The Continua of Multilingual Education and the Basque

educational context

Jasone Cenoz

 

   

Outline of the presentation

1. Definitions and typologies of multilingual education

2. The continua of multilingual education

3. Examples of different types of multilingual schools

4. Conclusions

1.

Definitions and typologies of multilingual education

Definitions of bi/multilingual education

► ‘Use of two or more languages as media of instruction’

(Skutnabb-Kangas & McCarty, 2007)  

► ‘The use of two (or more) languages of instruction at some point in a student’s school career. The languages are used to teach subject matter content rather than just the language itself’

(Cummins 2007)  

Definitions of bi/multilingual education

► ‘Ideally reserved for those schools and classrooms that teach some, most or all subject content through two languages’ (Baker, 2007)

►‘For a program to be deemed to be bilingual, the key is that both languages must be used as media of instruction and thus to deliver curriculum content’ (May 2007)

 

Beyond bilingual education

► Difficult to use all the languages as languages of instruction even if the school aims at developing multilingualism and multiliteracy

 ► In some cases the use of a minority as

the language of instruction can result in balanced bilingualism because of the sociolinguistic context

 

Definition of multilingual education

► ‘Multilingual education refers to schools that teach more than two languages and aim at multilingualism and multiliteracy’

Typologies

► Advantage: can impose theoretical order and facilitate cross-community (Edwards, 2007)

 ► Disadvantage: static, reductionist, many situations do not fit in (Baker, 2006; Martin-Jones, 2007)

Typologies of multilingual education

► More diversity: languages involved, program designs and sociolinguistic variables.

► Ytsma (2001) already has 46 types just by looking at three variables

2.

The Continua of Multilingual Education

New book:

Cenoz, J. (2009) Towards Multilingual

Education

Bristol: Multilingual Matters

Continua of multilingual education

► ‘Represent the infinity and fluidity of movement along each of the continua’ (Hornberger, 2007)

► The features of multilingual education can be represented in a model based on continua

Continua of multilingual education:

Sociolinguistic

MICRO

Less multilingual More multilingual ParentsSiblingsPeers

Neighbours

Continua of multilingual education:

Sociolinguistic

MACRO

Less multilingual More multilingual

SpeakersStatusMedia

Landscape

Continua of multilingual education:

Educational SUBJECT

Less multilingual More multilingual

LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION

Less multilingual More multilingual

Continua of multilingual education

Educational TEACHER

Less multilingual More multilingual

SCHOOL CONTEXT

Less multilingual More multilingual

Continua of multilingual education:

Linguistic distance

Less distant More distant

3.

Examples of different types of multilingual schools

Basque Country

Lauro Ikastola. Basque-medium ikastola, Spanish speaking area, English additional language of instruction

St Patrick’s English school. English-medium, Basque spoken by 30%, Spanish and Basque additional languages of instruction.

Basque Country

►Sociolinguistics-micro level: parents, siblings, peers, neighbours

►Sociolinguistics-macro level: speakers, status, media, landscape

► Educational: subject, language of instruction, teachers, school context

► Linguistic distance

Lauro Ikastola and European Schools

►Sociolinguistics-micro level: parents, siblings, peers, neighbours

►Sociolinguistics-macro level: speakers, status, media, landscape

► Educational: subject, language of instruction, teachers, school context

► Linguistic distance

Lauro Ikastola and Nizamia school in Mysore

►Sociolinguistics-micro level: parents, siblings, peers, neighbours

►Sociolinguistics-macro level: speakers, status, media, landscape

► Educational: subject, language of instruction, teachers, school context

► Linguistic distance

4.

Conclusions

Continua of multilingual education

► The interaction of linguistic, sociolinguistic and educational variables

► The complexity of education by including different types of variables

► The dynamics of education

Continua of multilingual education

► Tool to describe different types of multilingual education

► Can accommodate the most typical cases of multilingual education

► Schools to analyze their own situation

Eskerrik asko! Thank you! ¡Gracias!

jasone.cenoz@ehu.es