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20230720T083020230720T1615Europe/Amsterdam[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?Hybrid Session (onsite/online)AILA 2023 - 20th Anniversary Congress Lyon Editioncellule.congres@ens-lyon.fr
Applied linguistics and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Equity, diversity and inclusion
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
This presentation introduces the ReN, English as a Medium of Education, Multilingualism and the SDGs: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. It explores the role of applied linguistics in contributing to the realisation of the SDGs and thus how it can foster the development of equity, diversity and inclusion. For SDG 4 on quality education, for example, research on language of instruction and multilingualism is crucially important, along with other linguistic concerns. The goal of quality education is likely to impact on SDG 16 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development and providing access to justice. It also implies opportunities for women and girls to have the same access to linguistic resources as their male counterparts. In addition, SDG 8 on productive employment and decent work is dependent on the ability of all to communicate linguistically in the workplace. This presentation explores some language related concerns that can be taken up by applied linguists to complement inputs by other stakeholders and encourages linguists to venture into more practical and policy-engaged linguistic efforts. Research on English as a medium of education, minority languages, virtual exchange, English as a lingua franca and multilingual education will be discussed.
The presentation is an introduction to the ReN and to the presentations in the symposium.
Decolonizing English Language Teaching (ELT) through Virtual Exchange (VE)
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
With the growth of varieties and implications of the use of English worldwide, Marlina (2014) and Sadeghpour (2020) call for a pluricentric approach to English which could also be understood from a decolonial perspective (Mignolo, 2017) of an ecology of knowledges (Santos, 2007). One way to foster pluricentric/decolonial approaches in English Language Teaching (ELT) is to recognize the diversity intrinsic to the use of English today and in ELT contexts. Drawing on decolonial theory (e.g., Mignolo, 2017, Santos, 2007) we propose to look at the Third Spaces afforded by Virtual Exchange (VE) as a way to recognize this diversity in pluricentric approaches to ELT. Thus, we argue VE provides spaces for decolonial praxis by bringing together different epistemologies and ways of knowing and being through the inclusion of diverse voices with the potential to decolonize ELT by delinking ELT practices from Western Eurocentric colonial views of English.
Macedo (2019) asks "how can the field of foreign language education decolonize itself" (p. 14) and challenge "[…] its vast whiteness as reflected in classrooms, teacher preparation programs, and national and international language teaching?" (p. 14). In so doing he calls for a decolonial pedagogy in language education aware of the implications of teaching "colonial languages [such as English] that overcelebrate Eurocentric values while sacrificing ways of being and speaking of people who do not fit the white, middle-class mold and are always excluded from this mold no matter how hard they try to fit in" (p.12). Still according to Macedo (2019), it is possible to resist the perpetuation of colonial attitudes to decenter language education. In the same line, Kramsch (2019) claims that language education should resist neo-colonial interests by weakening the "traditional link between standard languages and national cultures" (p. 50). That is, moving away from market pressure and corporate view and, most importantly, delinking languages from their colonial and national states to emphasize 'pluriversality', 'hybridity', 'ecologies of knowledge', 'inbetweenness', 'border thinking', and 'Third Spaces'. Third Spaces may be understood as potential sites for creating a more open and inclusive imaginaries of language use and appropriation as well as for reconceptualizing/reimagining language teacher education. The Third Space emphasizes the rhetoric of ambivalence in Bhabha's view (1990), and as such, it has the potential to weaken not only the authority of colonial discourse, but also the means by which it is exercised. Hall and Wicaksono (2020) claim that the ontological dimensions of teachers' beliefs about English are relevant because "ideological beliefs based on different epistemological practices can become ontologies" (p. 6). That is why the authors emphasize the importance of challenging language ontologies that underlie conventional views of English. So, discussions on the ownership of English and native speakerism (Holliday, 2006) are key elements to rethink the ontology towards decolonization of English (Hall & Wicaksono, 2020). The decolonization of English and language teacher education call for a combination of social and cognitive justice (Santos, 2007) with the lens of an 'ecology of knowledges' (Santos, 2007) about language in Third Spaces for decolonial praxis by bringing together different epistemologies and ways of knowing and being (Macedo, 2019; Wimpenny et al., 2022). In this world view, language education