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20230720T083020230720T1615Europe/Amsterdam[SYMP24] Changing perspectives towards multilingual education: teachers, learners and researchers as agents of social cohesionHybrid Session (onsite/online)AILA 2023 - 20th Anniversary Congress Lyon Editioncellule.congres@ens-lyon.fr
Multilingual education for multilingual learners: a project for primary schools
Oral Presentation[SYMP24] Changing perspectives towards multilingual education: teachers, learners and researchers as agents of social cohesion08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
This contribution aims to present the first results of a project carried out in a bilingual area on the enhancement of language skills and metalinguistic awareness. The project is inspired by the "Éveil aux langues" approach of CARAP (Candelier, et al. 2012) and the studies and experiments of Andorno and Sordella (Andorno & Sordella 2018, Andorno 2020). The project took place in 2022 in three classes of primary school in the province of Bolzano (Italy). The study showed how, learners as young as 7-9, were able to reflect on languages and their functioning starting from a narrative input in several languages. Children were stimulated through the common thread of storytelling and were asked to reflect on the meaning of lexical items and the morphology of the name. The narrative text, used to introduce geometrical concepts such as square, angle, etc. is the book by Anna Cerasoli, La Geometria del faraone (2019) and the languages in which the story was told are: Official school languages, i.e. Italian and German, Home languages in the class, such as Arabic and Punjabi, and languages of linguistic decentralization, that is languages that were not spoken by any of the children in the class, such as Romanian and Albanian. The interaction between teachers, pupils and the community is never neutral (Cummins 2021): learners are part of an educational structure that proposes patterns of linguistic interaction and these may reflect the communicative experiences and practices of the society in which they are integrated (Hélot 2014). The choice of those languages had therefore the aim of redefining the boundaries imposed by the schools' curricula to make room for all the linguistic repertoires spoken in the class (home languages) and also to open reflection on languages that are not known to all pupils, putting everyone on an equal footing in learning. The project consisted of a total of eight video-recorded meetings of two hours each. Results will be presented and discussed, mainly showing how children at this age were able to show metalinguistic awareness and cognition throughout each step of the project. Results therefore show that even at this age, kids are able to have linguist's eyes, as older kids studied by Andorno & Sordella (2020).
Andorno, Cecilia, Sordella, Silvia, 2018. Usare le lingue seconde nell'educazione linguistica: una sperimentazione nella scuola primaria nello spirito dell'Éveil aux langues. In De Meo, Anna e Margaret Rasulo (a cura di), Usare le lingue seconde. Studi AItLA 7,211-233. Andorno, Cecilia 2020. Quando i bambini fanno i linguisti. Osservare la competenza metalinguistica in un laboratorio di Éveil aux langues. ItalianoLinguaDue,2,352-369. Candelier M., Camilleri-Grima A., Castellotti V., De Pietro J., Lorincz I., Meissner F.J., Noguerol A., Schroder-Sura A., Molonié M., 2012, Le CARAP, Centre Européen pour les Langues Vivantes, Graz. Cummins, Jim. 2021. Rethinking the Education of Multilingual Learners. Multilingual Matters. Hélot, Christine, 2014. Rethinking Bilingual Pedagogy in Alsace: Translingual writers and translanguaging, in A. Blackledge and A. Creese (eds) Heteroglossia as Practice and Pedagogy, Springer,217-238.
Presenters Cecilia Varcasia Researcher, Free University Of BolzanoEmanuela Atz Teacher, Centri Linguistici Provinciali, Bolzano
Narrative, language and interaction: A discursive approach to identity in multicultural educational contexts
Oral Presentation[SYMP24] Changing perspectives towards multilingual education: teachers, learners and researchers as agents of social cohesion08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
The increase of immigration in Latin America has become an unprecedented stressor in most public educational systems in the region, particularly when dealing with students who do not speak the primary language. In Chile, Haitians correspond to the largest immigrant community whose first language is not Spanish (INE, 2020, 12 March) and they are one of the most discriminated communities in terms of their race, culture, language, and socio-economic status. While their integration at (already underfunded and socio-economically vulnerable) schools is a challenge in itself, they also deal with an institutionalized tendency towards cultural and linguistic assimilation (Perez-Arredondo et al., forthcoming) and a language valuation system that positions English as the main secondary language they should learn (Rodríguez-Izquierdo et al., 2020). In this context, this study sets to analyse how Haitian students' identities are discursively constructed and attributed by their parents, EFL teachers, and their own peer-interactions in the classroom to unveil their attitudes and perceptions of their learning processes and linguistic development in multicultural contexts. To this end, I triangulated three datasets gathered at five different schools in the capital of Chile which concentrate the highest number of enrolled Haitian students in the country. Hence, 5 interviews to EFL teachers, 10 interviews to Haitian parents, and 70 pedagogical hours of classroom observation were collected, transcribed, and analised using Wodak's framework for the analysis of (national) identity (Wodak et al., 2009; Reisigl & Wodak, 2016). Results evidence that misconceptions about