Showcasing the Translingual SL/FL Classroom: Strategies, Practices, and Beliefs

In an article published in this journal 15 years ago, Vivian Cook argued that it was time to question the time-honoured view that the native language (NL) should be avoided in the classroom by teachers and students. The justifications for this perspective hinged on a questionable compartmentalization of the two languages in the mind. The conventional wisdom has been that the NL has no place in the second language (SL) or foreign language (FL) classroom and that teachers should focus on getting students to think and interact exclusively in the target language (TL). In Linguistic Imperialism, Phillipson debunks five fallacies that are foundational in the field of applied linguistics, among them, the monolingual fallacy or the idea that a second or foreign language is best taught monolingually. Questioning monolingual pedagogies is at the heart of the investigations assembled in this Special Issue

Adolescent outgroup helping, collective action, and political activism in a setting of protracted conflict

This article examines the role of empathy for outgroup helping, collective action and political activism among youth in Northern Ireland, a setting of protracted conflict. Integrating the Empathy-Attitudes-Action model with the Developmental Peacebuilding Model, a two-wave study was conducted to assess youth’s behavioural intentions and actual behaviours toward refugees. Across two waves (N = 383, 52 % male, 48 % female; 14−16 years old), empathy at Time 1 predicted more positive attitudes toward ethnic minorities at Time 2, which in turn was positively related to four outcomes aiming to foster prosocial change for refugees: helping behaviour and realistic helping at the interpersonal level, collective action intentions at the structural level, and signing a petition aiming for cultural change. That is, outgroup attitudes mediated the link from empathy to three types of prosocial action toward refugees. The findings suggest that youth not only volunteer to help an individual outgroup member, but also support broader structural and cultural change that will benefit those they may never meet. Implications for recognising and supporting the constructive agency of youth toward disadvantaged groups in conflict settings are discussed

Language Planning

English users speak many different mother tongues (L1s) and a variety of “Englishes.” They use English for different (cross-cultural and/or international) communicative purposes, depending on their contexts, needs, and their own unique “plurilingual” backgrounds (discussed in Part III). In many of today’s globalized societies, mobility and change are key features. Language planners, multi-national stakeholders, and transnational individuals affected by mobility and change view English as crucial to their interests, and frequently claim it as their own. English also has imperial and (post-) colonial legacies; hence, many localized forms of English have been developed and are used internationally, making English a context-specific, dynamic, international language. The term English as an international language (EIL) describes both the language (English/es), and its linguistic function in international contexts

Perceived teacher support, collective efficacy in school, and constructive engagement among youth in a conflict-affected society

In conflict-affected societies, teachers are critical to supporting positive youth development and encouraging constructive societal contributions. The present research examined the role of perceived teacher support on youth collective efficacy in school and implications for constructive engagement. Recruited through their schools as part of a larger study, 395 youth (aged 15-16, evenly split by religion and gender) completed survey measures of perceived teacher support, collective efficacy in school, and two constructs assessing constructive engagement: nonviolent strategies to manage conflict and collective action for refugees. To test the effects of teacher support on constructive engagement through collective efficacy, bootstrapped mediation analysis was conducted. Collective efficacy in school mediated the link between perceived teacher support and youth’s nonviolent strategies and collective action. Findings highlight the importance of teacher support and collective efficacy in promoting constructive engagement. Implications for teacher training and interventions that aim to engage youth in society are discussed

Pedagogy and Learning Environment in a Franco-Ontarian Child Care Centre

In order to succeed in French First Language (FFL) schools, students must have a working knowledge of French. For many Anglophone and Allophone students, the journey toward official bilingualism through FFL schooling begins in FFL child care centres. The programs offered in these centres were designed to foster the linguistic and literacy development of Franco-Ontarian children before they enter the FFL K-6 school system (CLR-Net, 2009; Government of Canada, 1982, 2008 & 2012; Ministère de l\u27éducation, 2004; Ontario MEO, 2005). This paper investigates whether éducatrices in FFL child care centres can meet all children’s French needs and, if so, how

