Insights and Inspirations from Attempts of the EU to “Rebuild the Tower of Babel”

Based on the historical characteristics of Europe’s linguistic diversity, the EU has implemented a pluralistic language policy, aiming to “Rebuild the Tower of Babel” within its organization. However, the language governance in the process of the EU integration has not been smooth. The conflicts between linguistic legislation and linguistic practice, between efforts to preserve multilingualism and the reality of English monolingualism, and between the multiple participants in language governance and their varying interests are still nagging at the EU language policy-makers. The underlying reasons are those difficulties to reconcile administrative efficiency with multilingual equality, the pragmatic instrumental value of one language with its national symbolic value, and the interests of many countries behind languages race. Insights into the EU language governance provide good inspirations for China’s language policy and planning, which will help China better present Chinese language and culture to the world, telling China’s stories well and making China’s voice heard

The Study on China-ASEAN Cooperation under “the Belt and Road” Initiative

Since “the Belt and Road” initiative was proposed ten years ago, ASEAN has always been a priority region. China and Southeast Asian countries, adhering to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, have made significant achievements in political consultation, economic cooperation, cultural exchanges, environmental protection, and other aspects. In the new international political and economic situation, both sides are facing challenges from factors such as intervention from foreign powers, political uncertainty within ASEAN countries, competition for economic development space, and misunderstanding and concerns about China’s rise. Nevertheless, China and ASEAN are geographically connected by mountains and rivers, historically by humanities. With the RCEP implemented and the RMB regionalized in ASEAN, cooperation between China and ASEAN in emerging fields such as the digital commerce and green energy will see more benefits. In order to better promote China ASEAN cooperation, China should maintain the regional center status of ASEAN, solidly promote bilateral trade and enterprise investment, through cultural exchanges and international public opinion promotion, tell China’s story well, win the hearts of ASEAN people, and enhance trust between each other

Discovery of a Proto-cluster Associated with a Ly-α\alpha Blob Pair at z=2.3

Bright Ly-$\alpha$ blobs (LABs) --- extended nebulae with sizes of $\sim$100kpc and Ly-$\alpha$ luminosities of $\sim$10$^{44}$erg s$^{-1}$ --- often reside in overdensities of compact Ly-$\alpha$ emitters (LAEs) that may be galaxy protoclusters. The number density, variance, and internal kinematics of LABs suggest that they themselves trace group-like halos. Here we test this hierarchical picture, presenting deep, wide-field Ly-$\alpha$ narrowband imaging of a 1$^\circ$ $\times$ 0.5$^\circ$ region around a LAB pair at $z$ = 2.3 discovered previously by a blind survey. We find 183 Ly-$\alpha$ emitters, including the original LAB pair and three new LABs with Ly-$\alpha$ luminosities of (0.9--1.3)$\times$10$^{43}$erg s$^{-1}$ and isophotal areas of 16--24 arcsec$^2$. Using the LAEs as tracers and a new kernel density estimation method, we discover a large-scale overdensity (Bo{\"o}tes J1430+3522) with a surface density contrast of $\delta_{\Sigma}$ = 2.7, a volume density contrast of $\delta$ $\sim$ 10.4, and a projected diameter of $\approx$ 20 comoving Mpc. Comparing with cosmological simulations, we conclude that this LAE overdensity will evolve into a present-day Coma-like cluster with $\log{(M/M_\odot)}$ $\sim$ $15.1\pm0.2$. In this and three other wide-field LAE surveys re-analyzed here, the extents and peak amplitudes of the largest LAE overdensities are similar, not increasing with survey size, implying that they were indeed the largest structures then and do evolve into rich clusters today. Intriguingly, LABs favor the outskirts of the densest LAE concentrations, i.e., intermediate LAE overdensities of $\delta_\Sigma = 1 - 2$. We speculate that these LABs mark infalling proto-groups being accreted by the more massive protocluster

Perceived productivity in open-plan design library: Exploring occupant behavior and perception

Libraries in higher education face drastic spatial changes, transforming spaces traditionally used for housing books to spaces for interaction and shifting from individual learning to team-based learning. This study aims to (1) identify space uses, (2) examine the environmental satisfaction, support for productivity, and perceived productivity depending on space, and (3) test their relationships. The results of 66 survey responses suggest that students still come to the library for individual study, and students in quiet zones show high environmental satisfaction. Environmental satisfaction is indirectly associated with creativity, while environmental support with acoustic comfort is directly related to concentration

Leading from equity: Changing and organizing for deeper learning

Purpose – This study aims to explore how educational leaders in South Korea adopted equity mindsets and how they organized changes to support students’ deeper learning during COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach – The developed a comprehensive framework of Equity Leadership for Deeper Learning, by revising the existing model of Darling-Hammond and Darling-Hammond (2022) and synthesizing equity leadership literature. Drawing upon this framework, this study analyzed data collected from individual interviews and a focus group with school and district administrators in the K-12 Korean education system. Findings – The participants prioritized an equity stance of their leadership by critically understanding sociopolitical conditions, challenging unjust policies, and envisioning the big picture of equity-centered education. This led them to operationalize equity leadership in practice and create a more inclusive and supportive environment for student-centered deeper learning. District leaders established well-resourced systems by creating/developing instructional resources and making policies more useful. School leaders promoted quality teaching by strengthening access, developing student-centered curricula, and establishing individualized programs for more equitable deeper learning. Research limitations/implications – This study builds on scholarship of deeper learning and equity leadership by adding evidence from Korean educational leaders during COVID-19. First, the findings highlight the significance of leaders’ equity mindsets in creating a safe and inclusive environment for deeper learning. This study further suggests that sharing an equity stance as a collective norm at the system level, spanning across districts and schools is important, which is instrumental to scale up innovation and reform initiatives. Second, this research also extends comparative, culturally informed perspectives to understand educational leadership. Most contemporary leadership theories originated from and are informed by Western and English-speaking contexts despite being widely applied to other contexts across the culture. This study’s analysis underscores the importance of contextualizing leadership practices within the socio-historical contexts that influence how education systems are established and operate. Practical implications – Leaders’ adopting equity mindsets, utilizing bureaucratic resources in creative ways and implementing a school-wide quality curriculum are crucial to supporting students’ deeper learning. District leaders can leverage existing vertical and horizontal networks to effectively communicate with teachers and local communities to establish well-resourced systems. As deeper learning is timeless and requires high levels of student engagement, school leaders’ efforts to establish school-wide curricula is critical to facilitate deeper learning for students. Originality/value – The study provides a nuanced understanding of how equity focused leaders responded to difficulties caused by the pandemic and strategized to support students’ deeper learning. Existing studies tend to prioritize teacher effects on student learning, positing leadership effects as secondary or indirect. Alternatively, the authors argue that, without leadership supporting an inclusive environment, resourceful systems and student-centered school culture, deeper learning cannot be fully achieved in equitable ways