means evaluation, interaction, interrogation and connection of different types of knowing through the recognition of those knowledges produced on the other side of the abyssal lines (Santos, 2007). It implies being able to live with the difference and insecurity imposed by this world view seeing conflict as a productive space for questioning. Helm (2018) states that preparing students for this type of world means exposing them to different models of thought and strategies to establish relationships, reviewing positions and perspectives, according to changing contexts, as well as being able to live together with complexity and uncertainty. Virtual Exchange (VE) is an innovative pedagogical approach (Dooly & Vinagre, 2022) that may afford Third Spaces for language education and alternative ontologies and epistemologies of language (Hall & Wicaksono, 2020) offering students contextualized learning opportunities to reflect on how knowledge is co-constructed and shared through multiple perspectives and collaboration. According to Dooly and Vinagre (2022), VE helps "people to see beyond appearances and simplifying discourses" (p. 400), that is, VE provides "realistic encounters" (p. 400) with users of the target language. VE has increasingly been adopted in teacher education to prepare future teachers and continuous professional development for in-service teachers (Dooly & Vinagre, 2022). The Third Spaces created and harnessed in VE can provide pre- and in-service English teachers with opportunities to examine, elaborate, and integrate new information into their existing belief systems. As such, VE has the potential to realize SDG4 (quality of higher education) by offering a pluricentric approach and space of inclusion and diversity for students and teachers promoting cooperation across different cultures and languages.
References: Bhabha, H. K. (1990). The Third Space: interview with Homi Bhabha. In J. Rutherford (Ed.), Identity: community, culture, difference (pp. 207-221). Lawrence & Wishart. Dooly, M., & Vinagre, M. (2022). Research into practice: virtual exchange in language teaching and learning. Language Teaching, 55(3), 392–406. https://10.1017/S0261444821000069 Hall, C., & Wicaksono, R. (2020). Approaching ontologies of English. In C. Hall & R. Wicaksono (Eds.), Ontologies of English: conceptualising the language for learning, teaching, and assessment (pp. 3–12). Cambridge University Press. https://10.1017/9781108685153.001 Helm, F. (2018). Emerging identities in virtual exchange. Research Publishing. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2018.25.9782490057191 Holliday, A. (2006). Native-speakerism. ELT Journal, 60(4), 385–387. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccl030 Kramsch, C. (2019). Between globalization and decolonization: foreign languages in the cross-fire. In D. Macedo (Ed.), Decolonizing foreign language education: the misteaching English and other colonial languages (pp. 50–72). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429453113 Macedo, D. (2019). Rupturing the Yoke of colonialism in foreign language education: an introduction. In D. Macedo (Ed.), Decolonizing foreign language education: the misteaching of English and Other colonial languages (pp. 1–49). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429453113 Marlina, R. (2014). The pedagogy of English as an international language (EIL): more reflections and dialogues. In R. Marlina & R. A. Giri (Eds.), The Pedagogy of English as an International Language: perspectives from scholars, teachers and students (pp. 1–19). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06127-6_1 Mignolo, W. D. (2017). Colonialidade: o lado mais escuro da modernidade. Revista Brasileira de Ciências Sociais RBCS, 32(94), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.17666/329402/2017 Sadeghpour, M. (2020). Englishes in English Language Teaching. Routledge. Santos, B. de S. (2007). Beyond abyssal thinking: from global lines to ecologies of knowledges. Review (Fernand Braudel Center), 30(1), 45–89. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40241677 Stein, S., & Andreotti, V. de O. (2016). Decolonization and Higher Education. In M. Peters (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy and Theory (pp.1–6). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-532-7_479-1 Wimpenny, K., Finardi, K. R., Orsini-Jones, M., & Jacobs, L. (2022). Knowing, being, relating and expressing through Third Space Global South-North COIL: digital inclusion and equity in international higher education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 26(2), 279–296. https://doi.org/10.1177/10283153221094085
Pluriecological and synergic visions for applied linguistics: Pedagogical possibilities for language diversity and inclusion
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
