Societal multilingualism:multilingual education

What is multilingual education?

• No clear cut definition
• Simple label for a complex phenomenon
• Mackey
- 90 different forms of multilingual education
itself(georgraphy in dutch)
• Each form of education which makes systematic and sufficiently long use of two (or more) languages for teaching lessons/content matter other than language course
• Targets children who are already multilingual and/or who want (or have) to become multilingual

- Crucial distinction between:

1) Education using two or more languages as medium of instruction and promoting some minimal form of bilingualism
2) Education where bi-/multilingual children are present in the classroom, but which does not use two or more languages as medium of instruction and/or does not promote some form of multilingualism

2) Education where bi-/multilingual children are present in the classroom, but which does not use two or more languages as medium of instruction and/or does not promote some form of multilingualism

(=most frequently encounter in our society; where children go to school in a monolingual context, of course, many children in that school are bi/multilingual , but as far as language of instruction is concerned, only one language is being used)

• Each form of education which makes systematic and sufficiently long use of two (or more) languages for teaching lessons/content matter other than language course

- The first model; any type of schooling where two languages are present, and they should be used in an sufficient period in order to transmit content, not juts language itself(georgraphy in dutch)

Different forms of multilingual education depending on:

• Larger linguistic context or community
• Range of languages in the curriculum
• Children targeted(target population)
• Objectives and desired outcomes: the type of multilingualism aimed
• Proportion of languages in the curriculum
• Phasing of languages in the curriculum and over time
• Status & role of the languages in the curriculum
• Pedagogical approach

• Larger linguistic context or community

- In a monolingual vs bilingual vs multilingual context/community

• Range of languages in the curriculum

- Number of languages used as medium of instruction (2, 3, 4…?)
- Status, role and function of the languages in the wider community

- Status, role and function of the languages in the wider community:

° minority/majority languages
°which languages are being used?-

minority languages need more support in the curriculum;

majority languages are supported by a society as large)

°which languages are being used?

international, indigenous vs allochtonous

• Children targeted(target population)

- All linguistic communities or only some, or one(inclusive/exclusive education)
- Indigenous population and/or migrant population?
- Age levels: toddlers, young children, older children/adolescents?

• Objectives and desired outcomes: the type of multilingualism aimed at:

- Bilingual, trilingual, or even monolingualism(in the target language)
- In all four meta-skills i.e. with or without biliteracy in one/two/all of the target languages
- Additive vs substractive multilingual language
° 1+1=2(maintenance & development of all the languages)
° 1+1=1(development of only one of the languages, possibly at the cost of the child’s other language(s))

• Proportion of languages in the curriculum

balanced(50/50)/partial(70/30)

• Phasing of languages in the curriculum and over time:

- Stable or shifting(transitional)
- Simultaneously, overlapping, consecutive, alternating

• Status & role of the languages in the curriculum

- Eg L1 for teaching ‘academic’ lessons vs L2 for teaching ‘non-academic/technical’ lessons
 Risk of stigmatization and stereotyping
You need to take into account because it affects children especially at a young age

• Pedagogical approach

 Immersion education: a system where you tech courses taught in the pupils’ L2 +L2 support=>float and swim
- Strive towards linguistically more or less homogenous classes: majority language pupils taught (in) a minority language
- L2 teachers do not use but understand the pupils’ L1(+allow its use in the early stages of education) e.g. L2 French(minority) immersion for anglophone(majority) children in Canada

Immersion education(good support) ! is not!

Submersion education(wild immersion)!!!

- Submersion education

: the kids are thrown into a swimming pool=>’swim or sink’

 Content and Language Integrated Learning(CLIL) & Task-Based Language Teaching(TBLT)

- Learning an L2 through activities, tasks or courses in which the teaching of subject content matter and language learning goals are integrated

Common myths about multilingual education

here you goooooo

• Multilingual education is sth that should be made according to the specific needs of a specific population, for specific goals in specific context=> no one size fit sock

true

• Becoming multilingual takes time to fully manifest good results

true

• There is no relationship between IQ and success in (implicit) language learning

true

• Not necessarily pupils will become intelligent, more creative, and more open to other languages and cultures if sent to multilingual education

true

• When done correctly, multilingual education works for all children/ if its not well organised, all children will fail no matter how intelligent they are

true

L1=native language

L2= students’ 2nd language