these students tend to be legitimized through fallacies, framing and legitimation strategies (van Leeuwen, 2008) to both maintain and justify their identities and experiences in relation to an outgroup. It is also possible to identify that age is relevant in these narratives as parents and teachers make a distinction between their students/children and the adults. Therefore, results also highlight the importance of undertaking an intersectional approach to this kind of studies to fully appreciate the complex and interdependent semiotic processes at play in mutlicultural educational contexts. References INE (2020, 12 Marzo). Según estimaciones, la cantidad de personas extranjeras residentes habituales en Chile bordea los 1,5 millones al 31 de diciembre de 2019. INE. https://bit.ly/3wHB0l1 Perez-Arredondo, C., Calderón-López, M., & Arenas-Torres, F. (Forthcoming). Conceptualizations and enactments of precariousness and interculturality in multicultural schools and educational policies in Chile. Manuscript under review. Reisigl, M. & Wodak, R. (2016). The discourse-historical approach. En R. Wodak & M. Meyer (Eds.), Methods of Critical Discourse Studies (pp. 23-61). Sage. Rodríguez-Izquierdo, R., González Falcón, I. & Goenechea Permisán, C. (2020). Teacher beliefs and approaches to linguistic diversity. Spanish as a second language in the inclusion of immigrant students. Teaching and Teacher Education, 90, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103035 Wodak, R., de Cillia, R., Reisigl, M. & Liebhart, K. (2009). The discursive construction of national identity (2nd ed.). Edinburgh University Press. van Leeuwen, T. (2008). Discourse and practice: New tools for critical discourse analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ein partizipativer Forschungsansatz als Weiterbildungsmodell für Fremdsprachenlehrpersonen im Bereich der Mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktik
Oral Presentation[SYMP24] Changing perspectives towards multilingual education: teachers, learners and researchers as agents of social cohesion08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
The European education policy has strongly determined multilingualism to be the main educational goal of language teaching at Swiss compulsory schools (Hutterli, 2012). However, monolingual beliefs are still present in Swiss foreign language teachers (Barras et al., 2019), and, potentially hamper the acquisition of scientifically supported pedagogical content knowledge about multilingualism (Reusser et al., 2011). The aim of this project is to develop an innovative training model in order to modify monolingual teachers' beliefs and at the same time provide them with scientifically supported pedagogical content knowledge about multilingual education. This should be achieved by including foreign language teachers in a Design-based research project in the field of multilingual education (Peters & Roviro, 2017). Foreign language teachers become active research partners while professional researchers become teaching figures. The learning environment is situated and problem-oriented, which meets the requirements for a lasting change of dysfunctional beliefs (Reusser et al., 2011). Data about the professional development process taking place has been gathered and will be critically discussed.
Die Schweiz hat ihren Sprachenunterricht auf die Entwicklungen in Europa abgestimmt (Hutterli, 2012). In Anlehnung am Konzept der mehrsprachigen und plurikulturellen Kompetenz (Europarat, 2001) gilt die Erziehung zur Mehrsprachigkeit landesweit als übergeordnetes Bildungsziel des schulischen Sprachenlehrens. Demungeachtet wird die Legitimität des Lehrens vom Italienischen an deutschsprachigen Schulen des Kantons Graubünden bildungspolitisch in Frage gestellt. Da Italienisch unzweifelhaft integraler Bestandteil des sprachlichen und kulturellen Erbes Graubündens ist, wurde nach Massnahmen gesucht, um den Italienischunterricht im deutschsprachigen Teil zu stärken. Zu diesen Massnahmen gehört auch das fachdidaktische Forschungsprojekt, das im Zentrum des vorliegenden Beitrags steht. Die schulische Erziehung zur Mehrsprachigkeit bedingt, dass mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktische Ansätze zum theoretisch-fundierten fachdidaktischen Wissen der Fremdsprachlehrpersonen gehören und dass ihre Überzeugungen mit mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktischen Erkenntnissen sich vereinbaren lassen (Baumert & Kunter, 2006). Die Aneignung mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktischen Wissens kann nämlich durch monolinguale Überzeugungen erschwert werden (Reusser et al., 2011). Aus einer Metastudie im deutschsprachigen Kontext geht hervor, dass Überzeugungen mehrheitlich nicht den aktuellen wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen entsprechen (Bredthauer, 2018). Auch in der Deutschschweiz selbst sind «ungünstige» (vgl. Manno, 2022) Überzeugungen unter den Fremdsprachlehrpersonen immer noch verbreitet (Barras et al., 2019). Demzufolge wird darauf abgezielt, eine nachhaltige Erweiterung des mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktischen Wissens bei gleichzeitiger Modifikation ungünstiger Überzeugungen berufstätiger Italienischlehrpersonen an deutschsprachigen Schulen in Graubünden zu erreichen. Dafür werden die entsprechenden Lehrpersonen in ein mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktisches Forschungsprojekt nach dem Ansatz des Design-based research (Peters & Roviro, 2017) eingebunden. Einerseits nehmen sie am Entstehungsprozess neuer wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse aktiv teil. Andererseits entspricht der partizipative Forschungsansatz einem situierten, problem- und handlungsorientierten Weiterbildungsformat und erfüllt dadurch wichtige Voraussetzungen für die Modifikation tiefverankerter Überzeugungen (Reusser et al., 2011). Der Professionalisierungsprozess wird unkonventionell durch die Figur des Forschenden vorangetrieben, welche gleichzeitig auch die Veränderung des mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktischen Wissens und der Überzeugungen bei den Teilnehmenden untersucht. Im Beitrag werden erste empirische Daten zum Veränderungsprozess vorgestellt und kritisch diskutiert. Literaturverzeichnis Barras, M., Peyer, E. & Lüthi, G. (2019). Mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktik im schulischen Fremdsprachenunterricht: Die Sicht der Lehrpersonen. Zeitschrift für Interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht, 24(2), 377–403. Baumert, J. & Kunter, M. (2006). Stichwort: Professionelle Kompetenz von Lehrkräften. