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Course Introduction

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Introduction to the course - Naír Carrera

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I am a primary school teacher. This is my 12th year teaching and I am currently reading for a M.Ed in Symbol Literacy. This is a novative approach which engages children in activities held at museums and help them enhance their thinking skills through art, narratives and rituals. In our classrooms children come from different backgrounds and nationalities and speak different languages. By the end of this course I hope that I will gain more knowledge about language diversity

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The SEASCAPES series is a series about Malta's most beautiful beaches and spots at sea. In this episode we visit Comino's blue lagoon with it's hypnotic blue seas and little sandy beach, the blue lagoon is probably the reason you would want to visit Comino, Malta's tranquil and isolated little sister island. 

Production By Tonio Lombardi, Stefan Carbonaro, Simon Xuereb. Soundtrack taken from E-Mantra "Silence" album P+C Altar Records, Canada - http://www.altar-records.com/silence.html

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Understand and discuss the importance of language awareness;
Become familiar with European Union initiatives that support language learning and language awareness;
Explore the first part of the learning scenario.

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"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart" Nelson Mandela

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"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart" Nelson Mandela

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Video by Nair Carrera

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Photo Mosaic

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Embracing Language Diversity in Your Classroom

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Ms Letizia Cinganotto introduces a definition of Language Awareness and talks about E.Hawkins, the father of Language Awareness and explain some of the key concepts related to Language Awareness.
Definition of language awareness: it is explicit knowledge about language, and conscious perception and sensitivity in language learning, language teaching and language use (Association for Language Awareness).

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Iceberg Metaphor or Common Underlying Proficiency

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Iceberg Metaphor or Common Underlying Proficiency

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Each language contains distinct surface features such as pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. However underlying these surface features is a shared skill and a central operating system that is common across languages.

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Padlet: The importance of being language-aware

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Padlet: The importance of being language-aware

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Do you feel like a language-aware teacher? And if so, Why do you think it is important to be a ¨language-aware¨ teacher If not, what aspects of language awareness do you still need to develop?
My answer:
In my country, the children as soon as they start school they immediately start learning both our national language, Maltese and the international language English. We also have children of different nationalities and although English is mostly used, we try to involve the different languages as well so that everybody feels welcome at school. I hope that through this course I will be able to learn more about different approaches which I can adopt in the classroom.

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1.3 Why language awareness is important for teachers

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1.3 Why language awareness is important for teachers

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Being language aware means you understand the possible challenges that language presents to learning.

The selected text speaks about language awareness and the challenges its everyday challenges especially in the teaching world. It also discusses its importance on the learning of the students.

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What about you? Can you give some other examples of why language awareness is important for teachers? Have you faced situations where greater language awareness would have helped you to design the learning for the students?
My answer:
I truly believe that language awareness is important and that every teacher should be aware of this aspect. In our country most of the schools start their teachings with the international language - English. However, since a good amount of them are native speakers they find it difficult to focus and to carry out the task at hand, At the same time, the children with foreign nationality finds it difficult to communicate with the rest of the class who are native speakers. Once I had a child of Italian nationality and I did not know much of Italian so I really struggled to make him feel welcome and to know if he is understanding the given tasks.

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1.4 How to get started with language awareness

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1.4 How to get started with language awareness

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'The first step to becoming a language-aware teacher is to be conscious of the different languages that your students speak in the classroom.'

'Opening up the classroom practice to allow students to use their home language helps to develop a deeper understanding of language awareness.'

'If you allow these children to use their home language you transform their ability to access content material and you transform their ability to develop an identity of competence, and this means they are not condemned to use six months’ or a year of non-participation, because you allow them to contribute in a much fuller and much more cognitively demanding way.'

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Padlet: Get started with language awareness

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Padlet: Get started with language awareness

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What about you? What kind of activities do you do with your students at the beginning of the year to get to know them?
My answer:
During the first week of school I always do peer preparation programme where we speak about diversity and inclusion. Each child prepares a short presentation about him/herself and their family, their likes and dislikes, and say a few words in their native language

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1.5 LA as a component of effective communication competence

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1.5 LA as a component of effective communication competence

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'The more you understand your student´s abilities and competences, the better they will perform at school.'

