One of the defining markers of Jamaican students’ academic success (for teachers and students) is their ability to speak Standard Jamaican English (SJE) fluently. However, SJE fluency is challenging for many majority-speaking Jamaican Creole (JC) boys who experience language conflicts within their social and educational contexts.

In this article, I demonstrate how I used critical reflection to improve my teaching practice while conducting my PhD fieldwork. More specifically, I reflect on the 4-month qualitative case study that I conducted in a Jamaican Grade 7 classroom. My research project explored if and how multiliteracies pedagogy paired with sociocultural theory can improve inner-city students’ English language development (ELD) and engagement.