Diversity and Inclusion have become the buzz word in language education and more recently in the field of applied linguistics. Although on paper, some educational policies advocate for the inclusion and diversity of knowledges, content, programs and approaches to teaching, the reality remains at a conceptual or theoretical level. This presentation will showcase three research and pedagogical projects that advocate for a synergic approach to the teaching of languages to address issues of inequality, racism, and language loss. Using a pluriversal politics approach to understand the three distinct pedagogical approaches, I intent to provoke critical reflections to respond the questions of how to address equity, diversity and inclusion in the contexts of English language teaching and Indigenous language revitalization. More specifically, this presentation hopes to translate experiential knowledge and critical research into innovative discussions on language education that may enhance students' social engagement in language learning from a Pluriecological and synergic vantage point. Ultimately, this perspective might equip teachers, students, and researchers with the necessary pedagogical and empirical skills for critically interrogate colonial forms of language instruction and to evaluate global and local issues for more inclusive and equitable practices to achieve UN's proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In recent years, concepts of diversity and inclusion in education have been on the rise due to the ongoing struggles due to the social inequality and discrimination against minorities at a global scale. Education has long been pointed as the equalizer to find alternatives and solutions to this international crisis, more specifically what its role might be after a "post pandemic" state. This presentation will describe pedagogical initiatives that promote equity and inclusion from three different perspectives and research projects: Addressing Anti-Black racism in an ESL class in Canada; peace education for social cohesion in Colombia; and the revitalization of the Quechua language in Latin America through online and in-person sessions. The approaches described in this presentation hope to serve as guiding points for pre/in service teacher education seeking alternative forms of teaching leading towards a more democratic, and socially-just world. Using a pluriversal politics approach to understand the three distinct pedagogical approaches, I intent to provoke critical reflections to respond the questions of how to address diversity and inclusion in the contexts of minority education. To this, Arturo Escobar (2020) proposes opening up a new perspective on reality and possibility, a new world in which all are accounted for, he advocates for the "Pluriverse" – "a world where many worlds fit" (p. 9). He interrogates the roots of dualities such as nature/culture, object/subject, fact/value and reason/emotion divide into a possible model of ontological or pluralistic politics in which radical relationality is envisioned "all entities that make up the world are so deeply interrelated that they have no intrinsic, separate existence by themselves" (p. xiii). As such, I argue that the three distinct pedagogical approaches converge at fighting for a new world beyond capitalism, neoliberal and globalist narratives to teach languages in which the center of the pedagogical practices are geared towards Buen Vivir, Vivir Sabroso and Sentipensar at the core of human existence (de Sousa Santos, 2008; Escobar, 2018, 2020; Fals-Borda, 2015; Lara, 2022; Oviedo Freire, 2017, 2020; Quiceno Toro, 2016). This presentation will describe the potential to advance theoretical scholarship for decolonial approaches to language education and applied linguistics research (Macedo, 2019). The pedagogical experiences might extend research on culturally informed pedagogy and curriculum by contextualizing the importance of student' backgrounds and experiences in the creation of language curriculum and policies, in a manner that is sustaining and relevant to their context (Ladson-Billings, 1992; Paris & Alim, 2017). Specifically, this presentation hopes to translate experiential knowledge and critical research into innovative discussions on language education that may enhance students' social engagement in language learning, and thereby equip them with the necessary skills for critically evaluating global and local issues for more inclusive and equitable pedagogical practices.
Presenters Yecid Ortega Lecturer, Queen's University Belfast
A Digital Shift: The Use of New Technologies for Language (Teacher) Education in Brazil
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
The objective of this presentation is to describe the process of transition of academic activities from face-to-face to online and remote mode in two Brazilian universities during the Covid-19 world pandemic. Additionally, this presentation aims at igniting the discussion about the pivotal and positive role that digital technologies have played in language teacher education during these dramatic times. In first academic semester of 2020, as the virus hit Brazilian grounds, educational institutions were obliged to shut down offices and to keep operating online and remotely. The data for this presentation derived from a bibliographical review of studies carried out at the Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES) and the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) that help us understand better the transition between one mode of interaction to another. A bibliographical review of studies about the use of digital technologies in language teacher education also provides ground for discussion. Results show that the shift impacted teachers and students both positively and negatively, but as educators became more familiar with the digital tools, they gained confidence and expertise. The access to technology and learner autonomy are challenges to be addressed in language teacher education.