'Key competences are developed in a lifelong learning perspective, from early childhood throughout adult life, and through formal, non-formal and informal learning.'

Language awareness should be seen as a key component of effective communication, which is one of the eight key competences in the Council Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning adopted in 2018.

Daniela Cuccurullo, course moderator, presents the eight key competences and focuses on communication competence as a key competence for lifelong learning.

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Communication competence as a key competence for lifelong learning

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In her video, Daniella mentions that language competence is a key tool for communication within multilingual societies and the work environment. How do you think this can be related to language awareness?
My answer:
Awareness and competence should go hand in hand in the classroom where language is an issue. This is so in order to provide a full learning experience to the pupils. Educators should always do their utmost to include both of them in order to provide a true communication environment to the pupils.

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'Language competences are essential for learning and for active participation in society and the labour market.'

EDL is on the 26th September and one can organise and activity, play language games and participate in EDL T-Shirt.

Sarah Breslin, Executive Director of the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe, explains what the European Day of Languages is and what the ECML does to support teachers and language learning.

Kristina Cunningham, Policy Officer at the European Commission, talks about the possibility Erasmus+ offers for schools and highlights the international research project EDINA (Education of International Newly Arrived migrant pupils) which can be very relevant for many of us working in language-diverse classrooms.
https://youtu.be/no6tU8iQRms

More information about the EDINA project
http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/projects/eplus-project-details/#project/4547398e-a6a2-419d-b6b9-be2616d054c2

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The European Centre of Modern Languages: interview with Sarah Breslin

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1.7	Creating the learning scenario: step 1

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1.7	Creating the learning scenario: step 1

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Template

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How to fill in the learning scenario template

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Some interesting readings you may want to have a look at to learn more about language teaching and language learning are the following:
http://academy.schooleducationgateway.eu/documents/1089600/0/Rethinking+language+education+and+linguistic+diversity+in+schools.pdf/73420706-18ba-416e-89d2-396658853b36

http://academy.schooleducationgateway.eu/documents/1089600/0/Language+teaching+and+Learning+in+multilingual+classrooms.pdf/05ef103a-82b1-4223-b5f7-d3ca8d2f5be7

http://academy.schooleducationgateway.eu/documents/1089600/0/Key_Data_on_Teaching_Languages_2017_Highlights.pdf/993aaa5b-1e40-45e1-9d3d-402a49bdd9ad

http://www.readyproject.eu/uploads/files/1502579119PreparingTeachersforDiversity.pdf

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1.9 Webinar: Get inspired by language diversity

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1.9 Webinar: Get inspired by language diversity

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I wasn't able to participate in the webinar, Wednesday, 26 September 2018 at 17:00, but I made a note of the recording

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SEG Thematic Webinar  Get inspired by language diversity 6 0

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“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.”Frank Smith

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“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.”Frank Smith

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During this module participants will:

1. Learn about language diversity and bilingualism in the classroom

2. Understand the benefits of multilingual classrooms

3. Identify a range of strategies for creating a positive classroom environment which embraces language diversity

4. Identify a range of multilingual activities which can be used in the classroom

5. Explore the second part of the Learning Scenario in order to develop your own.

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2.1 Linguistic diversity and bilingualism in the classroom

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2.1 Linguistic diversity and bilingualism in the classroom

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Dr. Dina Mehmedbegovic, a lecturer at the UCL Institute of Education, speaks about the importance and the diverse benefits of bilingualism in education and what this means for our practice as teachers.

Cognitive impact of bilingualism:
https://youtu.be/MMmOLN5zBLY

Dina's work:
http://healthylinguisticdiet.com/

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Education Talks | Bilingualism in education

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Padlet: Linguistic diversity and bilingualism

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Padlet: Linguistic diversity and bilingualism

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Am I considering my students’ language abilities when planning lessons. Am I acknowledging in conversations how their language ability could be put to use in lessons and elsewhere? Do I embed examples and scenarios in my lessons which reflect the linguistic and cultural capital of my students?
My answer:
Since children are mixed in the classroom and some have different nationalities, I try my best to keep the fact in mind when planning lessons and often times I re explain the lesson in a different language other than the native one. Also, I ask children to contribute during circle time by telling the rest of the class about their country and their language and traditions.