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 9(4), 469–520. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11618-006-0165-2 Bredthauer, S. (2018). Mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktik an deutschen Schulen - eine Zwischenbilanz. Die Deutsche Schule, 110(3), 275–286. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334080075_Mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktik_an_deutschen_Schulen_-_eine_Zwischenbilanz/link/5f806dff458515b7cf7468eb/download Europarat. (2001). Gemeinsamer europäischer Referenzrahmen für Sprachen: Lernen, lehren, beurteilen. Langenscheidt. http://student.unifr.ch/pluriling/assets/files/Referenzrahmen2001.pdf Hutterli, S. (Hrsg.). (2012). Koordination des Sprachenunterrichts in der Schweiz: Aktueller Stand - Entwicklungen - Ausblick. Ediprim AG. Manno, G. (2022). Überzeugungen von Lehrpersonen über die Mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktik in der Schweizer Volksschule: eine Zwischenbilanz im Rahmen der Umsetzung der Fremdsprachenreform. In C. Koch & M. Rückl (Hrsg.), Au carrefour de langues et de cultures: Mehrsprachigkeit und Mehrkulturalität im Französischunterricht (S. 127–146). ibidem-Verlag. Peters, M. & Roviro, B. (2017). Fachdidaktischer Forschungsverbund FaBiT: Erforschung von Wandel im Fachunterricht mit dem Bremer Modell des Design-Based Research. In S. Doff & R. Komoss (Hrsg.), Making Change Happen: Wandel im Fachunterricht analysieren und gestalten (S. 19–32). Springer. Reusser, K., Pauli, C. & Elmer, A. (2011). Berufsbezogene Überzeugungen von Lehrerinnen und Lehrern. In E. Terhart, H. Bennewitz & M. Rothland (Hrsg.), Handbuch der Forschung zum Lehrerberuf (S. 478–495). Waxmann.
The rewards and challenges of teaching teachers to teach multilingually
Oral Presentation[SYMP24] Changing perspectives towards multilingual education: teachers, learners and researchers as agents of social cohesion08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
Multilingual approaches have been gaining momentum in English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) education in Australian education systems. There is long-standing interest in multilingual learning design and classroom practice from teachers in linguistically diverse schools, and increasing recognition of multilingual pedagogies from education authorities. This is accompanied by teachers’ apprehension about the challenges to their practice and professional identity that developing a multilingual stance entails. Thus, a need for teacher professional learning is generated. The background to this presentation is an ethnographic study revealing students’ multilingual practices in a highly linguistically diverse Australian school, and teachers’ responses to this. The findings from this study have not only generated new classroom practice, but also informed education for in-service and pre-service teachers. Educating teachers about multilingual pedagogies involves not just a focus on classroom practice, but also a reorientation towards their role in creating, maintaining and challenging language policy within schools and systems. Supporting this multilingual stance in teachers (who already face ever-expanding demands on their time and expertise) requires internal reflection and contextualisation in relation to broader educational and cultural structures. This criticality is not always welcomed by educational authorities who seek professional learning for their teachers. I will discuss two strands of in-service teacher professional learning for multilingual pedagogies. The first is the provision of professional development programs to EAL/D teachers at system level in four Australian states. These programs differed in their scope and reach, and in the curricular and professional support provided by each system. They shared the expectation of an instructional design based around once-off workshops and teacher resources, with practical classroom-focussed content. The major challenge in this model was in incorporating the criticality, reflexivity and creativity required for successful multilingual learning and teaching. How does a teacher educator develop teachers’ agency to challenge dominant language ideologies and practices within a program that is overseen by the very educational systems that reinforce conventional monolingual understandings of curriculum and teaching? The second strand of teacher development is a school-based approach engaging EAL/D teachers as leaders in multilingual pedagogies within their school site. In this example, EAL/D teachers worked to develop a professional learning program for their colleagues in all learning areas, spanning the academic year. The program design was grounded in the local context and the perceived needs of teachers for professional learning that engaged them as co-learners alongside their multilingual and EAL/D students. Positive outcomes from this program included mutual learning of teachers and students, and more inclusive classroom practices. Still, perpetual challenges remain in terms of teachers’ access to resources, particularly time and creative energy.