In 2020, during the outburst of the world pandemic of Covid-19, people, businesses and organizations relied on digital technologies in order to be able to carry on with their lives and tasks. That was not different for educational institutions. Teachers and students had to rapidly adapt their activities to digital platforms and started to make use of digital tools. Two years into the pandemic and, as Covid-19 cases seem to lower, things are getting back to (a new?) normal (Castells, 2020). A question, then, rises: Looking back, when it comes to digital technologies that have been exhaustively explored during the past two years, what are the lessons to take and challenges to face? Researchers from the Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo administered online questionnaires and virtual group interviews to capture teachers' and students' perceptions on the university's shift to using digital technologies for academic and professional interactions (Có, Amorim & Finardi, 2020; Amorim, Có & Finardi, 2021). Similarly, experts from the Universidade de São Paulo delved into hybrid methodologies in order to explore different types of interaction mediated through digital technologies (Mayrink, Albuquerque-Costa & Ferraz, 2021). Despite the long-held claim researchers have made about the pivotal role of technology in (language) (teacher) education, only recently, especially motivated by the pandemic, digital technologies have taken the center of debates in (language) (teacher) (education) (for example Gomes Jr. & Puccini, 2019; Gomes Jr., 2020; Paiva & Gomes Jr., 2020). The studies that have been carried out in Brazil and elsewhere can certainly contribute to construct knowledges about technologies and language teacher education in Brazil and worldwide for a more inclusive and diverse society of the present.
Amorim, G.; Có, E. P. & Finardi, K. R. (2021). Percepções de Alunos sobre os Impactos da Pandemia na Educação: Foco no aprendizado de inglês. Revista Prâksis, v. 3, p. 4-31.
Có, E. P.; Amorim, G. B. & Finardi, K. R. (2020). Ensino de línguas em tempos de pandemia: experiências com tecnologia em ambientes virtuais. Revista Docência e Cibercultura, v. 4, p. 112-140.
Gomes Jr., R. C. (2020). Instanarratives: stories of foreign language learning on Instagram, System, v. 94, p. 1-18.
Gomes Jr., R. C. & Puccini, B. (2019). Tecnologias móveis e aprendizagem de línguas: um estudo sobre o desenvolvimento de habilidades orais em inglês. Revista da Abralin, v. 18, n. 1, p. 01-33.
Mayrink, M. F.; Alburquerque-Costa, H. & Ferraz, D. (2021). Remote language teaching in the pandemic context at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. In N. Radić, А. ATABEKOVA, M.; FREDDI; J. SCHMIED (Eds), The world universities' response to COVID-19: remote online language teaching (pp. 125-137).
Paiva, V. L. M. O. & Gomes Jr., R. C. (2020). Digital Tools for the Development of Oral Skills in English. Iranian Distance Education, v. 2, n. 1, p. 09-22.
Presenters Gabriel Amorim Lecturer, Universidade Federal De Goiás
Internationalisation of the curriculum, English medium instruction and global competence: higher education students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the impact of a teaching intervention
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
The internationalization of the curriculum is a pervasive but contested concept within higher education (HE) that poses both challenges and opportunities for universities. Education leaders have called for strategies for internationalization which have traditionally focused on the recruitment of international students and staff as well as on introducing English-medium-instruction (EMI) across degree programs (Altbach & Knight, 2007). However, these strategies EMI do not warrant the development of intercultural skills and global competence among students. This study discusses the impact of a teaching innovation project that aims to foster intercultural and global competence within an EMI course at a university. Following Jones and Killick (2013), our intended learning outcomes were internationalized by shifting the focus towards adopting a global outlook as a graduate attribute avoiding large chunks of additional course content. We examine the teachers' and students' perceptions of how our intervention has prepared them to deal with cultural and linguistic diversity in the at-home context for a period of four months. We include semi-structured interviews with students and teachers, a questionnaire, and classroom observations. The results point in three directions. First, the activities implemented have succeeded in opening the participants' minds towards naturalizing the use of EMI vis-à-vis other languages. They also emphasized that reflecting upon global issues made them become more tolerant. Second, the students and the teachers enjoyed interacting in pretend international communicative situations where English appeared together with other languages. Finally, despite the participants' reported positive experience, a skeptical attitude remained in relation to whether the course contents