Critical Language Awareness

In the latter half of the 20th century, applied linguists, dissatisfied with the positioning of language teaching, called for a multidimensional curriculum to reframe teaching (about) languages, be they first or heritage languages (L1s or HLs); English as a second, foreign or international language (ESL, EFL and EIL); or other foreign languages (FLs). Their dissatisfaction stemmed from languages being viewed in isolation (like linguistic silos), an overemphasis on teaching the four skills in a discrete (unintegrated) manner, and decontextualized grammar and vocabulary teaching. Out of this discontent grew the notion of “language awareness,” with language awareness pedagogy implemented in the UK school system for the first time in 1974. The notion and pedagogical interventions emerged from the desire to bridge languages taught in isolation, and recognize the role language plays in all subject matter teaching (i.e., language-across-the- curriculum)

Sproglige og kulturelle vidensfonde i klasseværelset

I sommeren 2015 afløste den ene krise den anden: Den syriske flygtningekrise førte til en flygtningekrise i Europa. Sådanne kriser (...

Promoting youth intergroup contact in a postaccord society: the role of supportive interaction norms and self-expansion

Perceiving supportive peer norms are associated with more frequent and higher quality intergroup contact across a range of contexts. Youth interactions, however, are influenced by a wide range of socializing agents as well as individuals’ desire to interact. Exploring both socializing agents and individual-level variables, the present research examines whether perceived peer, school and family interaction norms, and self-expansion are associated with contact quality and quantity in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Across two time points, 312 14- to 17-year-old (M = 14.71, SD = 0.70; 55% male; 66% Protestant, 33% Catholic) from three secondary schools participated. Results indicate that among our participants, perceiving supportive peer norms (not school or family) at Time 1 were associated with more frequent contact at Time 2, while perceived supportive family norms (not peer or school) at Time 1 were associated with greater quality of contact at Time 2. Implications are discussed in relation to the effects of perceived norms and self-expansion on youth intergroup contact in Northern Ireland, as well as opportunities for promoting peace in divided societies

Implementing the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and the European Language Portfolio: Lessons for Future Research

Since its publication in 2001 the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages has established itself as a key reference in international discussion of proficiency in second and foreign languages. The CEFR represents the culmination of three decades of collaborative research, and it unites two apparently opposed tendencies in the Council of Europe’s work on language teaching and learning. On the one hand, its definition of proficiency in terms of the individual user-learner’s capacity for communicative task performance goes back to its roots in the adult education projects of the 1970s. The Council’s first work in modern languages was carried out under the auspices of the Committee for Out-of-School Education, which was strongly in favour of learner autonomy and self-assessment and strongly opposed to formal exams; from the beginning, great emphasis was laid on language learning appropriate to the individual user-learner’s communicative purposes. On the other hand, the CEFR responds to the need, felt with increasing urgency since the 1980s, for some kind of metric against which to compare language qualifications both across languages and from country to country

The Power of “Can Do” statements: Teachers’ Perceptions of CEFR- informed Instruction in French as a Second Language Classrooms in Ontario

This article reports on French as a second language (FSL) teachers’ perceptions of using the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR)-informed instruction (action-oriented instruction focusing on language use) in FSL classrooms in Ontario. In particular, this paper focuses on teachers’ perspectives of the strengths and challenges of providing CEFR- informed practice in FSL classrooms. FSL teachers (n=93) as well as elementary and secondary school students (n=943) participated in this province-wide study. Participating teachers were introduced to the CEFR and CEFR-informed activities and resources. Teachers then used the resources in their classrooms for approximately three months. At the end of this period, teachers participated in interviews and focus group sessions which focused on their perceptions’ of CEFR’s action-oriented approach. Teachers reported that CEFR-informed instruction increased student motivation, built self-confidence in their learners, promoted authentic language use in the classroom and encouraged learner autonomy. These findings have implications for FSL programs in Canada and possibly other second language education programs worldwide