Choi, J., French, M. and Ollerhead, S. (2020). Introduction, Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics. https://www.castledown.com.au/journals/ajal/article/?reference=283 French, M. (2016) ‘Students’ multilingual resources and policy-in-action: an Australian case study’, Language and Education. Taylor & Francis, 30(4), pp. 298–316. doi: 10.1080/09500782.2015.1114628. Ollerhead, S., Choi, J. and French, M. (2018) ‘Introduction’, in Choi, J. and Ollerhead, S. (eds) Plurilingualism in Teaching and Learning. New York: Routledge, pp. 1–18.
Presenters Mei French Lecturer, University Of South Australia
How inclusive is multilingual education? A grounded theory on representations, practices and visions of integrating linguistic diversity in schools of South Tyrol, Italy
Oral Presentation[SYMP24] Changing perspectives towards multilingual education: teachers, learners and researchers as agents of social cohesion08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
My PhD study is based in a European border region where language policy is an ongoing issue and multilingualism a central and also complex basis of identification. However, the northernmost Italian province of South Tyrol-Alto Adige has never been "only trilingual": At least since the mid-1990's, the region's linguistic heterogeneity has not only featured the three officially recognised languages of German, Italian and Ladin (with their respective varieties) (Lanthaler, 2013). As in nearly all corners of Europe, major changes can also be observed in South Tyrol with regard to an increase in linguistic diversity in connection with migration movements (Wisthaler, 2013). This "new" multilingualism meets a complex, historically grounded multilingual society and is discussed very controversially in politics and in the media. There are also different approaches to the topic in the world of education. Having found an academic home in studying multilingual education models in theory and practice (De Jong, 2011) as well as accompanying schools in monitoring their management of linguistic diversity, I kept asking myself whether there was a link between these two fields. How is linguistic diversity being cared for in a multilingual education system? For my study, which is following a grounded theory approach (Corbin & Strauss, 2015), I examined how linguistic diversity is perceived, integrated in pedagogical and didactic approaches and included in visions for the future at educational institutions of all three language groups in twelve South Tyrolean schools. My data includes interviews with school principals and teachers, officials in the didactic departments of the three boards of education, and politicians responsible for education policy as well as document analysis of relevant frameworks and official guidelines. Having completed several stages of analysis, I have been able to construct a grounded theory on current concepts of multilingual education in South Tyrol. This model brings together the pedagogical and didactic concepts for multilingual education currently used in South Tyrol and how these integrate linguistic diversity following either an approach of "inclusive language education for all" or "exclusive local multilingualism". In discussing how these approaches correspond to the basic principles of inclusive language education (Becker-Mrotzek, 2016), I want to contribute to the further development of multilingual didactics and to the exchange between actors in educational research and school practice.
Becker-Mrotzek, M. (2016). Inklusive sprachliche Bildung - Perspektiven aus Sicht der Sprachdidaktik. In: Inklusion: Sprachdidaktische Perspektiven. Kölner Beiträge zur Sprachdidaktik 11, 47-56. Duisburg. Corbin, J. & A. Strauss (2015). Basics of Qualitative Research. Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. Thousand Oaks. De Jong, E. (2011). Foundations for Multilingualism in Education – from Principles to Practice. Philadelphia. Lanthaler, F. (2013). Texte zu Sprache und Schule in Südtirol. Bozen. Wisthaler, V. (2013). Identity politics in the educational system in South Tyrol: Balancing between minority protection and the need to manage diversity. Studies in ethnicity and nationalism, 13(3), 358–372.