and English would be useful to work in Catalonia. The students' embracement of our implementation highlights a view of universities as "world spaces" (Roberson, 1995: 39) where "the world-as-a-whole is potentially inserted". This is crucial for internationalization at home and our intervention seems to have succeeded in that respect. However, activities that confront the students with international cases occurring in domestic scenarios should also be present in such an initiative. Intended international learning outcomes should ensure that students graduate with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to make positive, ethical contributions as citizens and professionals to their global, national, and local communities (Least, 2015). In line with de Wit and Altbach (2021), our study highlights that internationalization in HE (and IoC) is entering a phase in which linking the global to the local and integrating global, regional, national, and local dimensions is imperative. Altbach, P. G. & Knight, J. (2007).The internationalization of higher education: Motivations and realities.Journal of Studies in International Education 11(3–4),290–305. Jones, E. & Killick, D. (2013). Graduate attributes and the internationalized curriculum: Embedding a global outlook in disciplinary learning outcomes. Journal of Studies in International Education 17(2):16-182. Leask, B. (2015).Internationalizing the curriculum.Routledge. Robertson, R. (1995) Glocalization: Time-space and homogeneity-heterogeneity. In M. Featherstone, S. Lash and R. Robertson (eds.),Global modernities (pp. 25-44).Sage. Wit, H. & Altbach, P. (2021) Internationalization in higher education: global trends and recommendations for its future.Policy Reviews in Higher Education 5(1),28-46.
Educational Decolonisation and Decolonising Education? Recent developments of Language Policies in selected countries of the SADC-region
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
Despite the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their focus on quality and meaningful education the majority of African pupils are still excluded. Such exclusion is mainly caused by language barriers. African countries use predominantly previous colonial languages. Recent developments indicate that African Languages are being increasingly incorporated in the educational process throughout the SADC-region. The question remains if such changes are limited to lip-services, minor superficial language policy changes or if a change of mind-set and real inclusive language in education policy will establish. Biased language attitudes remain a major obstacle to implement an inclusive language policy. Therefore, a pure focus on language rights will not be sufficient, but rather the bigger picture needs to be taken into consideration. If African Languages can be used at workplaces, then pupils and parents see a necessity for learning African Languages. This study focuses on own field work at hundreds of schools in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi and South Africa offering a multiplicity of data concerning daily language practices at public schools. Hence, this research aims to show recent changes in language attitudes, daily language practices with inclusive translanguaging practices at schools and modest or even significant shifts in language policies.
'Africa is the only continent where the majority of children start schooling using a foreign language' (unesco, 2010). This statement from the UNESCO clearly shows the disadvantaging and unique schooling conditions for African pupils. This education through a 'foreign' language has generally been quite common for all countries of the Global South with its negative consequences, as documented by many scholars such as Heugh (2003), Brock-Utne (2005) and Alexander (2012). Nevertheless, recent developments seem to show that African Languages are being incorporated in the educational process throughout the sadc-region. Such developments are further supported by focusing more strongly on aspects such as inclusive education as well as qualitative aspects of education instead of pure enrolment numbers. The Sustainable Development Goals (sdg s) focus under number 4 on 'Quality Education' and more specifically under target 4.5.2 on the percentage of pupils being taught in their first language (unesco, 2021) is supportive of such a mother tongue based pedagogic approach. Despite such developments in practice there is an overarching development of monolingualism in African education, but at the same time much translanguaging through usage of African Languages appear (Kretzer 2022). Pupils will only favour African Languages if they realise how important they are for meaning making and how knowledge of them can help for employment and in workplaces. As long as African Languages are not seen or connected with positive attitudes currently associated with English, then the policy directives remain futile and many bottom-up initiatives will unfortunately not have a real impact. Languages need to be seen as a relevant resource and they should have market value.
