‘We can do much more and better’: understanding gatekeepers’ perspectives on students’ linguistic human rights

As a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has been incorporated into domestic policy, Iceland has a legal obligation to respond to children’s linguistic human rights in schools. Increasing language diversity is addressed in both policy and practice, informed by the inclusive education principles that underpin the ideology of the Icelandic school system. A thematic analysis of the perspectives of four school principals and four directors of school support services, working in four different municipalities, reveals tensions between stakeholders’ understandings of children’s rights, school responses to diverse languages, and state accountability towards children’s linguistic human rights. Application of Tomaševski’s 4As framework (availability, accessibility, acceptability, adaptability) suggests the need for increased human rights education and funding for local rights-based initiatives and monitoring. The study contributes to policy and practice aimed at addressing language diversity as a human rights concern

A Friend to Milli Mörriäinen: The Storification Method Supporting Pupils' Crafting Processes

Arts-based and creative learning processes should be utilised more in craft education. With the NaCra approach, craft processes are connected to other creative content, mainly narratives. This NaCra study explored pupils' holistic craft processes that incorporated stori-fied elements and the aim was to clarify the key elements of individual craft processes supported by storification. The study involved 12 pupils from the second grade (7–8 years old) in Finnish primary education. Despite the novelty of the holistic approach, all pupils successfully planned, created and evaluated their soft toys. The storification method permeated every stage of the holistic craft process, aiding not only the ideation and design phases but also motivation and increased concentration in the making and evaluation phases. The findings suggest that pupils' holistic craft processes incorporating storified elements work well together as a means for pupils to express their thoughts and imagination into assignments. Furthermore, storified elements make pupils' experiences come to life in the creative crafting process. Pupils should have more opportunities with holistic craft processes where the outcome is uncertain at the beginning of the process.Keywords: pupil, holistic craft process, crafting, storification, storified elements, soft toyArts-based and creative learning processes should be utilised more in craft education. With the NaCra approach, craft processes are connected to other creative content, mainly narratives. This NaCra study explored pupils' holistic craft processes that incorporated stori-fied elements and the aim was to clarify the key elements of individual craft processes supported by storification. The study involved 12 pupils from the second grade (7–8 years old) in Finnish primary education. Despite the novelty of the holistic approach, all pupils successfully planned, created and evaluated their soft toys. The storification method permeated every stage of the holistic craft process, aiding not only the ideation and design phases but also motivation and increased concentration in the making and evaluation phases. The findings suggest that pupils' holistic craft processes incorporating storified elements work well together as a means for pupils to express their thoughts and imagination into assignments. Furthermore, storified elements make pupils' experiences come to life in the creative crafting process. Pupils should have more opportunities with holistic craft processes where the outcome is uncertain at the beginning of the process.Keywords: pupil, holistic craft process, crafting, storification, storified elements, soft to

A Cross-cultural Comparison of ELT Curricula of Senior Secondary Schools in Mainland China and Hong Kong: A Governmentality Perspective

English holds significant importance as a foreign language in Mainland China and Hong Kong, where ongoing curriculum revisions are shaped by economic and sociocultural advancements. Previous research on English Language Teaching (ELT) curriculum comparisons in Asia has frequently overlooked the exploration of underlying sociocultural and socio-political factors that contribute to the observed similarities and differences. Adopting a governmentality Perspective informed by Dean's analytics of government theory, this cross-cultural comparative study investigates the ELT curricula in senior secondary schools in Mainland China and Hong Kong. Through this analysis, the study explores how sociocultural and socio-political factors interact to influence the educational landscapes. By examining the dimensions of problematizations, rationalities, techne, and teleology within the curricula, the research uncovers common challenges, rationales, approaches, and objectives, as well as distinctions arising from the unique sociocultural, political, and economic contexts of Mainland China and Hong Kong. This examination underscores the profound impact of these contextual factors on ELT curriculum design, contributing valuable insights to the cross-cultural discourse. Furthermore, the findings lay the groundwork for future research and policy development in the realm of ELT curricula, emphasizing the need for additional studies employing diverse methods and focusing on the implemented and experienced curriculum in senior secondary schools to provide a comprehensive understanding of English language education in both Mainland China and Hong Kong

The arts of attention and Oslo Architecture Triennale

This paper starts from a two-fold observation: firstly, that attention rests at the core of our environmental challenges; and secondly, that by becoming (more) attentive to the modified, transformed, and controlled urban environments in which we dwell, we may be better equipped to attend to these challenges. The paper therefore develops and introduces “an urban attention ecology” that seeks to expand our ability to attend to urban form in ways that open possibilities to critically address and creatively negotiate the ways in which cities are built and inhabited. The potentials and challenges of the urban attention ecology are thought through in a practice-based account of a broad range of critical spatial practices centring around the theme of degrowth. These practices took the form of performances, installations, and other artistic projects that the author gathered, developed and presented as curator of the Oslo Architecture Triennale 2019. Cover photo: The Factory of the Future at the Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture. OAT / Istvan Virag

Supporting language rights: plurilingual pedagogies as an impetus for linguistic and cultural inclusion

