Auf dem Weg zur mehrsprachigen Bildung in der frühen Kindheit

in Universität Luxembourg (Ed.) Bildungsbericht.Bildungsverläufe und Bildungserfolge (2018)

The effect of Professional Development on Multilingual Education in Early Childhood in Luxembourg

in Review of European Studies (2018), 10(4), 148-163

While multilingual programmes have been implemented in early childhood education in several countries, professionals have shown to be unsure of how to deal with language diversity and promote home ... [more ▼]

While multilingual programmes have been implemented in early childhood education in several countries, professionals have shown to be unsure of how to deal with language diversity and promote home languages. Therefore, there is a need for professional development. The present article discusses the outcomes of a professional course on multilingual education in early childhood delivered to 46 early-years practitioners in Luxembourg. Using a questionnaire administered prior to and after the course as well as interviews, we examined the influence of the training on attitudes to multilingual education and activities to develop Luxembourgish and home languages. The analysis drew on content analysis, paired samples t-test and correlational analysis. The findings show that the course positively influenced the professionals’ knowledge about multilingualism and language learning, their attitudes towards home languages, their interest in organising activities in the children’s home languages and the implementation of these activities. The results shed light on special interest areas such as the quality of input that future professional development courses could focus on. [less ▲]

Developing speaking and pronunciation skills through storytelling on the app iTEO

in Hood, Philip (Ed.) Teaching Languages Creatively (2018)

Reflecting on Translanguaging Practices in Formal and Non-Formal Early Education Settings in Luxembourg: How, When and Why Do We Translanguage?

Scientific Conference (2018, September 27)

(In)flexible Language Use in a Year 4 Class in Luxembourg: Which Languages in Which Subjects?

Scientific Conference (2018, September 06)

The project described in this paper is part of the broader research project ‘Capitalizing on Linguistic Diversity in Education’ that investigates how multilingualism can be used as a resource for ... [more ▼]

The project described in this paper is part of the broader research project ‘Capitalizing on Linguistic Diversity in Education’ that investigates how multilingualism can be used as a resource for educational success and social well-being in Luxembourg. Research projects in preschool, Year 1 and Year 2 classes show that teachers have begun to draw on children’s semiotic repertoires (Kirsch 2017, Kirsch and Bes 2017). The present doctoral research project aims to understand the ways in which and the extent to which, first, Year 4 and Year 5 teachers in three schools address linguistic diversity and, second, children draw on their language repertoire to learn. The focus lies on the translanguaging practices of teachers and children. Translanguaging is a pillar of multilingual pedagogies which promote social equity and build on socio-constructivist learning theories (García & Li Wei 2014). The education system in Luxembourg is trilingual in Luxembourgish, German and French. The curriculum is based on monoglossic ideologies and a compartmentalised view of language teaching (De Korne 2012). The system is particularly challenging for the 63.5 percent of primary school children who do not speak Luxembourgish as a first language and underachieve compared to the Luxembourgish-speakers (Menje 2017). This paper draws its data from six days of observations and video-recordings of learning activities in seven French, eight Mathematics and two Arts lessons from September 2017 to January 2018 in one school characterised by the diversity of its intake and the high SES of the families. The data collection is still on-going. The participants are the two teachers of the Year 4 class and three focus children of Slovenian, French and Icelandic background. The thematic analysis focuses on the type of learning activities, the school subjects, the speech acts, the language use, and the pedagogical use of translanguaging. The preliminary findings show that almost all learning activities are teacher-led and that interactions are based on initiation-response-feedback sequences. The teachers systematically translanguage between a target language and the other curricula languages to scaffold learning, build relationships and manage the classroom. Both teachers and children create a specific space for German which is highly unusual in Luxembourg. The children rarely draw on their home languages unless these are the three languages of the country. While translanguaging is frequently used as a scaffold, it is neither transformative nor does it contribute to raising equal opportunities (García & Kleyn 2016). [less ▲]

Becoming agents of change: how early-years practitioners in Luxembourg transformed a monolingual environment into a multilingual one

Scientific Conference (2018, August 30)

This case-study examines the personal and professional experiences of two early-years practitioners in a preschool in Luxembourg, the ways in which professional development made them reflect on their ... [more ▼]

This case-study examines the personal and professional experiences of two early-years practitioners in a preschool in Luxembourg, the ways in which professional development made them reflect on their beliefs and practices, and, finally, the emerging multilingual practices. New laws about language education were passed in 2017 to take account of the diverse population (Kirsch forthcoming). The new policies move away from a previous focus on Luxembourgish towards multilingual education. Educators must develop skills in Luxembourgish, familiarise children with French and value their home languages. Such governmental policies are not transmitted directly into practices because policy-makers, educators and children engage in the process of policy-making, thereby interpreting them in the light of their beliefs, experiences, practices, and the context (Johnson 2013, Ricento and Hornberger 1996). Examples in the literature testify to the teachers’ agency (Palviainen and Mard-Miettinen 2015, Young and Mary 2016). Agency is not a personal characteristic but something people do. It is shaped by past experiences, future orientations, and current practices (Biesta et al. 2015, Priestley et al. 2013). The study draws on qualitative and quantitative methods (observations, video-recordings, interviews, a questionnaire). It abides to the ethical principles of the University of Luxembourg. The findings show that the practitioners were agents of change: they transformed the monolingual-oriented practices into multilingual ones. The professional development helped them understand perspectives of dynamic multilingualism (García 2017) and use languages strategically (Palviainen and Mard-Miettinen 2015). [less ▲]