Bibliography: Alexander, Neville. 2012. English unassailable but unattainable: The dilemma of language policy in South African education. praesa Occasional Papers No. 3. Cape Town: praesa. Brock-Utne, Birgit. 2005. Language-in-education policies and practices in Africa with a special focus on Tanzania and South Africa-Insights from research in progress. In Lin, A.M.Y & P.W. Martin. (eds.). Decolonisation, globalisation: Language-in- Education policy and practice. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Heugh, Kathleen. 2003. Language policy and democracy in South Africa. Centre for Research on Bilingualism, Stockholm University: Stockholm University Press. Kretzer, Michael M. 2022. Wenn Sprache Bildung verhindert: Sprachenpolitik im Bildungssystem Südafrikas. Eine Untersuchung in den Provinzen Gauteng, Limpopo und North West. Darmstadt: wbg Academic. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (unesco). 2021. Official List of sdg 4 Indicators. September 2021[Online] Available from: http://tcg.uis.unesco.org/wp‑content/uploads/sites/4/2020/09/SDG4_indicator_list.pdf [Accessed 11th December 2021]. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (unesco). 2010. Why and how Africa should invest in African languages and multilingual education An evidence- and practice-based policy advocacy brief, [Online] Available from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000188642 [Accessed 25 April 2020].
Presenters Michael M. Kretzer Research Associate, Ruhr University Bochum & University Of The Western Cape
Virtual Exchange: an innovative inclusive Third Space for the promotion of global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and culture’s contribution to sustainable development
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
Although SDGs do not specifically focus on Higher education (HE), HE institutions play an important role in promoting the development of values, competencies, skills, and knowledge necessary to contribute to building a more sustainable society. Virtual exchanges (VE), or Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL can contribute to creating a "third space" that provides an environment for HE EFL learners to express themselves as individuals by fostering diversity and inclusive participation, promoting openness to knowledge pluralization through meaningful intercultural interaction among diverse students (Wimpenny et al., 2022; Wimpenny & Orsini-Jones, 2020). On the other hand, the development of competences for democratic culture in EFL learners contribute to promoting global citizenship through language education and intercultural dialogue, as well as the appreciation of cultural diversity and culture's contribution to sustainability. This paper aims to show how a VE involving EFL students from Costa Rica and Japan can effectively become an innovative inclusive Third Space for the promotion of global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and culture's contribution to sustainable development through intercultural dialogue. By examining how the participants mobilize a number of competences for democratic culture, it would be possible to understand the potential of VE in achieving the goal of EFL learners acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development through intercultural dialogue in a dialogic, reflective, diverse and inclusive Third Space.
Complying with the SDGS by fostering Respect for Linguistic Diversity - Language Resources of Plurilingual Heritage Speakers in a Multilingual Country
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
With the concept of inclusion, we recognize diversity as a societal value, which leads to more equity as one of the guarantors of social cohesion and peace. Methodologically, it is imperative to work in an interdisciplinary way and ensure that the voice of the affected is heard. One interesting way to achieve this goal is to decolonize research methods, holding spaces (Cairo 2021) and empowering research subjects as co-producers of the scientific explorations (Kerschhofer-Puhalo 2019; Ibrahim 2017).
My research focuses on the language and intercultural resources of plurilingual students risen with a heritage language and mostly with a migration background. The place of enunciation (Menezes de Souza 2019) is a language awareness & empowerment course especially designed for plurilingual students at a university of applied sciences in Switzerland. The presentations of these students on their own language resources, language biography, shared experiences and self-reflection activities confirm research findings (Isler 2020 among others) that it can be very challenging to be plurilingual even in a multilingual place like Switzerland. One reason is that academically speaking only people with curricular languages (e.g.: mother tongues and foreign languages learned at school) are perceived to be plurilingual. Informal self-evaluation and school assessments related to language skills are all too often still based on a(n) (unconscious) deficit approach. Another reason is that multilingualism has for years been depicted through a monolingual lens and the monolingual native speaker was therefore also set as the standard for educational purposes (Gogolin 1994, Skutnabb‐Kangas/McCarty 2008) turning invisible the huge linguistic repertoires (García 2020) and intercultural competences of plurilingual heritage speakers (Grosjean 2015).
What about complying with the SDGS and fostering respect for linguistic diversity by turning visible, acknowledging, and promoting these valuable resources for more equitable, sustainable, and peaceful societies?
Bibliography
Cairo, Amita. 2021. Holding Space: A Storytelling Approach to Trampling Diversity and Inclusion. Academic Book Solutions.
