Spaudos centras
Spaudos centras
“We have to educate people: sometimes they are afraid of something they don’t understand, they think that having to manage many languages in one brain can be overwhelming. However, modern neurobiological and psycholinguistic research has shown that this is not the case”, notes Prof. Dr. Stefanie Haberzettl, who participated in the international conference “Empowering Education: Fostering Inclusive Multicultural Classrooms in General Education” at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) in autumn.
The benefits of multiculturalism have been confirmed by various scientific studies: e.g. people who know two or more languages are better at performing tasks that require attention management, inhibition of irrelevant information, or problem solving. Moreover, it has been shown that multilingual people may delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s by 4-5 years.
“There are still teachers who fundamentally reject the use of other languages in class and forbid their students to do so. Sometimes they fear that students might talk about things unrelated to the lesson – or even about the teacher. However, observational studies show that students do use their first language to discuss the subject matter. And why shouldn't they use every tool to better understand the subject matter?”, argues Prof. Haberzetttl.
According to the researcher, in many of Germany’s federal states, pupils are offered classes of so-called heritage languages, i.e. minority languages that are spoken in a domestic environment. “First, this sends an important signal of appreciation for the languages that the students bring with them. Secondly, it can help them further develop their multilingualism”, the interviewee explains.
Learning is aided by “language baths”
Multilingualism is encouraged not only in Germany’s schools but also in the children’s day care centers: e.g. by reading picture books not just in German but also in Arabic or Turkish, which are among the largest minority languages in Germany.
Sharing her thoughts on effective tools dedicated to the involvement of foreign students in the class, Prof. Haberzettl emphasises that it should be systematically planned how many tools and learning materials could be presented in languages other than German. Most importantly, it must be ensured that each pupil understands the topic of the class. According to the professor, the more advanced pupils can learn German by using the so-called “language bath”: the method when the pupil is completely immersed in the taught language, e.g. the teacher talks to them only in German.
“In this context, digital tools should not be taboo either, for translating texts, enabling dialogue, etc. At the same time, of course, systematic work must be done to help students expand their repertoire of German expressions”, notes the professor of the University of Saarland, adding that the situation in her country is different from Lithuania. For instance, in Germany, the percentage of Ukrainians in the population is much lower.
Renewed relevance because of war in Ukraine
Prof. Dr. Joanna Rokita-Jaśkow from the University of the National Education Commission (UKEN), Poland, who also participated in the conference at VMU, says that the relevance of multilingualism and multiculturalism increased in Poland in 2022, when a large number of Ukrainians entered the country because of the war. Teachers were not prepared for this.
“In Poland, teachers mainly speak only Polish. Moreover, many teachers are older, aged over 50, so they received their education in the socialist times and they don’t know any foreign languages, except maybe some Russian. This is a challenge for them because they don’t have any abilities to speak with foreigners. Not to mention other issues, when children have psychological, emotional problems because they were suddenly forced to change their place of living”, points out the professor.
Multilingualism is overall less widespread in Poland than in Lithuania. According to Eurostat, 95.6% of the population in Lithuania speaks more than one language, whereas in Poland 67% of people do.
In two years since the start of the full-scale war, Poland has learned a lot, Prof. Dr. Rokita-Jaśkow assures. Since September of this year, Ukrainian children who live in Poland must attend Polish schools. This will be beneficial to them in the long run, when they continue learning at Poland’s universities and find employment.
“Language is a key tool for integration. They should learn how to gradually improve the language, because they can get into a better secondary school, get a university education, set up a business where they will have clients from different backgrounds”, the professor says.
Challenges in Poland and Lithuania are similar
The interviewee emphasises that both Poland and Lithuania are currently facing similar challenges and are beginning to learn the nuances of multicultural and multilingual education. Teachers have to adapt: they become not just instructors of their specific subjects, such as physics, maths, or others, but also teachers of the Polish language itself. They adjust to the pupils’ language proficiency levels, simplify lesson content, and gradually help the pupils understand both the characteristics of the Polish language and the subject matter.
“The younger the child, the easier it is to learn the language. For instance, if he is 7 years old, he can attain very good competence, close to native, in about three years. But when 13-14 year-old children arrive, they find it much more difficult to acquire such competence. They need more time, about 5-8 years, for that”, researcher from the University of the National Education Commission points out.
Prof. Dr. Rokita-Jaśkow says that there are many helpful tools and techniques for learning in a multilingual environment. For instance, students may use mobile phones and apps such as Quizlet to help them learn the language, and also to make their own vocabularies to help them remember the more sophisticated terminology.
However, according to the professor, even though foreign pupils may be permitted to use their native language during lessons if this helps them learn the subject, but it should not be overdone: the priority should be given to the language of instruction.
Society is changing, so are the schools
In early October, Prof. Stefanie Haberzettl and Prof. Dr. Joanna Rokita-Jaśkow attended the international conference “Empowering Education: Fostering Inclusive Multicultural Classrooms in General Education”, which was held at Education Academy of Vytautas Magnus University (VMU). Topics discussed included methods for improving inclusive education of non-native speaking children, recommendations on multilingual education in schools, and the challenges and opportunities of education in multilingual education.
“Our society is changing, it is becoming multicultural, so are our schools. We need to find methods, people, and resources to be able to provide support not just during the class but also after it, because good international experiences of the other countries also demonstrate that 45 minutes are not enough. We also need to check to what extent the child was able to understand new things in a different linguistic environment and learn them”, Prof. Dr. Lina Kaminskienė, the Chancellor of the VMU Education Academy, notes.
Prof. Dr. Daiva Jakavonytė-Staškuvienė from the Department of Preschool and Primary Education at the VMU Education Academy points out that the academy provides all prospective teachers with opportunities to not only study the content of a specific subject but also to develop proficiency in one or multiple foreign languages of their choice. Moreover, some study programmes provide multiple specializations, e.g. such an opportunity is offered by the program Pedagogy of Primary Education and Early Foreign Language Teaching.
“This program devotes much more attention to the issues of language learning. Students not only acquire foreign language proficiencies themselves but also learn how to develop content for integrated education, when multiple subjects are combined, e.g. mathematics and English, natural sciences and English, etc. We develop and test such experiences not just at the university but also while participating in international projects and developing examples of education activities together with the scientists and teaching practitioners of other countries”, Prof. Dr. Daiva Jakavonytė-Staškuvienė says.
This year, the graduates of the program Pedagogy of Primary Education and Early Foreign Language Teaching together with teachers from Italy, Spain, France, Hungary and Romania are developing integrated content for learning a foreign language in addition to mathematics as well as natural sciences. They are presenting their activities and sharing experiences not just in Lithuania but also abroad.
