Multilingual Education: Narratives, Models, and Issues

educación multilingüe

多言語教育

dilli eğitim

многоязычного образования לשוני חינוך

다국어 교육

การศึกษาภาษาต่างๆ

Многоезичен образование

πολύγλωσση εκπαίδευση

meertalig onderwijs

اللغات المتعدد التعليم

Multilingual edikasyon

Kyle NuskeSoo Ok HanShannon Tanghe

Warm up exercise: Watch the following video.•What is your reaction to the form of multilingualism presented in this video?

•What larger issues might this video suggest?

Chapter 18: Possibilities for non-standard dialects in American classrooms: Lessons from a Greek Cypriot Class by Xenia Had-jioannou

Objectives: • To investigate diglossia in a 6th grade Greek Cypriot classroom

as students code-switch between the primary dialect form (Greek Cypriot) and the “highly codifed” variety taught in school (Standard Greek). (p. 275)

• To suggest implications for educational practice in the US

Background: Greek Cypriot dialect is sometimes stigmatized as “peasant talk” and “inferior.” Furthermore, its written and oral use is discouraged by the Greek Cypriot Ministry of Education and Culture. (p. 277)

Findings: • Despite its denigrated status, GCD is frequently used in classrooms

educators themselves are dialect speakers

• Use of GCD was more prominent in a casual, unstructured activity (55%) than in a formal literature discussion (23%)

• Use of GCD or SG correlated with purpose of discourse moves

• Teachers used GCD to express personal feelings and opinions (100%); repeat or summarize themes of discussion (71%); offer lighthearted comments (60%)

• Students used GCD to initiate a new conversation subject (75%); joke (67%); seek information or clarification (58%)

Findings (cont.) • Typically, students were unaware of how much GCD they spoke in

the classroom

• Negative stereotypes about GCD existed even amongst students who code-switched between GCD and SG extensively

Conclusions• The in-class use of dialect speech does not negatively affect

students’ abilities to achieve proficiency in standard forms. As such, it should be encouraged, not prohibited.

• Instructors who are permissive of dialect use will establish a relaxed and intimate classroom atmosphere, which in turn will foster student engagement and learning

“Allowing the presence of a non-standard dialect in this classroom did not render the students unable to use the standard when the situation demanded it … all students indicated positive attitudes toward the standard” (p. 285)

Discussion question: Let’s complicate the notion of in-class code-switching by considering the following situation:

• You, the teacher, do not share a dialect with your students.• Your students are apathetic about or actively opposed to learning

standard language forms.

What pedagogical approaches can you employ in this situation?

Chapter 21- Multilingualism in Class-rooms: the Paritetic school system

Gerda Videsott The paritetic school system is an effective multilingual

best practice model that has developed in the Laden Valley of South Tyrol

To accommodate the needs of the Ladin population Ladin is a minority group that lives close to other ethnic

groups- Germans and Italians Ladin is spoken by 4.37 % German – 69.15 % Italian – 26.47%

German and Italian are used for instruction in equal ways

An immersion approach is practiced with these two lan-guages

German and Italian are used for teaching all subjects. Ladin is used as a supporting language and can be used

all the time. The aim of this school model- reach the same levels of

language competence in all three languages : Ladin, Ital-ian, and German.

Kindergarten

Children may use their own mother tongue if they wish. Teacher has to know three languages The children are mixed together in classes without a sin-

gle mother language. The idea to teach languages in a playful way.e.g. Snow White- German, the prince – Italian, and the

seven dwarfs –Ladin Play games to aid in learning vocabulary

Elementary School Italian and German are taught an equal number of hours

and divided between the subjects. The subdivisions are flexible Allow individual teachers to decide which languages to

use and with which subjects. The choice could be arrange the language instruction by

topics e.g. the history of Italy- in Italian, the history of South Ty-

rol- German, and the history of the Ladin Valleys – in Ladin

Intermediate School and High School The language depends on the subject. Ladin is taught as a subject (2 hours /week) and can be

used for instructional support ( its use decreases)

University The teachers of the paritetic school are instructed in a

special program. Preservice teachers must attend half of the courses in Ital-

ian section, half in the German section, and about 20% in the Ladin section.

The aim – prepare teachers to work well in the multilin-gual school model.

Evaluation & Conclusion

At the beginning – some resistance Nowadays- majority- in favor of it Some children could be stressed by instruction of multi-

ple languages learning one language perfectly is better than learning

several languages at an intermediary level

The paritetic school model – respects the mother lan-guage of student

Teaching practice of language early in life- easier to learn languages

Communicate in more than one language – amplify point of view in comprehending the world

Discussion Questions:

• If you live in the Ladin Valleys, are you going to choose the paritetic school sys-tem for your children? (K-12) Why or why not?

•Do you think you can apply this school system in your context?

•What are the reasons that caused the system to be successful in the Ladin Val-leys?

CHAPTER 24 India’s multilingualism: Paradigm and para-

dox

ZARNIA NORTHERN INDIA (HINDI-URDU “HINDISTANI”) Convent school Run by Irish nuns Designed to be similar to British “public

schools” Languages of instruction: English Native language (Hindi) taught as subject Graduation exams Cambridge exams

MAHENDRA—NORTHERN RURAL INDIAHINDI (HOME-BRAJ BHASA DIALECT, SCHOOL- STANDARD HINDI) Home-schooled in Hindi until 5th grade Poor community, went to inexpensive local

college Bi-dialectal Qualified for Roorkee, uncle paid tuition

RAJESHWADRI----AMRAVATI, MARATHI Amravati—center of education Parents active in “Quit India” movement Home languages—father—Hindi, mother—

Marathi, at home—2 additional dialects of Hindi

15 in household, each chose own language of schooling—English, Hindi, Marathi

Raj’s language in college—Marathi, philoso-phy/logic taught in English, Major--Sanskrit

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Compare and contrast the three settings de-

scribed. What influences did the following have on each setting? Money Parental influences Location Others?

INDIA Multilingual society Official languages—22 were recognized 1949—Hindi official language, English al-

lowed as “link language” for 15 years Decision met with outrage—demonstrations,

marches, strikes, boycotts, suicide-immola-tions

India was divided between non-Hindi speak-ers (clung to English) and Hindi nationalists

Eventual compromise—Hindi & English co-ex-ist

KEY POINTS English Only vs. English Plus

Auntie tongue “English is ‘not one of us’, but an important

presence that one must be polite to; and Auntie is the way we [Indians] express our politeness…; so the term Auntie tongue best expresses what English is to users in India” (Dasgupta, 1993, p.201)

Brainstorm and collaborate some other varia-tions of the term “mother tongue”, “Other tongue” and the context the might be appropri-ate?

Group activityPart I: Ideal language learning context

Imagine a situation in which you have unlimited money, resources, time, teachers, etc. Design a situation that demonstrates your “best practice model.” Consider the following:

• location• student population• attitudes• instructional methods

Group activityPart II: Context analysis

Now think about your actual contexts.

• Are multilingual teaching and linguistic diversity viable concepts in your context?

•How can you alter or adapt pedagogical principles from your “best practice model” to fit the realities of your context?