García, Ofelia. 2020. Singularity, Complexities and Contradictions: A Commentary about Translanguaging, Social Justice, and Education. In: Panagiotopoulou J., Rosen L., Strzykala J. (eds) Inclusion, Education and Translanguaging. Inklusion und Bildung in Migrationsgesellschaften. (11-20). Springer VS, Wiesbaden.
Gogolin, Ingrid. 1994. Der monolinguale Habitus der multilingualen Schule. Münster: Waxmann-Verlag.
Grosjean, François. 2015. Bicultural bilinguals. International Journal of Bilingualism, 19(5), 572–586.
Ibrahim, Nayr. 2017. Identity in children learning to read and write in three languages: a case study.
Isler, Dieter et al. 2020. Frühe Sprachbildung in sprachlich heterogenen Spielgruppen. Hrsg: Institut für Mehrsprachigkeit. Freiburg | Fribourg, 2020.
Kerschhofer-Puhalo, Nadja. 2019. My Literacies. Approaches to literacies in multimedia and multilingual contexts – The view of the child. Sparkling Science – a programme of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy (BMWFW).
Menezes de Souza, L.M.T. 2019. Glocal Languages, Coloniality and Globalization from below. In Guilherme, M & Menezes de Souza, L.M.T. (eds) Glocal Languages and Critical Intercultural Awareness: the south answers back. Routledge.
Skutnabb‐Kangas, Tove, McCarty Teresa L. 2008. Key Concepts in Bilingual Education: Ideological, Historical, Epistemological, and Empirical Foundations. In: Hornberger N.H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Boston, MA.
English as a medium of instruction during the pandemic: Affordances and challenges for professors in a global South context
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face to face classes were suspended in many parts of the world in 2020 and 2021. The change from face to face to online environments for educational practices was thus inevitable. Global South contexts were some of the most affected ones by such change, given the difficulty that some students had in terms of material resources and pedagogical support. Additionally, the lack of preparation on the part of professors to address technological and educational challenges only added to the many other difficulties that were being faced in educational environments. While these issues have been addressed by researchers in different parts of the world, literature on how EMI professors and students felt during this scenario is still scarce. Therefore, the aim of this presentation is to report on the results of an ongoing research project that seeks to understand the perspectives of professors and students in a global South university upon the affordances and challenges of migrating from face to face to online environments in EMI classes. In particular, we seek to understand how this change affected issues related to pedagogical practices, linguistic practices and perceptions about learning.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face to face classes were suspended in many parts of the world in 2020 and 2021. The change from face to face to online environments for educational practices was thus inevitable. The fact that the implementation of online classes was made in an urgent manner made these circumstances even more difficult. Global South contexts were some of the most affected ones by such change, given the difficulty that some students had in terms of material resources and pedagogical support. Additionally, the lack of preparation on the part of professors to address technological and educational challenges only added to the many other difficulties that were being faced in educational environments. While these issues have been addressed by researchers in different parts of the world, literature on how EMI professors and students felt during this scenario is still scarce. Therefore, the aim of this presentation is to report on the results of an ongoing research project that seeks to understand the perspectives of professors and students in a global South university (in Brazil) upon the affordances and challenges of migrating from face to face to online settings in EMI classes. In particular, we seek to understand how this change has affected pedagogical and linguistic practices, and perceptions about learning. The research is relevant because it adds to the growing literature on EMI in Brazil (Baumvol & Sarmento, 2016; Finardi & Guimaraes, 2020; Ramos, 2018), as well as to the literature on emergency remote instruction during the pandemic (Finardi & Sevilla-Pavon, 2021). It also brings the perspectives of both professors and students in relation to the affordances and challenges of planning and developing EMI classes in online environments, which may be important for the development of this type of instruction in the future.
References
Baumvol, L., & Sarmento, S. A internacionalização em casa e o uso de inglês como meio de instrução. Echoes, Florianópolis 2016. Finardi, K., & Guimaraes, F. (2020). Internationalization and the covid-19 pandemic: Challenges and opportunities for the global South. Journal of Education, Teaching and Social Studies, 2(4), 1-15. Finardi, K., & Sevilla-Pavon, A. (2021). Pandemic language teaching: Insights from Brazilian and international teachers on the pivot to emergency remote instruction. Journal of Language and Education, 7, 127-138. Ramos, M. Y. (2018). Internationalization of graduate education in Brazil: rationale and mechanisms. Educação e Pesquisa, 44, 1-20.