Presenters Dana Engel Researcher, University Of Koblenz
The link between home and school regarding multilingual education
Oral Presentation[SYMP24] Changing perspectives towards multilingual education: teachers, learners and researchers as agents of social cohesion08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
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Argument: Background to the study In an increasingly multilingual world, the demand for language immersion programs has increased significantly (Barrett DeWiele & Edgerton, 2020). Since immersion programs can be challenging, parental involvement is essential for student success (Selvachandran et al., 2022). However, for parents who do not speak the target language of the program, there is often a breakdown in communication between parents and the school (Tarasawa & Waggoner, 2015). Contextualization of topic/research problem/research question(s) In Canadian French Immersion programs, which are publicly funded and designed for non-francophone students, there is an increasing number of English language learners who enroll (Sinay et al., 2018). By design, this means that very few guardians speak the language of instruction (French), and some have low proficiency in the school and community language (English). For many ELL students, they speak their L1 at home, English in the community, and French in school with little overlap across contexts. This study therefore investigated the access to and availability of support in French Immersion programs, particularly as it pertains to the bridge between the school and home environments. Research aims/objectives 1. How do home factors (e.g., language status, socioeconomic status) affect access to and support within the FI program? Methodology and findings In this study, we interviewed 8 parents, 2 teachers, and 1 principal. They were selected from a larger study involving 6 home schools. All parents filled out a demographic questionnaire, and then participated in a semi-structured interview with two graduate students. Results show that participants were highly concerned with the limited access to resources, including assessment, French support at home, French resources in school, costs of resources as well as differences across schools and programs. This presentation will discuss how the relationship between home and school is critical for successful target language acquisition. References Barrett DeWiele, C. E., & Edgerton, J. D. (2020). Opportunity or inequality? The paradox of French immersion education in Canada. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1-15. Selvachandran, J., Kay-Raining Bird, E., DeSousa, J., & Chen, X. (2022). Special education needs in French immersion: A parental perspective of supports and challenges. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 25(3), 1120-1136. Sinay, E., Presley, A., Armson, S., Tam, G., Ryan, T. G., Burchell, D., & Barron, C. (2018). Toronto District School Board French as a second language program review: Developmental evaluation (No. 18/19, p. 03). Research Report. Tarasawa, B., & Waggoner, J. (2015). Increasing parental involvement of English Language Learner families: What the research says. Journal of Children and Poverty, 21(2), 129-134.
Presenters Diana Burchell PhD Candidate, OISE, University Of Toronto
Unpacking student perspectives: Comparing multilingual attitudes and experiences with foreign language teaching
Oral Presentation[SYMP24] Changing perspectives towards multilingual education: teachers, learners and researchers as agents of social cohesion08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
Foreign language education is key to fostering global citizens able to comprehend and appreciate linguistic and cultural diversity (Haukås et al., 2021). However, in some European countries, the number of students wanting to study foreign languages in secondary school has seen a sharp drop (Norwegian National Centre for Foreign Languages in Education, 2021; Tinsley, 2019). Despite governing bodies' efforts to encourage student enrolment in foreign language classes, some students do not consider it necessary to study a foreign language (Tinsley, 2019). Moreover, when students choose to study foreign languages, there is a concern that the teaching is decontextualized and rarely authentic (Storch & Sato, 2020; Vold, 2022). These studies indicate a need for research focusing on students' own perspectives on multilingualism to understand how to bring about change.
In this paper, we present findings from the large-scale European LANGUAGES project. Drawing on student surveys (n=960), the presentation will focus on unpacking the student perspective on multilingualism; secondary school students' attitudes towards multilingualism and their experiences with foreign language lessons. We present findings among students who study English as a foreign language in France and Norway, and students who study French as a foreign language in England and Norway. The findings are based on analyses from two internationally validated student surveys: (1) the Ungspråk survey, where students express their attitudes towards multilingualism and views of their current multilingual selves (Haukås et al., 2021), and (2) the Tripod 7C's survey where the same students report their experiences with curricular support in foreign language lessons, in terms of how these lessons spark and maintain their interest in learning English or French, and the extent to which they find that their foreign language teachers have designed stimulating lessons that facilitate active student participation (Ferguson, 2012; Molway, 2021).
By comparing students' perspectives on multilingualism and foreign language education in widely different countries and contexts, we are able to highlight trends across two foreign language subjects and identifying key factors for students' attitudes and experiences with multilingualism. These findings will help identify what it might take to change learners' perspectives towards multilingual education across very different school settings.
Ferguson, R. F. (2012). Can student surveys measure teaching quality? Phi Delta Kappan, 94(3), 24-28. Haukås, Å., Storto, A., & Tiurikova, I. (2021). Developing and validating a questionnaire on young learners' multilingualism and multilingual identity. The Language Learning Journal, 49(4), 404-419. Molway, L. (2021). Measuring effective teaching: Student perceptions of their modern languages lessons in England. System, 97, 102440. Norwegian National Centre for Foreign Languages in Education. (2021). Elevane sitt val av framandspråk på ungdomsskulen 2020-2021. Notat 1/2021. https://www.hiof.no/fss/sprakvalg/fagvalgstatistikk/elevane-sine-val-av-framandsprak-i-ungdomsskulen-20-21.pdf Storch, N., & Sato, M. (2020). Comparing the same task in ESL vs. EFL learning contexts: an activity theory perspective. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 30, 50-69. Tinsley, T. (2019). Language trends 2019: Language teaching in primary and secondary schools in England. British Council. Vold, E.T. (2022). Learner spoken output and teacher response in second versus foreign language classrooms. Language Teaching Research.
