marie-anne hansen-pauly
TRANSCRIPT
A Plurilingual Portfolio Project for secondary school and research in Luxembourg
Marie-Anne Hansen-PaulyUniversity of Luxembourg
“Researching Multilingually”Durham University 28th-29th March 2012
“How can we tell the dancer from the dance?”
Claire Kramsch / W.B. Yeats, “Among Schoolchildren”
Researching multilingually about multilingual and plurilingual practices in school contexts
Multilingual refers to Several languages involved: plurilingual learners and researchers Situations in which they are used People who use several languages (plurilingual learners/ teachers) Works of reference for the research
Multilingually Involving several languages in the research process/ development
project with its outcomes
Outline
Situating the project - Luxembourg Multilingual curricula for plurilingual learners/ teachers Project motivation
Getting started : project development Comparing perspectives Choosing a tool for learning AND research Driving questions
Implementing the project Negotiating and clarifying the concepts: Developing a “third space” for multilingual approach
Final report and outcomes Analysing the data Disseminating results Questions for future research
MULTILINGUAL COUNTRY:
History and statisticsLanguages and education
Multilingual curricula/ plurilingual learners
Situating the project
Some historical facts about languages in Luxembourg
For many centuries a trilingual country: Luxembourgish – Lëtzebuergesch, the spoken idiom of
all French, the language of legislation, administration,
and more recently the lingua franca of immigrants from southern Europe as well as the language of commuters
German, langue d’alphabétisationSince the 19th century, both German and French
have been school languages for all pupils1984 – this trilingualism was formally recognised
in a law
“A Language Friendly School ?”
All students learn languages French, German, English – as compulsory languages/ languages as
subjects Italian, Spanish, … as optional languages
All students use second/ foreign languages to learn other subjects
All teachers teach through a second/ foreign language
Students bring in a multitude of first languages – not taught/ used at school
Année 1981 1991 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Population
Population totale (x1000) 364,6 384,4 439,5 444,1 448,3 455,0 461,2 469,1 476,2 483,8 493,5 502,1 511,8
dont: Femmes 186,7 196,1 223,0 225,2 227,3 230,3 233,1 237,0 240,4 244,2 248,7 252,7 257,2
Luxembourgeois 268,8 271,4 277,2 277,3 277,6 277,2 277,5 277,8 277,9 277,9 278,0 285,7 290,5
Étrangers (x1000) 95,8 113,0 162,3 166,7 170,7 177,8 183,7 191,3 198,3 205,9 215,5 216,4 221,3
dont: - Portugais 29,3 39,1 58,7 59,8 61,4 64,9 67,8 70,8 73,7 76,6 80,0 79,8 81,3
- I taliens 22,3 19,5 19,0 19,1 19,0 19,0 19,0 19,1 19,1 19,1 19,4 18,2 17,7
- Français 11,9 13,0 20,0 20,9 21,6 22,2 23,1 24,1 25,2 26,6 28,5 29,7 31,0
- Belges 7,9 10,1 14,8 15,4 15,9 16,2 16,3 16,5 16,5 16,5 16,7 16,7 17,0
- Allemands 8,9 8,8 10,1 10,1 10,2 10,5 10,8 10,9 11,3 11,6 12,0 12,0 12,1
- Britanniques 2,0 3,2 4,3 4,5 4,7 4,7 4,7 4,8 4,9 5,0 5,3 5,5 5,6
- Néerlandais 2,9 3,5 3,7 3,6 3,6 3,6 3,7 3,7 3,8 3,8 3,9 3,9 3,8
- Autres UE 10,6 6,6 9,2 9,7 9,7 10,3 12,4 14,5 16,5 17,9 19,5 20,5 21,7
- Autres … 9,2 22,5 23,5 24,6 26,4 25,9 26,9 27,3 28,8 30,2 30,1 31,1
Étrangers en % 26,3 29,4 36,9 37,5 38,1 39,1 39,8 40,8 41,6 42,6 43,7 43,1 43,2
Demographic details
Examples of secondary students’ syllabus/ language of
instructionValérie, aged 14speaks L and some
F at home 3rd year of SE
Maths French
History German
Biology German
Geography German
PE Lëtzebuergesch
Arts German French
Religious Ed. German French
Latin French
French French
German German
English English
Valérie’s weekly schedule 9th grade – Secondary 5 è
Time of exposure to various languages
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
1 French English History Biology French2 Latin PE Latin French Geography
3 Maths Maths German PE Latin4 Geography Art & Design English Ethics English5 Ethics Maths6 German French Maths7 German History French Latin German
Tom’s weekly schedule 10th grade – Secondary 4e
Time of exposure to various languages
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
1 Maths German French PE French
2 Moral Ed. Chemistry Maths German Biology
3 PE Art&Design English Chemistry English
4 History Biology English French Geography
5 English Maths Geography French Art&Design
6 German French History Maths German
A word about language and non-language teachers
Graduates from various countries
Good language competences
Curricula developed in Luxembourg/ resources from abroad
Learner and teacher
perspectives
CLIL
Learning, using and acquiring several languages
Development of inter- and transcultural competences through experiences of texts/ literature
Research interests in learning and teaching processes
Events triggering the idea for the project
2001 : Eu Year of languages: CEFR ...ELP national versions in many countriesNational educational language policies in Lux
2005-EU presidency: Multilingual Classroom Growing awareness of CEFR CoE Profile of educational language policies: more
cooperation recommended
University of Luxembourg (2003): multilingual Research unit: LCMI (Language, Culture, Media,
Identity)
Driving questions for our research
Focus on language learners Compare teaching traditions and methodology Explore teachers’ cultural identities
Do teachers follow an L1 or an L2 / foreign language approach?
How can awareness of common concerns be raised?