English Language Education Policy in Bangladesh-Policy, Ideology and Inequality
Oral Presentation[SYMP93] English as a medium of education, multilingualism and the sdgs: equity, diversity and inclusion ?08:30 AM - 04:15 PM (Europe/Amsterdam) 2023/07/20 06:30:00 UTC - 2024/07/20 14:15:00 UTC
This paper examines the presence of English language ideologies in language-in-education policy and discourses in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has never had a consistent policy on language in schools. Sometimes English has been encouraged, sometimes it has been limited, and sometimes it has been forbidden. Although the Constitution of Bangladesh states that education should be free and compulsory for all children, in practice many children do not attend a school or do so for only a short time. Within the context of severe social, economic, and educational problems, English remains a primary language of education and employment. This paper will focus on the inequitable education system in Bangladesh. To find the answer to the research questions two types of data are examined: (1) archives and documents, including newspapers and historical documents, and (2) interviews with the key policy planners. Based on the data examined in this article, several conclusions are reached. First, English is not regarded as a colonial burden, but rather most Bangladeshi people have a favorable attitude towards English, with instrumental motivation for learning English. Second, English education seems to create class divisions, with only the upper class benefiting from the present pro-English policy.
English is regarded as a global language. It is by no means divested itself of a cultural context. English was introduced into South Asia by the British. Nearly all the postcolonial countries (e.g., India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal) in that region experienced long periods of political, economic, and linguistic domination. Although those postcolonial countries have taken different paths to nation-building, policies on instructional medium in schools have been key drivers of national development in India and Bangladesh. English, along with indigenous languages such as Bengali and Hindi, plays an important role in everyday activities in Bangladesh. Language is an instrument of political, economic, and social imperialism. This paper uses historical documents, government data, and structured interviews with Bangladesh's policy planners to examine the linguistic impact of English on South Asia, particularly in Bangladesh. The impact is based on the link between one's proficiency in the English language and one's social privilege, which emanates from having English-language skills. Such impact is also indicated in the deleterious effects of language use in Bangladesh-that is, in engendering disparities in economic status conditioned by disparities in the proficiency in the use of English. The purpose of this paper is to describe and examine the present status of Bengali and English in the educational system of South Asia. The research questions were - (i) Is English a colonial burden? (ii) Who benefits from the present policy? Viswanathan (1989) noted that English-language teaching in India could be regarded as a form of social, cultural, and political control. It basically produced a class alienated from its own language and culture and discontented with the colonial rule. Currently, in Indian education, as well as in Bangladeshi education, English plays a special role. English is used as a language of administration, inter-state communication, and higher education in India and Bangladesh, for projecting cultural heritage, economic programs, tourism, politics, industry, trade, foreign policies and research findings overseas. English is becoming increasingly pervasive in India, where it is used for instrumental purposes because it provides opportunities in the job market and in higher education. South Asian students in India and Bangladesh have a positive attitude toward English, which is regarded as a "language of opportunity" in that it plays an important role in Indian society and is no longer regarded as a burden of colonialism. In South Asia, English is generally not viewed as a colonial burden but as an international or neutral language; it provides opportunities. Thus public pressure for English language teaching at an early age is widespread. However, for most children, English language proficiency is quite low because of the low level of teachers' English language proficiency and the low quality of English language education. Thus, the present policy continues to support advantages for groups having access to English education, while contributing to the ongoing educational difficulties facing the rural and urban poor. This paper calls for language planning and policy that emphasizes pedagogic equity.
Presenters TANIA HOSSAIN Professor, Waseda University
Carlos Alberto Hildeblando Júnior
Elisa Prado Có
Yecid Ortega
Gabriel Amorim
Lidia Gallego-Balsa
Michael M. Kretzer
Ana Vivian Fernández Peraza
Eduardo Diniz De Figueiredo
Fabia Carla Rossoni
TANIA HOSSAIN