Presenters Laura Molway Departmental Lecturer In Modern Languages Education, University Of OxfordEstelle Fohr-Prigent PhD Fellow, University Of Oslo
Teachers’ multilingual perspectives: Attitudes and practices in foreign language classrooms across France, England and Norway
Oral Presentation[SYMP24] Changing perspectives towards multilingual education: teachers, learners and researchers as agents of social cohesion08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
Foreign language teaching has slowly started to steer away from the monolingual 'dogma' (Butzkamm, 2003), by welcoming the first language (L1) and students' additional language resources in the foreign language classroom (De Angelis, 2011; Haukås, 2016; Macaro, 2001; Molway, 2021). Furthermore, governing bodies in countries such as France (MEN, 2020), England (Ofsted, 2021) and Norway (NDET, 2020) encourage teachers to use students' multilingual repertoire. However, little is known about the connection between teachers' beliefs about multilingualism and how it actually translates into the multilingual classroom.
In this paper, we present findings from the international LANGUAGES project. Drawing on teacher surveys (n=48) and video-recorded lessons (n=128), the presentation will focus on teachers' perspective on multilingualism; English and French teachers' attitudes towards multilingualism and their teaching practices in foreign language classrooms. We present findings among teachers of English as a foreign language in France and Norway, and teachers of French as a foreign language in England and Norway, based on two datasets: (1) the Multiteach survey, where teachers express their attitudes towards and experiences with multilingualism (Calafato, 2020), and (2) video-recorded lessons where the same teachers teach foreign languages, to see whether and how they encourage the use of L1 or other languages than the target language in their lessons (Brevik & Rindal, 2020; Vold & Brkan, 2020).
Comparing teachers' perspectives on multilingualism and actual foreign language teaching, our analysis provides a unique perspective on two language subjects across three countries revealing traditions within each education system, as well as similarities and differences across contexts related to language policy, recommendations from national curricula, teachers' beliefs, and actual classroom teaching. The findings provide important insight concerning opportunities and challenges for language teachers, teacher educators and policy-makers across multilingual contexts.
References Brevik, L.M. & Rindal, U. (2020). Language use in the classroom: Balancing target language exposure with the need for other languages. TESOL Quarterly, 54(4), 925-953. Butzkamm, W. (2003). We only learn language once. The role of the mother tongue in FL classrooms: death of a dogma. Language Learning Journal, 28(1), 29-39. Calafato, R. (2020). Evaluating teacher multilingualism across contexts and multiple languages: Validation and insights. Studies in Educational Evaluation. De Angelis, G. (2011). Teachers' beliefs about the role of prior language knowledge in learning and how these influence teaching practices. International Journal of Multilingualism, 8(3). Haukås, A. (2016). Teachers' beliefs about multilingualism and a multilingual pedagogical approach. International Journal of Multilingualism, 13(1), 1-18. Macaro, E. (2001). Analyzing student teachers' codeswitching in foreign language classrooms: Theories and decision making. Modern Language Journal, 85, 531-548. Molway, L. (2021). Which aspects of their practice do modern languages teachers in England's secondary schools say they want to develop? The Language Learning Journal. 1-23. Ministère de l'Education Nationale [MEN]. (2020). Bulletin Officiel n°31. Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training [NDET]. (2020). Kunnskapsløftet 2020. Ofsted (2021). Curriculum research review series: languages. Published 7 June 2021. Vold, E.T. & Brkan, A. (2020). Classroom discourse in lower secondary French-as-a-foreign-language classes in Norway: Amounts and contexts of first and target language use. System, 93.
Palestinian teachers and students in Israel on multilingual educational policies and the demotion of Arabic
Oral Presentation[SYMP24] Changing perspectives towards multilingual education: teachers, learners and researchers as agents of social cohesion08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
Since its establishment, Israel has administered and maintained two segregated schooling systems: one for the Jewish (Hebrew-speaking) majority and one for the Palestinian (Arabic-speaking) minority. In July 2018, Israel passed a Nation State Law (NSL) that defined Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people alone. The law not only reinforced the second-class status of its Palestinian citizens, but also transformed the status of Arabic as an official language into a language with a special status. Around the same time, Israel's Ministry of Education initiated a project for developing a new multilingual educational policy for its schools, aiming inter alia to foster intercultural dialogue and tolerance between Arabs and Jews. Against this backdrop, this paper examines whether, and if so, how the NSL has impacted the perspectives of Palestinian teachers and students towards the transformative potential of multilingual education, and about their role as agents of social change. To this end, I analyze data from interviews with high-school teachers and students from twenty diverse and geographically dispersed Palestinian-Arab schools in order to understand whether the legal demotion of a minority language changes its speakers' perspectives on multilingual education and their role in effecting social change.