What cooperation between language teachers could help learners?
COMPARING PERSPECTIVES
University teamCooperation with language teachers (Lycée Classique
Diekirch)CHOOSING A TOOL FOR LEARNING AND RESEARCH
Getting started : project negotiation
University Team
4 common languages/ different levels or areas of academic expertise
Luxembourgish as first language plus German, French, English at varying levels of competence
All involved in teacher educationAlso coordinated a European project : CLIL
across Contexts: A scaffolding framework for teacher education (2006-2009)
The team as matrix for the work
• Dany• M-A
• Vic• Guy
FRENCH GERMAN
GERMAN
ENGLISH
Lëtzebuergesch
Preliminary work
Negotiating our understanding of key concepts through common background reading in 3 languages
Community of practice, Activity theory, ... Language use rather than knowledge about the language
Documents of the Council of Europe and theoretical underpinnings Social constructivism :
Kersten Reich; Philippe Jonnnaert; Mary Larochelle , Socio-cultural theory:
J.P. Lantolf ... Language biographies “third culture” Claire Kramsch, ...
Examples of “problem” terminology requiring some negotiation
German words: Didaktik HOU – handlungsorientierter Unterricht
English words : Skill Assessment TBL
French words: Compétence Évaluation autonomie
Decision
Initiate a research/ development project that would focus on all learners’ (school) languages
2 possibilities: Separate studies, with each a focus on ONE language; diachronic
appraoch
Common project with a focus on new, integrated perspectives, as suggested by CEFR and ELP ; synchronic approach
Work with a common tool : a language portfolio
find a school where some language teachers are ready to work together and cooperate with the university
Whole team
University team
Student teacher
s
Learners
Teachers
Home languages
Several functions for the portfolio
For teachers: Allows implementing recommendations of CoE and Ministry of
Education: development and evaluation of language skills and of cultural competences
Fosters innovative practices with a focus on skills Can be a tool for differentiation, constructive feedback
For learners: Is an instrument for growing autonomy and self-reflection Strengthens learning strategies in all languages
For researchers: Provides data on learning and teaching processes in 3-4
languages An artifact for mediation between communities A mirror of plurilingual learning
Plurilingual portfolio
Dialogic and interdisciplinary approachResearchers and project participants are
interacting communities of practiceProjects and changes can be monitored
according to principles of activity theoryA person’s languages should be conceived as
one dynamic and integrated system (multilingual mind)
The learners’ environment is crucial for language development (ecological perspective)
• NEGOTIATING AND CLARIFYING CONCEPTS
• DEVELOPING A “THIRD SPACE” FOR MULTILINGUAL APPROACH
Implementing the project
Project organisation
3 years at different levelsRegular meetings with language teachers of the
same class: to listen and ask questions about current practices to observe lessons
Provide some input on skills/ competence-based language learning
Foster exchanges and cooperation between teachers
Propose activities around the common portfolio
Concepts of Portfolio
Starting with the EU model : ELP/ PEL/ ESP: reluctance and scepticism, as too much focus on can-do statements, and functional L2 language
German models of portfolios, eg Themenportfolio More complex, content-based approach , more appropriate for L1 approach focus on creativity
Ilse Brunner, Felix Winter French/ Canadian models of portfolios: du concept de
compétence à l’évaluation des apprentissages (process-oriented); practical details Georgette Goupil et Guy Lusignan
English/ American models of portfolios: standard-based; Multiple -Intelligences Carol Rolheiser et al.
= Preference for models in one’s “own” language , with a concern for cultural issues and cultures of learning; some
cross consultaion
Agreement on key principles
Focus on use of language, situated learning, task based learning
Accept a common negotiated framework of reference for the 3 languages: 4/5 basic language skills
Include cultural elements or work on more literary texts
Allow for some learner autonomyEncourage goal setting and self-evaluationFocus on process to provide formative feedback
On other points no complete agreement could be found, in particular in relation to formal, summative assessment practices.
Points of discussion
Creativity and product oriented?Tool for remediation?Portfolio structure?Choice of documents: ... ?Inclusion of Luxembourgish?Integration in regular lessons or separate times for
pf?Common portfolio/ folder for all languages?Language biography? In what language?Project duration?
“Third space”
Conceive the classroom and the portfolio as spaces integrating different cultural and language components
E.g.:Learners who are familiar with texts in German, French ..., and who have their own cultural experiences will integrate these elements into their construction of meaning when reading a text in English or ...
• Analysing the data• Disseminating results• Questions for future research
Final report and outcomes
Analysing the data
Learners’ productions as inserted in the portfolio
Oral presentations of portfolios with comments of self-evaluation
Interviews with learnersPosters on portfolio experience
Teacher questionnairesStudent teachers’ reports of their portfolio
experiences
What do the portfolios developed by teachers/ students tell us about the processes of
language acquisition and multilingualism?
What we looked at to assess multilingual learning The use of a language biography References to learners’ L1 Common structure of portfolio presentations for all
languages Shared grids of (self-)evaluation Assessment practices Language learning strategies / awareness of similarities Examples of mediation
Visibility of (common) teaching methodology
Conclusions
A portfolio of plurilingual learners must be more than the addition of separate monolingual language portfolios
Space for integrated , intedisciplinary/ multilingual products
Space for common reflections on shared checklists
Space for separate culturally determined products and personal comments from a plurilingual perspective
Space for learners’ creativity and personal interests Shared responsibility of language teachers – provide slots
in the curriculum (timetable)
Questions of multilingually researching team
Separate, expert reports or global appreciation? E.g.: Can an expert of German analyse the English
components of a portfolio?
What language(s) for dissemination? Bilingual presentations? Slides in one language and oral
comments in another? Publication? –Multilingual publishers? Translations?!
Role of a common language – but which one?