, the international journal of Indigenous peoples.
“My goal is to be able to contribute to literature and research on second language learning in Inuit communities, specifically in Nunavik. I see the research as fresh snow, and I’m making footprints and hoping that mine won’t be the only footprints, that there will be more authentic research from Inuit researchers who will contribute to this dialogue.”
This past spring, Natasha was offered a professor position at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. She is the first Nunavimmiut to teach at McGill University and will be working with the Office of First Nations and Inuit Education. Congratulations Natasha!
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