Emergent Multilinguals Learning Languages with the iPad app iTEO

Scientific Conference (2018, June 22)

This presentation showed the results of a small-scale study led by Ass. Prof. Claudine Kirsch that investigated language learning in primary schools in Luxembourg and the ways in which this process is ... [more ▼]

This presentation showed the results of a small-scale study led by Ass. Prof. Claudine Kirsch that investigated language learning in primary schools in Luxembourg and the ways in which this process is mediated by peers and the iPad app iTEO. This study draws its data from the larger longitudinal qualitative research project iTEO (2013–2017) and is based on 10 hours of audio and video-recordings. The participants were 6–7-year-olds learning German and French. The presentation focused on the ways in which the emergent multilingual primary school children scaffold each other’s learning of French while collaboratively producing oral texts on iTEO. The findings show that the children’s language learning was mediated by peers, the task and the app. The children used a range of learning and teaching strategies while completing tasks framed by their teacher. iTEO and the task together mobilised the children’s resources, encouraged autonomy and promoted discussion about language. The presentation linked the results with the other projects during the COST DigitLitey meeting. For example, the link was made with the work with robots in early childhood education and the use of Cubetto, a robot toy teaching kids code and programming and encouraging collaboration and storytelling. The presentation was followed by a discussion on the use of digital tools in early childhood education settings. Keywords: The iPad app, iTEO, peers, language learning, mediation, primary school Source: Kirsch, C. & Bes Izuel, A. (2016). Emergent multilinguals learning languages with the IPad app iTEO: a study in primary schools in Luxembourg, The Language Learning Journal, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2016.1258721 This work was funded by the University of Luxembourg under Grant PUL R-AGR-0222; Ministry of National Education, Childhood and Youth under SCRIPT. [less ▲]

Teachers’ perspectives of teaching Greek in a multilingual Greek school in Luxembourg

Scientific Conference (2018, June 02)

Complementary schools have been said to offer a ‘safe haven’ (Lytra & Martin 2010) for immigrant and ethnic minority children to improve their home language and develop their ethnic and linguistic ... [more ▼]

Complementary schools have been said to offer a ‘safe haven’ (Lytra & Martin 2010) for immigrant and ethnic minority children to improve their home language and develop their ethnic and linguistic identity. While many scholars have emphasized the monolingual ideologies at play in these schools, students and teachers have nevertheless been reported to behave in a multilingual manner (Blackledge & Creese 2010, Li Wei 2014, Lytra 2011). This was true to a lesser extent in a Greek school in Luxembourg where the staff shared monolingual ideologies and tried to reinforce a sense of ‘Greekness’ by emphasizing the cultural prestige of ancient Greek (Tsagkogeorga 2016). Given the arrival of more Greek families to Luxembourg, one wonders to what extent the teachers will reconceptualise their pedagogical practices. The present study draws on interviews with two Greek teachers carried out in January 2017 and 2018. One of the teachers migrated in 2016 to Luxembourg. The interviews focussed on pedagogical practices and changes thereof owing to the arrival of children of newly migrated families who had better linguistic skills than and a different understanding of Greek culture from children of established families. First findings have shown that both teachers spoke positively about multilingualism. They were aware of the children’s differing linguistic, social and educational experiences and explained the challenges this caused for teaching. Nevertheless, they seemed to ignore the children’s repertoires by emphasising the teaching of Greek and offering little spaces to other languages (Kirsch forthcoming). The space attributed to culture differed between the teachers. More data will be collected and analysed thematically. The findings of this paper encourage teachers to reflect on their language policies and teaching approaches, and encourage them to capitalize on their students’ heterogeneity. [less ▲]

Mehrsprachige Bildung in Luxemburg: Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen

Presentation (2018, April 26)

Transnational experiences, language competences and worldviews: contrasting language policies in two recently migrated Greek families in Luxembourg

in Multilingua (2018)

Against the backdrop of the ongoing crisis-led migration from Southern to Northwestern Europe, the present paper reports on a case study of two families who have recently migrated from Greece to ... [more ▼]

Against the backdrop of the ongoing crisis-led migration from Southern to Northwestern Europe, the present paper reports on a case study of two families who have recently migrated from Greece to Luxembourg. Luxembourg has a trilingual education system and many pupils of migrant background face difficulties on this account. Drawing on the framework of Family Language Policy, this paper explores the language ideologies and management strategies of two families as well as factors influencing their policies. This qualitative study was based on interviews, observations, and videos recorded by one of the families. The findings show that the families have contrasting language ideologies and management strategies that are informed by their differing transnational experiences, competences and worldviews. This study can contribute to a better understanding of the ways in which migrant families use their language resources in their new country. [less ▲]