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2.2 The benefits of embracing linguistic diversity

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2.2 The benefits of embracing linguistic diversity

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Nell Foster, a primary school teacher currently doing research in the field of multilingualism

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Benefits of Linguistic Diversity for your Classroom

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Padlet: The benefits of embracing linguistic diversity

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Padlet: The benefits of embracing linguistic diversity

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Do you agree with Nell's analysis? What other benefits do you see? But also what challenges/downsides would you highlight and how could these be addressed?
My answer:
Nell's views are great! I agree with the things she mentions. I do believe that students should be left free to use their native language if they wish to. This will also provide positive experiences for the rest of the children in the classroom. It might be difficult at first especially if the other children do not understand the language however through recurrent usage, all participants in the classroom will start getting accustomed to the language. So yes I do believe it is a positive thing that children use their native language in class.

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2.3 Establishing a classroom environment that embraces linguistic diversity

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2.3 Establishing a classroom environment that embraces linguistic diversity

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We will look at the general environment we need to create for our students in the classroom.
Nell Foster explains key elements of what she calls a “powerful learning environment”.

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Establishing a Classroom Environment that Embraces Linguistic Diversity

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Padlet: Establishing a classroom environment that embraces linguistic diversity

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Padlet: Establishing a classroom environment that embraces linguistic diversity

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Reflect on if and how you can implement Nell’s ideas and what you would see as the main challenges for yourself and your context.
My answer:
Given that in some educational settings such as schools, there is not always the possibility that children use their native language in class, Nell's views can be seen as a challenge. Also, some educators are at times not ready to engage with diversity of languages and prefer to stick to only one. In the classroom I at times provide students with tasks where they have to collaborate together. I group them in mixed language speakers and I am always amazed how they still manage to communicate and complete the given task. I think that this proves that the usage of language diversity in the classroom provides children the opportunity to find different means of communication and encourages inclusion as well.

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Nell Foster provides some ideas of what you can do with your students.

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Implementing multilingual activities in your classroom

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What other classroom activities which embed linguistic diversity can you think of ? Do you have experiences with some of the examples Nell has shared ? If so, what’s your feedback on them ?
My answer:
In my opinion what Nell proposes is a practical practice which can easily be adopted in classrooms. With my class whenever we tackle various topics, such as, animals or shapes, we tackle them using the different languages which we have in class. At times we also include sign language even if none of the children are hard of hearing or deaf, but I feel that it is always a good opportunity that children are versatile and if they happen to meet a deaf child, they will have the tools for communication.

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2.5 Creating the learning scenario: step 2

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2.5 Creating the learning scenario: step 2

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It’s time to think about the relevant trends your scenario will follow (these can be Social Media Learning, Mobile Learning, Game-Based Learning, etc.), complete the set of tools you started to work on in the previous module (both online and offline), and think about the learning objectives, skills and competences that the learner will develop and demonstrate within the scenario (e.g. 21st-century skills, such as communicative skills, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, etc.).

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2.6 Webinar: Multilingual pedagogies in practice

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2.6 Webinar: Multilingual pedagogies in practice

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Friday, 5 October 2018 at 17:00

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Multilingual Pedagogies in Practice with Nell Foster

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Padlet: Webinar: Multilingual pedagogies in practice

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Padlet: Webinar: Multilingual pedagogies in practice

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Super informative webinar with a lot of interesting points. It was useful to view how educators can adapt their classes keeping the given advices in mind. Excellent work Nell!

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“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things.” Flora Lewis

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“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things.” Flora Lewis

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During this module:

1. Learn about CLIL and the benefits of using CLIL in the classroom

2. Discover some examples of CLIL activities they can use in your classroom

3. Explore different tools and resources for CLIL lessons

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CLIL Content and Language Integrated Learning means using a foreign or second language as a medium of instruction and learning for primary, secondary and/or vocational-level subjects such as maths, science, art,  and business.

It is an educational approach in which an additional language is used for the learning and teaching of both content and language. That is, in the teaching and learning process, one does not focus only on content, nor on language.

A CLIL lesson is not a language class but a subject class taught in a certain language.

CLIL is an effective methodology, which can contribute to improving the quality of education all over the member states. It can also boost your students' motivation, as they learn a foreign language while being taught a specific subject. This is why CLIL is  a pedagogical approach teachers are encouraged to embrace and include in their teaching practice.

