Abstract
The present contribution positions language/s in education in a Human Rights perspective. It is argued that language is an influential factor in achieving educational equity. Educational equity is linked to the pedagogical principle that all teaching shall start with the learners’ capacities. In super-diverse classrooms the linguistic capacities may vary significantly, whereas the competencies to be reached remain equal for all. In the background of Human Rights this calls for a strictly learner-centred approach that oscillates between what learners already know and the institution’s requirements. What this means for language/s in and for education is discussed in the light of scaffolding and translanguaging. Both approaches were developed specifically for institutional learning in the context of super-diversity. It is argued that they both only partially meet the challenge and may complement each other. This is illustrated with examples from action research in a sequence of biology lessons in a Viennese middle school.
Highlights
A staggering 40% of the global population does not have access to education in a language they speak or understand (UNESCO, 2016)
Three principles of intercultural education are mentioned in the Guidelines: 1. culturally appropriate and responsive quality education for all, 2. cultural knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary for active participation in society, and 3. knowledge, attitudes and skills that enable learners to contribute to respect, understanding and solidarity
Cummins’ distinction between BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills) and CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) (Cummins, 1979, 1981) relates to context-embedded vs. context-reduced language proficiency and is, based on differences in acquisition and developmental patterns between BICS and CALP. Another influential conceptualisation referring to institutionally required language is “Bildungssprache”: Gogolin draws upon Habermas (1977) and defines “Bildungssprache”/academic language as the linguistic register in which education is transmitted in institutions and “with whose help one can use the means of school education to obtain orientational knowledge” (Gogolin, 2010, p. 29; Gogolin & Lange, 2011, p. 108)
Summary
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948, Article 26.2) assigns two basic functions to education: First, education “shall be directed to the full development of human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms”; second, it “shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace”. Language/s in Education − Going Back and Moving Forward more explicit three years earlier in the Position Paper “Education in a Multilingual 11 World” (UNESCO, 2003): Here, the UNESCO strongly supports mother tongue instruction (Principle I), bi- and multilingual education (Principle II) as well as language as an essential component of intercultural education (Principle III) Another cornerstone for education policy was the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on quality education. The importance of language becomes evident in the UNESCO’s monitoring reports, in the Global Education Monitoring Report Policy Paper 24 (UNESCO, 2016): “If you don’t understand, how can you learn?” The rhetorical question in the report’s title explicates the underlying assumption: The language of instruction can hold back a child’s learning This Policy Paper reiterates the call for mother tongue education and highlights the risks of poverty for education: The imposition of one language often represents a source of grievance linked to wider issues of social and cultural inequity. The role of education for participation in an inclusive, pluralistic and democratic society is less foregrounded in the Human Rights discourse
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
