Reasons for integrating la and lla focus on: plurilingual foreign language learners

Reasons for integrating LA and LLA

• Focus on:

• plurilingual foreign language learners

• plurilingualism in the EFL classroom

• examples of good practice

Plurilingual Foreign Language Learners

• In Germany 13% of the pupils grow up with a different language from German

• 6% grow up with two or more languages

• (cf. DESI 2006)

Plurilingual Foreign Language Learners

• The PISA results prove: In all tests the migrants perform below-average overall. (cf. Kraus 2009: 28)

„It seems to be widely known that under certain circumstances life with two or more languages can lead to advantages, not only with regard to language knowledge but also in terms of cognitive and sociopragmatic develpment.“ (Jessner 2008: 29)

• „It seems to be widely known that under certain circumstances life with two or more languages can lead to advantages, not only with regard to language knowledge but also in terms of cognitive and sociopragmatic develpment.“ (Jessner 2008: 29)

Factors affecting plurilinguals´ language learning processes (eg. Jessner 2008; Weskamp 2007):

• Factors affecting plurilinguals´ language learning processes (eg. Jessner 2008; Weskamp 2007):

• Age

• Language Proficiency

• Attitude

Plurilingual Foreign Language Learners

• Attitude towards one´s one plurilingualism

• „Those learners who accept their languages and who have learnt how to make use of their special language knowledge will develop special language learning strategies and thus can benefit from their languages for further foreign language learning.“

Plurilingual Foreign Language Learners

• „Learners who are timid and angry about their chaos of the various languages in their head, produce numerous interferences and don´t make use of the pontential of their multilingualism but rather ignore their languages or don´t appreciate them in order to utilize them constructively.“ (Gibson & Hufeisen 2007: 38, translated from German)

Plurilingual Foreign Language Learners

• „We should, by no means, accuse the plurilinguals. They often just don´t know because they are not guided and istructed to develop a personal multilingual profile with a set of strategies, which work for them and to apply this set purposefully.“ (Gibson & Hufeisen 2007: 38, translated from German)

Dealing with plurilingualism in the EFL classroom

• Kollmeyer (2007): In how far do FL teachers integrate students´ L1 and/ or their available language knowledge into their FL teaching concepts?

Dealing with plurilingualism in the EFL classroom

• „Plurilingualism is neither negated nor made useful somehow. […]. It doesn´t annoy anyone, but it doesn´t particularly please anyone either.“ (I 1 in Kollmeyer 2007: 262)

Dealing with plurilingualism in the EFL classroom

• „I reckon German is the basis.“

• (I 2 in Kollmeyer 2007: 263)

Dealing with plurilingualism in the EFL classroom

• no language awareness raising

• no cross linguistic comparisons

• no strategy training

• (Kollmeyer 2007: 262f.)

Promoting Plurilingualism in the Foreign Language Classroom – Examples of Good Practice

• Content level:

• > Multilingualism as a topic

Promoting Plurilingualism in the Foreign Language Classroom – Examples of Good Practice

• Method level:

• -> teaching and learning methods & cross linguistic strategies

Song – Silencio/ David Bisbal:

• Song – Silencio/ David Bisbal:

• Silencio, eterno y mudo como el recuerdo del amor que tú me diste, Silencio, tan grande, tan vacío y tan muerto, como quema este dolor del silencio que llena cada espacio en mi cuerpo, Como duele este silencio de amor.

• silencio – silence

• eterno – eternal, ewig

• mudo – mute

• amor – amore (ital.)

• que – que (frz.)

• tù – tu (frz.)

• me – me

• diste – distance (engl./ frz.)

• grande – grand (engl./ frz.)

• vacio – vaccuum

Promoting Plurilingualism in the Foreign Language Classroom – Examples of Good Practice

• Media level:

• -> posters, world maps, websites, movies…

Promoting Plurilingualism in the Foreign Language Classroom – Examples of Good Practice

• Reflection level:

• -> analysing and discussing learner biographies: e.g. portfolio, diaries…

Conclusion

• "A situation provides a suitable niche only for those persons who are prepared to meet and use its affordances effectively. Those not properly tuned or prepared will in some way fail to perform effectively in the situation as given. "

• (Snow 1998: 107)