Terry Lamb, Professor of Languages and Interdisciplinary Pedagogy and President of of FIPLV, the International Federation of Language Teacher Associations, an NGO of UNESCO and the Council of Europe, will talk at the FIPLV World Congress in Warsaw taking place 27–29 June 2022. This year is particularly special since it is the FIPLV’s 91st anniversary.
Abstract
Recent waves of forced migration from the Middle East and Ukraine have provided a fresh impetus to questions of inclusion and integration in language (and other) classrooms.
How do we provide a school environment which enables youngsters from a migration background to feel a sense of belonging, even when they have very limited capacity in the languages employed in the school? In which ways can we include diverse languages in the curriculum in order to enhance all students’ learning? How can mainstream schools collaborate with local communities to the benefit of all?
In this practice- and research-based talk I will mainly draw on the work of the Supporting Multilingual Classrooms activities co-funded by the European Union and the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe. These include workshops in a range of countries, which enable educational practitioners and policymakers to reflect on their assumptions regarding multilingualism and plurilingualism in educational contexts.
I will also include some reflections on the application of digital technologies during the pandemic as well as sharing some creative activities that can engage learners within and beyond their multilingual classrooms.
Furthermore, I will make reference to the Council of Europe’s recent Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the importance of plurilingual and intercultural education for democratic culture.