The legislation of the NSL in Israel that cancelled the official status of Arabic in 2018 coincided with official initiatives for developing a new multilingual educational policy for Israel's segregated schooling systems. The policy aims mainly to provide different targets for the teaching of different languages in Israel, with a special emphasis on the need to teach Hebrew and Arabic for fostering intercultural dialogue between Arabs and Jews (Tannenbaum & Shohamy, 2018). Considering the political orientation of language policies which are largely driven by the ideologies, attitudes, and beliefs of various stakeholders (Shohamy, 2006), I ask: How do members of the Palestinian-Arab minority perceive the tension between the demotion of Arabic – their mother tongue and the transmitter of their national and cultural identity – and the implementation of a new multilingual educational policy?
To address this question, I draw upon recent theorizations in the fields of language policy and applied linguistics that highlight the centrality of studying the communicative practices of minority language speakers as basic building blocks in the production of democratic societies (e.g., Rampton et al., 2018; Stroud, 2018). Therefore, examining whether a top-down multilingual policy serves transformative agendas entails studying the bottom-up practices and perceptions of marginalized groups, who are often disadvantaged by such policies. Recent research recognizes such a focus on practice and treats language educational policy as processual, dynamic, and in motion. This means that policy never just "is," but rather "does" (McCarty, 2011; Rampton et al., 2018).
On that basis, I investigate whether the legislative change of Arabic from an official language to a language with a "special status" has changed the way Arabic-speaking teachers and students perceive and respond to a top-down multilingual educational policy. I present data from interviews I conducted with teachers and students from twenty high schools in various Arab towns and villages. Data analysis suggests that cancelling the official status of Arabic simultaneously negatively impacts its speakers' sense of belonging, worth, and collectivity but also encourages the emergence of new forms of activism and ingroup solidarity. Analysis indicates that for a multilingual educational policy in Israel to become part of a transformative project towards social justice and cohesion, there is a need to deconstruct the underlying frameworks that reproduce and perpetuate injustices towards Palestinians (e.g., the NSA).
References:
1. McCarty, T. (2011). Introducing ethnography and language policy. In T. McCarty (Ed.), Ethnography and language policy (pp. 1-28). London: Routledge. 3. Rampton, B., *Cooke, M., & Holmes, S. (2018). Promoting linguistic citizenship: Issues, problems, and possibilities. Working Papers in Urban Language and Literacies, 233: 1–29. 4. Shohamy, E. (2006). Language policy: Hidden agendas and new approaches. New York: Routledge. 5. Stroud, C.(2018). Linguistic Citizenship. In L. Lim, C. Stroud, & L. Wee (Eds.), The Multilingual Citizen: Towards a politics of language for agency and change (pp. 17–39). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters. 6. Tannenbaum, M., & Shohamy, E. (2018). Final report – a new multilingual education policy for Israel. Submitted to the chief scientist of the Ministry of Education. Jerusalem. [in Hebrew]
Multilingual education and social change: what can we learn from International Languages teachers in Wales?
Oral Presentation[SYMP24] Changing perspectives towards multilingual education: teachers, learners and researchers as agents of social cohesion08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
The new Curriculum for Wales, implemented across schools in Wales from 2022, promotes a 'plurilingual and multilingual approach' (Welsh Government 2021) to the teaching of Welsh, English and International Languages. It is noted in the new curriculum that drawing on learners' entire linguistic repertoire will help them to progress in all languages, as well as seeing languages 'as a key to social cohesion' (Welsh Government 2021). However, the education system in Wales has not always centred language learning around the concept of holistic 'multilingualism'. Rather, there has been a longstanding tradition of teaching Welsh, English and mostly European languages – French, German and Spanish – and promoting 'triple literacy' teaching of Welsh, English and often one European language.
Therefore, how is this new multilingual element of the Curriculum for Wales translated into practice in the International Languages (MFL) classroom in Wales? This paper explores the beliefs and practices of the 37 International Languages secondary school teachers in Wales interviewed for a doctoral study. Employing an ecological perspective (van Lier 2004) to language learning, teaching and assessment, this paper explores common themes and differences amongst teacher views on multilingual pedagogies. Based on the study's findings, this paper argues that a cohesive multilingual approach to language learning on a policy curriculum level may not always translate into a multilingual classroom practice of learning from 'the relationships between different languages' (Welsh Government 2021). In this study, this was due to factors relating to the longstanding tradition of triple literacy, teachers' linguistic expertise, and accredited examinations driving teaching content, often excluding learners' home and community languages. Elements of 'language hierarchies' (Mehmedbegovic 2017) presented themselves, as well as the disjuncture between multilingual pedagogy and the lack of multilingual approaches within assessment (Schissel et al. 2018).
