Aspects on language and learning development from a first language perspective Prof. Jarmo Lainio...

Aspects on language and learning development from a first language

perspectiveProf. Jarmo Lainio

Finskt språk- och kulturcentrum, Akademin för utbildning, kultur och

kommunikationMälardalens högskola &

Institutionen för baltiska språk, finska och tyska

Stockholms universitet

23-04-11 Jarmo Lainio, FinSKC, MDH

Languages of EuropeEach dot represents the primary location of a living language listed in the Ethnologue. See the Ethnologue listing of the languages of Europe.

http://www.ethnologue.com/show_map.asp?name=Europe&seq=10

http://www.ethnologue.com/country_index.asp

http://www.ethnologue.com/country_index.asp?place=Europe


Folkungatiden Unionstiden Vasatiden

StormaktstidenFrihetstiden

Gustavianskatiden

Reasons for migra-tion


Positive international developments

23-04-11 Jarmo Lainio, Mälardalen University

• International support• UNESCO/UNICEF

– Bilingual education since 1950´s

– The Rights of the Child• Universal declaration of

cultural diversity (sustainability)

• Universal declaration of linguistic rights

• Research results

• European development• Convention on Fundamental

Rights• Council of Europe

– Framework Convention for the Protection and Promotion of National Minorities

– Charter on Regional or Minority Languages

• European Union– Strategy on multilingual

development/linguistic diversity (2004-2006, 2007)

– White paper 1995: 3LLL– ??Green paper COM(2008)

423


Global targets – development or retardation?

Quotation 1”It is axiomatic that the best

medium for teaching a child is his mother tongue. Psychologically, it is the system of meaningful signs that in his mind works automatically for expression amd understanding. Sociologically, it is a means of identification among the members of the community to which he belongs. Educationally, he learns more quickly through it than through an unfamiliar linguistic medium.”

Quotation 2”If the medium of instruction is not

the language spoken at home, particularly when parents are illiterate, then learning problems accumulate, and chances of dropping out increase. On the other hand, there is ample research showing that students are quicker to learn to read and write and acquire other skills when first taught in their mother tongue. They also learn a second language more quickly than those initially taught to read in an unfamiliar language.”


What have we learned…?

• Citat 1 UNESCO report 1953, p. 11:

The Use of Vernacular Languages in Education

• Citat 2UNICEF, 1999, p 41:

The State of the World’s Children


Three basic principles against the ideas of simplistic assimilation/”integration”

• ”Save the child” (cf. Lenore Arnberg, 1988)– No difference in

principle (though by content) between different groups, for all

• ”Save the language”– Historically based

differences in policies (cf. Janulf 1998; instruction of vs. in the language); for established minorities

• + in Europe: Save European cultural heritage and minority identity (to be used as a good example?)


• (Im)migrants or minorities? Or all Swedes? Maybe to many ”or’s” pro overlap?

• Traditional assimilation (or segregation) of national minorities until the end of the 1960’s

• Immigration policy useful also for minorities, from about 1965; 1975- (Invandrarutredningen, home language); (?1983 SKU)

• ”Fritt fall” for L1s (then home language) 1991- ? • EU 1995- + New minority policy from the mid- and late

1990’s, from 2000- Council of Europe• New language policy: save domains of Swedish, 2002-

Sweden: national trends

Ny assimilationspolitik?• ”Frånsett den första tiden i landet ska det inte finna

någon särpolitik för invandrare.” http://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/2279

(No specific policy of integration for immigrants beyond the introductory three years)

• ”Vidare ska den som har ett annat modersmål än de nu nämnda ges möjlighet att utveckla och använda sitt modersmål.” (Inte lära sig) Värna språken SOU 2008:26

(Further, those who have a different mother tongue than those mentioned above are given the possibility to develop and use their mother tongue) (Not to learn it)


http://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/2279


Demography and characteristicsCa 250 000 – 675 000

Sweden Finnish background, plus Jews, Roma, Sami, and Tornedalians

Total max. sum = 825 000

About 1,2 Million with Swedish as a second language

From close neighbourhoud migration to distant, global migration

No clear immigration of labour force for more than 20 years

More than 200 migrant groups?

