Taking a multilingual approach to literacy
Posted on: August 5th, 2010 by Marketing and Communications
A new approach to language learning that aims to improve literacy outcomes across languages by integrating foreign languages into daily classroom activities is currently being trialled in 11 primary schools across South Australia.
A joint initiative of Flinders University’s School of Education and the State Government’s Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS), the two-year professional learning program is based on a successful pilot project and the latest international research which indicates the way literacy is developed follows a predictable pattern across all languages.
Program leader and Flinders PhD candidate, Peter Nielsen said the trial involves 21 classroom and foreign language teachers working with students from Reception to Year 2 in the first year of the project.
”The classroom teacher and foreign language teachers collaboratively plan for literacy development both within and between the languages – whether it’s English, Italian, French, German, Japanese or Indonesian – and include these languages in the students’ daily activities,” Mr Nielsen said.
“For example, students can now have phonics-based spelling programs in both languages rather than just English,” he said.
“Once students have learned to write the English alphabet, that skill is then available for writing all other Roman-based alphabets.
Once students have learned the skill of mapping a sound to a symbol on the page, then that skill is available for use with any other languages they intend to learn.”
“This idea of universality in languages and literacy development is supported by neuroscience and linguistics,” Mr Nielsen said.
“We now talk about the brain having a common reservoir for all language and for all literacy skills, no matter what the language. So the learning in a foreign language reinforces what’s happening in English, and vice-versa.”
Flinders Dean of the School of Education, Professor Bob Conway said the project “is a great opportunity for collaboration on action-research in schools that draws upon the expertise of the university and DECS”.
“The outcomes will provide the opportunities for further cooperation,” he said.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:41 am
The initiative is welcome. Current foreign language teaching in primary schools is appalling. My two grandchildren have one class a week in French (40 minutes). In this format, the eldest has made no progress whatsoever in three years - after this length of time all she can say is “bonjour”. In other subjects she is considered a star pupil with considerable aptitude in English. The program is so poor, it would be better if it were discontinued and the time spent elsewhere.
If any progress is to be made, a minimum of one hour a day is necessary and with a teacher who is reasonably fluent in the language being taught.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:48 pm
I am delighted to see that other researchers are linking literacy to second languages. I would be interested to read your papers on your research. I conducted a study earlier this year called “The case of literacy and language learning in Canada”, which may be helpful. An executive summary and links to the full report are available at: http://wp.me/pNAh3-C.
For too long those who teach literacy and those who teach second languages have circled around one another, but also avoided each other to some extent, seeing what they do as being sufficiently different so has not to engage in dialogue. I was excited to read this post, as it shows how literacy learning and second and foreign language learning have more in common than they have been given credit for. This is interesting and important research. I will look forward to learning more about it.