Málfríður - 15.03.2005, Blaðsíða 28

28 MÁLFRÍÐUR
of parents and the Immigrants’ Center, a forerunner
of the Intercultural Center in Reykjavík. (Miðstöð
nýbúa og Alþjóðahúsið) This parent initiative has
developed into a very active bilingual education pro-
gram at the center.
Another example of a neglected language is sign
language, which until recently was not fully recog-
nized as a mother tongue. Fortunately there is a grow-
ing awareness of the need for the hearing population
to learn sign languages and thus make social situa-
tions more inclusive to the hearing impaired. Signers
also need more opportunities to learn the sign lan-
guages of other countries in order to take advan-
tage of opportunities for mobility, interchange and
cultural enrichment.
Plurilingualism as a resource
There is a growing awareness of plurilingualism as
a resource all across Europe. Teachers who work in
multicultural areas have started to develop ways of
drawing students’ knowledge of different languages
into their teaching. This has the dual benefit of
improving learning, and giving respect to students’
home languages. It also emphasizes that being
bilingual or plurilingual is a natural and common
phenomenon.
Some of the things that language teachers and
schools are doing are language awareness activi-
ties. For example, children can do surveys on the
number of languages spoken in their class, school,
or neighborhood. Children can be encouraged to
‘bring and tell’ examples of different languages, such
as newspapers, storybooks, and listening materials.
Students can work with languages by learning songs
and rhymes in different languages, and comparing
groups of words or, for example, proverbs in differ-
ent languages. At the more advanced levels, learners
can do more sophisticated language comparisons
and participate in lingual and cultural exchanges of
many kinds.
Differences in the ‘culture of learning’
Another important consideration for language teach-
ers and school authorities is the difference between
what we call ‘cultures of learning’. There is a grow-
ing body of research which points to ways in which
learners’ cultural or linguistic backgrounds affect the
way they interact with classroom culture. For exam-
ple, how much learners are expected to speak in class
varies widely between cultures and this can have
particular consequences in language classes.
Several interesting studies have uncovered differ-
ences of this kind. In a study by Cortazzi and Jin in
1996, perceptions of student behavior were compared
between Chinese students and western teachers. One
of the cultural differences that came to light was that
western teachers view volunteering in class as show-
ing strong interest and participation on the part of
the students, while Chinese students viewed it as
showing off and preventing teacher talk. This shows
how perceptions about what is considered valued
classroom behavior can differ greatly between cul-
tures and lead to confusion and disappointment in
the classroom.
It is increasingly necessary for teachers to be
aware of cultural differences and to adopt class-
room approaches that take these differences into
account. In some school situations, teachers barely
know the names of many of the languages spoken
by their pupils, let alone understand the cognitive
and cultural differences that may accompany them.
Teachers and school personnel need to have access to
research into languages and their associated cultures.
They should also have basic knowledge of the most
commonly represented languages in their schools in
order to send out a positive message about the value
attached to linguistic diversity.
A new paradigm
In the multilingual, multicultural, and mobile
reality of Europe today, we need to view plurilin-
gual competence as a vital skill, and achievable by
everyone. If citizens are to play a full role in today’s
Europe, take advantage of the opportunities open to
them and live up to their potential, they will need
competence in a range of languages, as well as posi-
tive attitudes towards speakers of languages from
outside their immediate communities.
A new paradigm for language education in the
21st century summarizes the main ideas and issues
currently being debated within Europe. In this table
a comparison is made between the old model of
language education and a new one which takes into
account new needs and perceptions in the changing
face of Europe today.
What does this new paradigm for language educa-
tion mean for us in Iceland?
It means that language educators in Iceland need
to redefine their role in response to the changing
nature of the society which no longer fits to the idea
of the monolingual nation state. Modern European
societies, including Iceland, are complex environ-
ments, increasingly characterized by linguistic and
cultural diversity and exchanges between languages
and cultures. It is becoming ever more important for