Lack of statistics

Jarmo Lainio, FinSKC, MDH

Table 8 B: Pupils receiving MTI and second language instruction (SVA) academic year 2007/08 (National Board of Edu., SOS; modified, JL)

Entitled Proport. Amount Proport. Partic. to MTI partic. partic. MTI partic. SVA

Total 155 210 16,6 83 482 53,8 66 88611) Arabic 27 940 3,0 18 451 66,0 16 143 2) Bosnian/Croatian/Serb. 14 531 1,6 7 308 50,3 5 356 3) Spanish 9 801 1,0 5 000 51,0 3 541 Finnish 8 229 0,9 3 033 36,9 1 421 5) English 8 059 0,9 3 860 47,9 1 685 6) Albanian 7 595 0,8 4 965 65,4 3 943 7) Persian/Farsi 6 574 0,7 4 008 61,0 2 399 8) Somalian 6 053 0,6 4 393 72,6 3 993 9) Turkish 5 461 0,6 3 237 59,3 3 152 10)Kurdish/North Kurdish 5 395 0,6 3 054 56,6 3 104 Other lang:s (130) 54 898 5,9 25 998 47,4 21 839 Unspecified lang:s 674 175 26,0 310


Semilingualism declared alive again• Dagens Samhälle, 051124, om Malmö, om

tvåspråkiga barns förskoleverksamhet: • …Nästan en fjärdedel av eleverna i Malmö går ut

nian utan godkänt i alla kärnämnen. En anledning är att så många ungdomar är halvspråkiga – talar två språk men är inte bra på något av dem. …

Det här är mumbo jumbo. Att inte hårdsatsa på svenska bland så små barn, när de är som mest receptiva, är ett svek mot dem, säger kommunalrådet Thorbjörn Lindhqvist (m). …

Anna-Lena Immo


Malmö på 2000-talet

• Sydsvenskan, 041209: • Rubrik: ”Halvspråkiga barn skolornas stora

problem”. Malmö. Det är de halvspråkiga barnen som varken behärskar sitt modersmål eller svenskan som är Malmöskolornas stora problem. Barn som kommer från andra länder med ett utvecklat modersmål är ett betydligt mindre problem. …


Value arguments – against L1s in school

• ”In Sweden we speak Swedish”, ’i Sverige talar vi svenska’ (INTE vetenskapligt argument)

(normative value judgement)• ”Maassa maan tavalla”,

’ta seden dit du kommer’,’when in Rome, do like the Romans’

(normative value judgement)


Language learning and acquisition


• How are languages acquired and learned by young children and adolescents?

By imitation only?

• At least four factors are needed to explain how it takes place:

– Biological predisposition– Interaction– Imitation

– Cognitive development– (Cultural impact)

Consequences for schooling and literacy?


Language Cognitive developmentMonolinguals

Relation between language and cognition



Language - Cognitive develop-mentBi- and multi-linguals when language shift takes place


Language Cognitive developmentBi-/multilinguals when bilingual development takes place

Relation language and cognition(Jim Cummins; Ellen Bialystok)


What has a child learned till the age of 6-7 years?

• Basic vocabulary (8,000 – 12,000 words)• Most phonetic features, prosodic features• Basic grammar (morphology and syntax)• Some stylistic features• Some domains of language use• Pragmatic and sociolinguistic basics• Age level cognitive development• What happens if you have to start school in another language?

What is the role of the school?

• Secondary socialisation• Support L1 and L2 and C1 and C2 = the pupil• Language development beyond the family’s

capacity• Development of higher levels of language

skills, orally and in writing/reading• Follow up development of language and

cognition



To catch up when no bilingual education from beginning


Language developmentCognitive developmentSubject matter, i.e. academic content= Grade and age level acquisition/learning and

development

Dual or two-way bilingual education Wayne Thomas & Virginia Collier (1997, 2002)


• Holistic view?– Neither locally nor

nationally from the point of view of society

– Who is responsible and in charge of the minority/migrant views?

– Bi-/multilingualism?

• ”Acquisition planning”– No idea implemented

for the whole period of schooling

– No continuity– No teacher education– No guaranteed higher

education? – No group-internal plans

First languages in school – no policy exists

Paradoxes from Sweden?

