Teachers face enormous challenges regarding the increasing language diversity in the classroom. Because subject content can only be conveyed through language, teaching must be language-sensitive and action-oriented at the same time. It is necessary to assess the different linguistic abilities of the learners and the (technical) language requirements of the specific subject matter in a first step, and to plan language-supporting or -promoting measures, e.g. Gibbons' scaffolding approach (2002), in a second step. In this context, Settinieri and Jeuk (2019) point out that teachers must also be sensitive to their own (linguistic) actions during the lessons in a third step (cf. critical language awareness according to Fairclough 1992). For these demanding tasks, teachers need the professional competence of language-sensitive teaching, which is poorly integrated in current teacher education in Germany.
This is where the TWIND-sub-project SprachReflex (EN 'LanguageReflex') comes in. In this project, didactically founded multimedia teaching-learning packages, so-called media packages (MPs), are developed and evaluated with the goal to prepare pre-service teachers for teaching in classes with high linguistic heterogeneity. Even though the project is specifically aimed at vocational schools, it can be extended to all other types of schools. The development of the content and methodology of the MPs is closely oriented towards the needs of all involved parties (teacher students, trainee teachers, teachers at schools and Studienseminaren). The MPs can be used very flexibely and completely demand- and interest-oriented in self-study or blended learning formats.
In MP 1 "Multilingualism and School", various media and tasks are used to encourage students to engage with the topics of language diversity, multilingualism and multilingual didactic teaching concepts. The aim of this MP is to impart basic knowledge about language, language acquisition and multilingualism and, in addition, to enable a sensitisation to (linguistic) heterogeneity, combined with a reflection on one's own attitude and language use.
In order to be able to draw valid conclusions about the effectiveness of the MP, MP1 was evaluated in Summer 2021 using an intervention-control-group-design. A total of 60 teacher students completed the MP as part of their self-study. The results show a significant increase in competence for the intervention group, but not for the control group.
In MP 2 "Language assessment", instruments for evaluating the language level of the learners are presented and reflected on in an application-related manner. MP 2 is to be evaluated in Winter 2022/23. MP 3 "Language-aware teaching" will conclude this series with concrete materials and concepts for language-sensitive lesson planning and implementation.
In this talk, the aim, the content and the available evaluation results of these MPs are presented and discussed.
- Fairclough, N. (1992). Critical Language Awareness. London: Routledge.
- Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning. Teaching Second Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
- Settinieri, J. & Jeuk, S. (2019). Einführung in die Sprachdiagnostik. In S. Jeuk & J. Settinieri (eds.), DaZ-Handbücher: Band 2. Sprachdiagnostik Deutsch als Zweitsprache: Ein Handbuch. (pp. 3–20).