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Six videos demonstrating CLIL used in classes from primary schools and vocational colleges

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Do you already have experience with CLIL activities? If so, what works well and, what works less well? If you are new to CLIL, can you imagine using it in your lessons? What would be your main concerns?
My answer:
CLIL is a new concept for me. After reading and hearing about it, I think that it would be a great idea to introduce it and try it out. I think that all the children in the classroom will benefit from it since everybody will kind of be in the same boat. My only concern is, am I prepared to deliver a whole session in a foreign language and having students looking at me with blank faces?

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3.2 The benefits of including CLIL within school curricula

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3.2 The benefits of including CLIL within school curricula

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“CLIL allows students to learn a language without needing teachers to explicitly teach it,
which creates a more motivating and meaningful lesson"
Professor Do Coyle, Chair in Languages Education and Classroom Learning and Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange (RKE) at the University of Edinburgh, talks about the benefits of adopting CLIL within the school curriculum.

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Padlet: What do you see as potential difficulties and challenges of a CLIL approach?

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Padlet: What do you see as potential difficulties and challenges of a CLIL approach?

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Potential difficulties and challenges might be the foreign language itself. If the educator is not so confident in the language, the might be a risk that the full outcomes of the lesson are not reached plus classroom control might be lost as well. Some of the students might lose interest or just decide to wonder off.

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In a CLIL lesson, all four language skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing) should be addressed in addition to the knowledge and skills the subject-part of the lesson needs to cover, meaning a CLIL lesson usually incorporates a wide range of tasks and activities.

Professor Coyle’s 4C model:
1 - Content
2  - Communication
3 - Cognition
4 - Culture

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What does the 4Cs framework consist of and how can CLIL teachers benefit from it?

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Padlet: CLIL activity to do with your students

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Padlet: CLIL activity to do with your students

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Even though I have no experience with CLIL, I think a good activity for elementary children would be using the book Brown Rabbit’s Shapes to tackle shapes and colours. We could start by reading and listening to the story and then go round the school to identify similar shapes. We could then tackle Kandinsky’s paintings with shapes and research about his work. Finally the students would draw their own Kandinsky using different shapes and colours. They would be able to do this as well using ICT tools.

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3.4 Technology tools for CLIL and other resources

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3.4 Technology tools for CLIL and other resources

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Letizia Cinganotto, PhD researcher and moderator of the course, mentions that the use of videos, web tools, apps, multimedia and other digital features can enhance the students' motivation but also contribute to better learning outcomes for both language and content.

Tools and resources that you can use with your students:

Learning Apps is great!
https://youtu.be/BBfCktZHMdM
https://www.ecml.at/ECML-Programme/Programme2012-2015/ICT-REVandmoreDOTS/ICT/tabid/1906/Default.aspx
The EOL-Matrix
http://eol.ecml.at/EOLMatrix/tabid/4174/Default.aspx

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Padlet: List of resources and tools for CLIL

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Padlet: List of resources and tools for CLIL

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I use Workspace, Kahoot, Quizlet, Author, LearningApps

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3.5 Examples of CLIL activities in the classroom

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3.5 Examples of CLIL activities in the classroom

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This is what the students of the schools IC Strigno e Tesino and Istituto di Istruzione L.GUETTI have done in Italy as part of the Future Classroom Lab Regio project, where they used peer learning and programming while practicing a foreign language.

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/clil-art-dali

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/clil-history-causes-second-world-war

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/clil-music-world-music

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FCL Regio: Peer learning of programming while practicing a foreign language - Trentino, Italy

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3.6 Complete your learning scenario: step 3, learner’s role and learning space

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3.6 Complete your learning scenario: step 3, learner’s role and learning space

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Once you have completed the previous sections, it’s time to think about the next steps to complete your scenario, which in this module are the learner’s role (what sort of activities will the students be involved in?) and the learning space (where will the learning take place, e.g. the school classroom, the local library, a museum, outdoors, an online space?).

