Nicki Benson
Nicki is a Jewish woman, born and raised on Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, səl̓ilwətaɁɬ, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm territories in Vancouver and now residing on Lək̓ʷəŋən territory in Victoria. Nicki has recently completed her PhD in Indigenous Language Revitalization from the University of Victoria. She has previously completed an M.A. in Language Education and has worked as a language teacher and consultant for almost 20 years. Nicki is currently working as a sessional instructor in Indigenous Language Revitalization at the University of Victoria. She is also a mamá to three children who she is raising in her second language, Spanish.
Areas of Interest
Nicki is interested in understanding the factors that contribute to rapid and successful language acquisition. She is curious about methods and pedagogies to support language learning; adult Indigenous language education; immersion education; advanced language learning strategies; and non-pedagogical factors that support language learners. Her doctoral research explored strategies and supports for advanced Indigenous language learning. This research included interviews with advanced additional language speakers of various Indigenous languages across Canada and participatory research with a group of self-directed learners working to reach advanced proficiency in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim.
Scholarship
Benson, N. (2024). “Don’t just collect words”: Strategies for advanced Indigenous language learning. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 27(2), 26–51. https://doi.org/10.37213/cjal.2024.33396
Benson, N. & Khelsilem. (2021). A glossary of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim revitalization: The work of adult Indigenous language education. WINHEC: International Journal of Indigenous Education Scholarship 16(1), 142-178. https://doi.org/10.18357/wj161202120285
Thomas, C.A., Benson, N., & Lemon, M. (2020). (Be)Coming together: Making kin through stories of language and literacy using métissage as a research praxis. Language and Literacy, 22(1), 39-58. https://doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29515
Benson, N. (2013). Social justice in the language classroom. In E.L. Brown, E.V. Dvoretskaya & P. Gibbons (Eds.). International advances in education: Global initiatives for equity and social justice. Vol. 7. Communication and Language. Information Age Publishing. https://www.infoagepub.com/products/Communication-and-Language
Dissertation