• Green paper COM(2008) 423 Final: ”Migration and mobility: challenges and opportunities for EU education systems”

• To replace Directive 77/486/CEE, which includes support for mother tongues (for EU member state citizens, in cooperation with the state of origin of migrant)

• Supported by for example the Esser report (Cf.).


Paradoxes from Germany • Hartmut Esser (2006) –

report and other research (against?) bilingualism (AKI = Arbeitsstelle Interkulturelle Konflikte und gesellschaftliche Integration, Berlin): Migration, Sprache und Integration (2006)

• No effects of bilingualism on labour market merits, + for nishes and English

• There is no statistical evidence for positive or negative effects of L1 on educational achievement, except in cases where bilgingualism is achieved, which correlates positively with educational results


Esser (2)• The factors that seem to correlate positively

with bilingualism and thus educational progression– Age of migration (= high level of L1)– Educational level of parents– Ethnic context– Concentration of children with migrant

background to same schools and classes

23-04-11

Comments• There is no clue to the understanding of the

writer of language-connected issues in the report (Critical age-threshold, Interdependence Hypothesis are discussed and part of the analysis)

• The fact that there are no positive or negative statistical effects of L1 + L2 learning, but one learns two languages, is not discussed

• Research results are highly contextually interpreted – Germany


NESSE reports

• Friedrich Heckmann (2008) Education and Integration of Migrants (NESSE Analytical Report 1 for EU Commission DG Education and Culture). www.efms.de (University of Bamberg)

• 16 recommendations• (NB: Most of which have been described as

typical for immersion programmes and well functioning schools in general)


http://www.efms.de/

Rec’s abbreviated from Heckmann’s report on ”integration”

• 1) Effective pre-school and day-care system needed

• 2) Later selection of specialisation needed

• 3) Integrate elements and symbols of the culture or the immigrant country; consultations

• 4) Improve the general quality of school

• 5) Desegregate schools• 6) Special attention for

special education for migrant children

• 7) Teacher training should be adapted to migrant children; assistants, howe work centres

• 8) Additional funding, as investment, not extra costs

4) Jarmo Lainio, FinSKC, MDH

…from Heckmann’s report (2) • 9) Teachers should have

high expectations• 10) More migrant

background children into teacher education

• 11) Liaison officers of schools (same background as parents) involve parents

• 12) Ethnic mentoring by outsiders inschool (parents, assoc.)

• 13) Involve families in early childhood language learning programmes

• 14) Authorities should set up goals and monitor them (rates of school leaving cert’s, migrant background teachers etc.)

• 16) Develop programmes for highly talented migrant pupils


Recommendation 15, Heckmann

• 15) ”Migrant children should come to a full demand of the lingua franca of the immigration country as early as possible. Language training should be a central part of pre-school education. Priority should be given to the common language of the immigration country, since full command of the first language does not seem to be a necessary condition for learning the lingua franca of the immigration country. The lingua franca should be the language of instruction from the beginning of schooling. Since multlingualism is of high value the first language should be further developed in general language learning in school. ”


Some comments on Rec 15• The bulk of the report

does not deal with the issue of language and language policy, but conclusions do

• Again, does the writer know anything about how languages are learned?

No one model fits allA ”worst case scenario”

(in addition to when no L1 instruction is given) = give instruction about the language

At least some subjects taught in both languages (O´Riágain, P. & Lüdi, G. 2003: Bilingual education, Council of Europe)


Research on language and school

• Joana Duarte (2009; incl. in EUCIM-TE project) dual bilingual education, Portuguese and German in Hamburg

• Summary of results (to be continued…)


On the other hand…?

• Can we evaluate the results of any educational model today, as safely as we want?



Educational aspects: What does ”teaching” and conditions of learning look like today?

• Is the desk left?• Teacher left?• Child left?• Children collectively, individually or in interaction?• Classroom left?• Other people involved?• Role of all teachers evaluated?

• Evaluations increasingly difficult to generalize

Final comments• We need to create space for good examples of

functioning multilingualism and role models• We need to (re-)consider the role of higher level of

language development and writing/literacy for multilingual development

• We need to instruct our politicians on various basic aspects on language learning and bi-/multilingual language learning

• We need to raise more interest among all teachers for the relation between learning and language skills, and know more about what is taking place in the field today


Aspects on language and learning development from a first language perspective Prof. Jarmo Lainio...

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