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3.7 Finalise your learning scenario: the Learning Designer

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3.7 Finalise your learning scenario: the Learning Designer

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Inspiration Lessons:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/learning-designer/viewer.php?uri=%2Fshared%2Ffid%2Fdf2c50884580ee5e992726086d37c20e8b87731e52c9654d73d80a7dc06e746a

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/learning-designer/viewer.php?uri=/personal/Nair/designs/fid/1d9e596206af7c5017c448bfb98fb0a7a1f04e7670b67b30690177e88e83761c

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/learning-designer/viewer.php?uri=%2Fshared%2Ffid%2Fdc3149ea8b78eb7b496f69bdf271a192be3da8d48a4c9430fe86511c31fa442f

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3.8 Voluntary activity: creating a game for CLIL

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3.8 Voluntary activity: creating a game for CLIL

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Kahoot Game for young children with the song 'The Shapes Song"
Question 1: I have 4 sides, I am a....
Question 2: Circles go.....
Question 3: I have 3 sides, I am a...
Questions 4: Square, Triangle, Circle are all.....

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Wednesday, 10 October 2018 at 18:00
Question 1:

What does language awareness mean to you, in your context?

Question 2:

How would you bridge formal and informal learning in your language class?

Question 3:

What does CLIL mean to you?

Question 4:

What are your concerns about multilingualism? How are you tackling them?

Question 5:

What would you suggest to a colleague who wants to personalise language learning pathways?

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“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world”Ludwig Wittgenstein

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“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world”Ludwig Wittgenstein

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Participants will:

1. Explore multilingual classroom project activities

2. Learn about the European Language Label

3. Learn about eTwinning

4. Share their practices with peers

5. Reflect on their learning during the course

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The language passport, which was initially developed as a research tool by the Centre for Diversity and Learning at Ghent University, is a kind of mind map that invites and challenges pupils to visualise their linguistic repertoire.

Jérôme Descamps, one of the teachers in the school, explains what the language passport is and why it is beneficial, and reflects on why teachers should embrace different languages students speak or understand in the classroom.

The language passport is a simple but creative tool that enables pupils to present a clear overview of the languages in their repertoire.

Language Passport Tips:
http://academy.schooleducationgateway.eu/documents/1089600/0/Language+Passport/28d3ad3b-37a8-4c07-b86a-23461fb95f70

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Template with instructions and tips and tricks for implementing the language passport.

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Padlet: Prepare your own Language Passport

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Padlet: Prepare your own Language Passport

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Kaoutar Elzrak, a teacher in the school, works with her students to create a multilingual dictionary which can help recently arrived migrants to learn the language of schooling, which in the case of this school is French.
the multilingual dictionary not only helps the recently arrived students to learn the language of schooling, but it also empowers the learning of many other languages in the classroom.

http://academy.schooleducationgateway.eu/documents/1089600/0/Worksheet/fcc34ed1-1ea2-470d-8598-213087dc9e35

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Padlet: Students not allowed to use their home languages in the classroom

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Padlet: Students not allowed to use their home languages in the classroom

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Have you experienced a similar situation, or do you know anyone who has? How do you think these situations could be avoided?
My answer:
A multilingual dictionary assists students with inclusion in the classroom and I believe that it is super important to be held in class especially where there are children with different nationalities.

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Hear more about eTwinning and some of the reasons why you should join it.
Gallery of projects:
https://www.etwinning.net/en/pub/projects/kits/projects.cfm
Ready made project kits:
https://www.etwinning.net/en/pub/projects/kits.cfm

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European Language Label.
This is an award that encourages new initiatives in the field of language teaching and learning, recognises new techniques in language teaching, and spreads the knowledge of certain languages' existence, thereby promoting good practice.
More information:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/initiatives/language-label_en

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Choose the EEL project that you liked the most and add the link to the project in the Padlet below
My answer:
I chose the project
"CLIL is easy"
I chose it because it gave the possibility to students to use English outside regular lessons; during breaks, stay in the canteen, special interest club meetings, excursions, trips, and CLIL classes going beyond core curriculum. It also shows that all participants are now much more proficient in English, even dyslexic ones

http://ec.europa.eu/education/initiatives/label/label_public/index.cfm?fuseaction=project_award&award_id=9683

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Link to my Learning Design:
https://v.gd/kOS3LI
Learning Scenario attached

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Wednesday 17 October, at 17:00

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TeachMeet / Embracing Language Diversity in You Classroom