Therefore, this paper argues for the need to promote an ideological multilingual education shift from policy to classroom practice in Wales. Initial Teacher Education and CPD opportunities have a key role to play for such social change by supporting teachers to shift their perspectives towards a more holistic view of (multilingual) language learning, and supporting teachers' linguistic and confidence development in all languages present in their school contexts. This paper also argues, aligning with Shohamy's (2011) call, for a shift in perspective towards creative ways of language testing that reflect diverse multilingual populations – an alignment of cohesive teaching, learning and assessment.
Mehmedbegovic, D. 2017. Engaging with linguistic diversity in global cities: arguing for 'language hierarchy free' policy and practice in education. Open Linguistics 3, pp. 540-553.
Schissel, J.L., De Korne, H., and López-Gopar, M.E. 2018. Grappling with translanguaging for teaching and assessment in culturally and linguistically diverse language learning contexts: teacher perspectives from Oaxaca, Mexico. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism.
Shohamy, E. 2011. Assessing multilingual competencies: adopting construct valid assessment policies. The Modern Language Journal 95 (3), pp. 418–429.
van Lier, L. 2004. The ecology and semiotics of language learning: a sociocultural perspective. New York: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Language teachers’ perceptions on plurilingualism in bilingual and monolingual areas: comparative study in Galicia (Spain) and northern Portugal.
Oral Presentation[SYMP24] Changing perspectives towards multilingual education: teachers, learners and researchers as agents of social cohesion08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
The consolidation of the European Union and the social necessity to meet the mobility demands of globalization, particularly in the labour market and the academic education, has prompted to the promotion of plurilingualism at all levels. The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) published by the Council of Europe (CoE) in 2001 has been a key instrument in this change of paradigm. The CEFR has consolidated the standarization of levels of language proficiency and has had an undeniable impact on the teaching-learning processes of foreing language.
The appreciation of the rich heritage of diverse languages and cultures is an essential objective of the CoE (2001, p.2). Hence, it recommends the use of the CEFR as a tool for the effective implementation of plurilingual education (p. 27). Besides making a distinction between the concepts of multilingualism and plurilingualism, the CEFR encourages people not to keep languages in isolation, but instead treat them as cultural elements that interrelate and interact (CoE, 2001, p. 4) In 2020, the promotion of a quality plurilingual education through the development of the plurilingual and pluricultural competences was restated and reaffirmed (p. 11).
Bearing in mind that teachers are key agents in the promotion of plurilingualism among students in the education centres, this study intends to make a comparative analyse of the perceptions of secondary language teachers related to plurilingualism and their own teaching practice in two close but different scenarios: the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain) where there are two co-official national languages (Galician and Spanish) and in the north of Portugal with only one national language (Portuguese). Despite their geographical proximity, the countries selected also present differences in terms of the general level of proficiency in a foreign language. For instance, the EFL English Proficiency Index (EF Education First, 2020) ranks global countries according to their levels of proficiency in English. Spain has been ranked 34th with an average level of proficiency whereas Portugal is the 7th position with a top level of proficiency.
For the purpose of this study, language teachers at secondary schools in Galicia and Portugal have answered a survey on their views on plurilingualism and their teaching practices related to it. Preliminary results show positive conceptualizations on plurilingualism and the need of fostering it in the classroom. Translanguaging seems to be the most common practice related to plurilingualism in both countries. Nevertheless, claims about the scarcity of plurilingual projects between different departments have been made, together with curricular and time constraints as the main obstacles for the implementation and development of a quality plurilingual education.
References Concil of Europe (2001), Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment, Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg, available at www.coe.int/lang-cefr. Council of Europe (2020), Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment – Companion volume, Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg, available at www.coe.int/lang-cefr. EF Education First (2020). EF EPI. Índice EF General de Nivel de Inglés. Una clasificación de 100 países y regiones en función de su nivel de inglés. https://www.ef.com.es/epi/
Presenters Lucia Fraga-Vinas Pos-doctoral Student And Visiting Researcher (Universidade Do Minho) And Hired Researcher (Universidade Da Coruña), Universidade Do Minho (Portugal) And Universidade Da Coruña (Spain)
Cecilia Varcasia
Emanuela Atz
Carolina Perez Arredondo
Stefania Crameri
Mei French
Dana Engel
Diana Burchell
Laura Molway
Estelle Fohr-Prigent
Lisbeth M Brevik
Åsta Haukås
Muzna Awayed-Bishara
Lucia Fraga-Vinas
