Implementing Multilingual Education: Linguistic Projects & Comprehensible Input
Implementing Multilingual Education
1. The educational centers will have the support of the competent department in education, through the corresponding management body, for its correct application and for the incorporation of the teaching of areas, subjects or modules in English, without prejudice to the functions and powers attributed to the Education Inspection; likewise, they will benefit from resources and support measures for education, teacher training and the educational community that favor multilingualism and the European dimension of education.
Linguistic Project
- The educational centers will elaborate the proposal of a linguistic project, which will be adjusted to what in that sense the competent department in education disposes, through the corresponding general direction. It must include the general and specific actions designed based on the linguistic reality of the students.
- The linguistic project will also include the criteria and procedures foreseen for its implementation, development, monitoring and evaluation, as well as the possible experimental programs authorized in the center in relation to multilingual students and a nominal list of the teaching staff involved with their corresponding qualification and competence; likewise, it must include an implementation calendar.
- The linguistic project will establish the languages of instruction of the different non-linguistic areas, subjects or modules of the multilingual program(s) that may be authorized at the center.
- The linguistic project will be coordinated by the center’s management and the elaboration will correspond to the Pedagogical Coordination Commission. Once the Faculty Board has been heard, the project will be presented to the School Council of the center, or to the Social Council in the case of integrated Vocational Training centers, for the approval of the proposal that will be sent to the Education Inspection for its report and, later, to the general directorate competent in academic organization of the department competent in education for its authorization or, if applicable, modification proposal.
- In private subsidized centers, and in those referred to in article 2.2, the elaboration, the authorization request and the coordination of the linguistic project will correspond to the ownership of the center, after hearing the School Council. This proposal will be sent to the corresponding general directorate of the department competent in education. It will correspond to this management body its authorization, if it conforms to the current provisions.
Comprehensible Input in Language Learning
Comprehensible input means that students should be able to understand the essence of what is being said or presented to them. This does not mean, however, that teachers must use only words students understand. In fact, instruction can be incomprehensible even when students know all of the words. Students learn a new language best when they receive input that is just a bit more difficult than they can easily understand. In other words, students may understand most, but not all, words the teacher is using.
Making teacher talk comprehensible to students goes beyond the choice of vocabulary and involves presentation of background and context, explanation and rewording of unclear content, and the use of effective techniques such as graphic organizers. By using context or visual cues, or by asking for clarification, students enhance their knowledge of English. When input is comprehensible, students understand most aspects of what is required for learning, and the learning experience pushes them to greater understanding.
One way teachers can ensure that material is sufficiently comprehensible is to provide relevant background knowledge and content. Teachers should try to explain ideas or concepts several times using slight variations in terminology and examples. Comprehensible input is related to more than just language development and curriculum content. Appropriate context is crucial. One way for teachers to be sensitive to the language and cultural backgrounds of their English-language learners with learning difficulties is to provide instruction that draws on the experiences of their students. Many other techniques can be used to increase the likelihood that students will understand what is being said to them, such as the use of consistent language, frequent use of visuals, and providing frequent opportunities for students to express their ideas.
Comprehensible instruction requires that teachers carefully control their vocabulary and use graphic organizers, concrete objects, and gestures when possible to enhance understanding. It is important to limit the length and number of lecture-type presentations. To continually modulate and clarify the language of instruction, teaching must also be highly interactive. Teachers must constantly involve students, ask many questions, and encourage students to express their ideas and thoughts in the new language.
Multilingualism Explained
The term multilingualism can refer to the situation of an individual speaker who is able to use two or more languages, a community of speakers where you use two or more languages, or a situation created between speakers of different languages. In the first case, a multilingual person, in the broadest definition, is one who can communicate in more than one language, be it actively (writing and speaking it) or passive (listening and reading). A general term for a multilingual person is polyglot.
In social multilingualism, not all speakers need to be multilingual, but a big part. Linguists classify the communities depending on the functional distribution of the languages:
- Diglossia: is the living situation of two languages within a single population or territory, where one of the languages has a prestigious status in front of the other.
- Ambilingüismo or equilingüismo: the situation in which there is no functional distinction at most speakers are bilingual.
Finally, the third form of multilingualism may be what happens when two people come together polyglot. Many bilingual language changes in the same conversation, the so-called code switching.