This paper explores how the concept of plurilingualism is positioned to act as an impetus for linguistic and cultural inclusion in human-rights-based language education. Drawing on frameworks foregrounding descriptors for plurilingualism and democratic citizenship, the paper employs discourse analysis and sorting techniques to identify and align strategies of linguistic and cultural inclusion found in multimodal plurilingual task artefacts collected from a multi-year, multi-site research partnership between a Canadian university and the Italian Ministry of Education. The findings reveal that the implementation of plurilingual tasks aligns with key elements of democratic, rights-based language education, including critical understanding of communication, openness to cultural otherness, cooperation skills, and the valuing of cultural diversity. The findings of this paper contribute to further understanding of the concept of plurilingualism and to empirically informed perspectives on pedagogies that support language rights as human rights in education

Human rights issues in the English language curriculum in China

As China increasingly engages in global human rights mechanisms, it has demonstrated a commitment to reforming its national curriculum. Through examining textbooks published during Xi Jinping’s tenure, this study investigates how China embeds human rights issues in the English language curriculum. The findings indicate that the human rights issues addressed in the English textbooks have surpassed China’s official revisionist narrative. This can be attributed more to the inherent features of the discipline of English than to a deliberate state strategy. Human rights issues are sorted into three categories: strictly taboo, decontextualised, and actively promoted. The meticulously constructed narratives highlight China’s leadership in addressing global issues while avoiding critical examination of its domestic human rights situation. As a result, genuine social issues in human rights education (HRE) are overshadowed by propaganda. This study concludes that China’s commitment to HRE largely remains an empty promise.

Enabling multilingualism or disabling multilinguals? Interrogating linguistic discrimination in Swedish preschool policy

In this paper we conduct a poststructural discourse analysis inspired by Carol Bacchi’s ‘What’s the problem represented to be?’ (WRP) approach. We explore what kinds of problems are formulated in preschool educational policy on multilingualism, and what underlying assumptions underlie the dominant discourse on language proficiency in Sweden. Serving as a case to discuss how racism, ableism and childism intersect with linguicism, we examine the importance of shifting from a ‘children’s (special) needs’ discourse to a ‘children’s (language) rights’ discourse through a social justice education framework.   We draw upon Elisabeth Young-Bruehl’s understanding of childism, which refers to prejudice and discrimination against children based on beliefs about their inferiority to adults. The right to and rights in education are constituent upon linguistic rights, upon students learning to use their first language, whether that be minority, indigenous or sign language

Student teachers' attitudes to materials in the contexts of crafting and consuming

The purpose of this study was to explore the kinds of attitudes student teachers have towards materials in the contexts of crafting and consumption. The practical aim of the study was to encourage students to explore the materials of the crafts they make and the products they buy. The data were collected via semi-structured inquiries conducted as part of the course Experimental Textile Crafts. In addition to the questions, the elicitation method was used, that is, the students were asked to choose one of their own craft objects and one purchased object and take photographs of them. The final sample consisted of 39 students. Data were analysed using thematic analysis focusing on affective, conative and cognitive components. The findings of the study highlighted three different ideal types of students: (1) Superficially Oriented, (2) Safely Mediocre and (3) Conscious. Superficially Oriented Students have little interest in materials. Safely Mediocre students did express interest in materials but ended up using familiar materials in both crafting and consumption. Conscious students expressed sustainability concerns, which crossed a wide range of topics from valorising waste to naturalness in materials. The results can be valuable for developing craft teacher education and for future research.Keywords: attitudes, crafting, consuming, ideal types, materiality, materialsThe purpose of this study was to explore the kinds of attitudes student teachers have towards materials in the contexts of crafting and consumption. The practical aim of the study was to encourage students to explore the materials of the crafts they make and the products they buy. The data were collected via semi-structured inquiries conducted as part of the course Experimental Textile Crafts. In addition to the questions, the elicitation method was used, that is, the students were asked to choose one of their own craft objects and one purchased object and take photographs of them. The final sample consisted of 39 students. Data were analysed using thematic analysis focusing on affective, conative and cognitive components. The findings of the study highlighted three different ideal types of students: (1) Superficially Oriented, (2) Safely Mediocre and (3) Conscious. Superficially Oriented Students have little interest in materials. Safely Mediocre students did express interest in materials but ended up using familiar materials in both crafting and consumption. Conscious students expressed sustainability concerns, which crossed a wide range of topics from valorising waste to naturalness in materials. The results can be valuable for developing craft teacher education and for future research.Keywords: attitudes, crafting, consuming, ideal types, materiality, material

Learning how to speak truth to power – comparing Ukrainian and Swiss foreign language curricula

Human Rights Education strives to empower learners to participate meaningfully in a democratic and sustainable society in which human rights are guaranteed for all. Foreign language education enables students to transcend borders, gives them an opportunity to share their views, ideas, and beliefs, and contributes to the development of critical thinking skills. It can thus endow students with a ‘voice’ to claim and defend their rights and learn to ‘speak truth to power’. This article explores if and how the intended foreign language curricula for lower secondary schools in Switzerland and Ukraine integrate human rights education. Drawing on the 2011 UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training as an analytical framework, the analysis reveals that ‘education for human rights’ is the best represented dimension in both contexts. Our results may serve as a springboard for exploring further opportunities to integrate human rights education and foreign language education