Ȩnlę o! Hello! 您好! ¡Hola! Salam alaekum!
I am Yetunde S. Alabede (Yétúndé Alábẹdé), a graduate of the Federal College of Education, Abeokuta-Nigeria (Associate Degree in Teaching), University of Lagos, Nigeria (B.A. Ed.), Bowling Green State University (M.A. Ed.), and Confucious (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) Chinese Proficiency Levels 1–3), Beijing-China. I am completing my doctorate in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education (CITE) at Michigan State University's College of Education.
I am a multilingual educator, teacher-educator, and community-engaged researcher whose interdisciplinary work sits at the intersection of family language policy, heritage language education, multilingualism, and transnational African mothering. Drawing on my lived experiences as a mother-scholar and cultural advocate, I explore the sociopolitical realities of African families navigating language and identity in both African and diasporic contexts.
My scholarship is grounded in critical frameworks, including Global Southern Theory, Decolonial Theory, Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Feminism, Intersectionality, Multimodality, Digital Multiliteracy, and Critical Language Pedagogy. These perspectives inform my work in multilingual education, with a focus on cultivating critical multilingual awareness in homes, schools, and communities. My goal is to empower learners in multilingual, multicultural classrooms regardless of their backgrounds while equipping teachers and parents with the tools to support this vision.
I have 15 years of teaching experience across diverse settings, from Pre-K Chinese literacy to English Language Arts, Yoruba (Pre-K–16), and ESOL courses for undergraduates, graduate students, and adults. I have taught undergraduate social foundations and international education courses and prepared pre-service teachers in ESOL, World languages, and elementary education. My teaching journey spans Ogun and Lagos States in Nigeria, as well as North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, and remote instruction in Canada, South Africa, Beijing, and the United Kingdom.
As the founder and Administrative Head of Ebunoluwa Children School in Ogun State, Nigeria, I lead a grassroots educational initiative that integrates U.S. Core, U.K. Creative, and play-based curricula with the Ogun State Curriculum, thereby rooting global learning in local contexts.
My work in Yorùbá heritage language education is shaped by my conceptual framework, ẹ̀bùnlingualism, which frames language transmission as both a cultural gift and an act of resistance against epistemic injustice.
My publications have appeared in the Journal of Language and Literacy Education, the Michigan Reading Journal, and the Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, with forthcoming chapters in Springer Nature and Routledge volumes. I have served in leadership and service roles with the Lagos Studies Association, MSU Graduate School, Penn State Global Virtual Forum, and the American Association for Applied Linguistics.
Beyond teaching and research, I enjoy art, folk music, gardening, cooking, and spending time with family across borders.
I am a multilingual educator, teacher-educator, and community-engaged researcher whose interdisciplinary work sits at the intersection of family language policy, heritage language education, multilingualism, and transnational African mothering. Drawing on my lived experiences as a mother-scholar and cultural advocate, I explore the sociopolitical realities of African families navigating language and identity in both African and diasporic contexts.
My scholarship is grounded in critical frameworks, including Global Southern Theory, Decolonial Theory, Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Feminism, Intersectionality, Multimodality, Digital Multiliteracy, and Critical Language Pedagogy. These perspectives inform my work in multilingual education, with a focus on cultivating critical multilingual awareness in homes, schools, and communities. My goal is to empower learners in multilingual, multicultural classrooms regardless of their backgrounds while equipping teachers and parents with the tools to support this vision.
I have 15 years of teaching experience across diverse settings, from Pre-K Chinese literacy to English Language Arts, Yoruba (Pre-K–16), and ESOL courses for undergraduates, graduate students, and adults. I have taught undergraduate social foundations and international education courses and prepared pre-service teachers in ESOL, World languages, and elementary education. My teaching journey spans Ogun and Lagos States in Nigeria, as well as North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, and remote instruction in Canada, South Africa, Beijing, and the United Kingdom.
As the founder and Administrative Head of Ebunoluwa Children School in Ogun State, Nigeria, I lead a grassroots educational initiative that integrates U.S. Core, U.K. Creative, and play-based curricula with the Ogun State Curriculum, thereby rooting global learning in local contexts.
My work in Yorùbá heritage language education is shaped by my conceptual framework, ẹ̀bùnlingualism, which frames language transmission as both a cultural gift and an act of resistance against epistemic injustice.
My publications have appeared in the Journal of Language and Literacy Education, the Michigan Reading Journal, and the Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, with forthcoming chapters in Springer Nature and Routledge volumes. I have served in leadership and service roles with the Lagos Studies Association, MSU Graduate School, Penn State Global Virtual Forum, and the American Association for Applied Linguistics.
Beyond teaching and research, I enjoy art, folk music, gardening, cooking, and spending time with family across borders.
Looking forward to connecting, and thanks again for visiting!