CONFERENCE on “EDUCATION FOR INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS”

Düsseldorf, 1-3 October 2004

THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN PROMOTING

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

Coreen SEARS

Strand Summary

This strand was notable, not only for the quality and pertinence of the contributions, but also for the degree of participation by all members of the group. Many of the participants are engaged in their own research studies: all of them were able to bring a high degree of reflection and commitment to the discussion.

The presentations addressed the following key areas. In each case, presenters discussed the relationship between their chosen topic and the promotion of international mindedness. Both presenters and participants drew on the content of other presentations to enrich the discussion.

(i) Developing and maintaining students’ mother tongues: policies and programmes that lead to mother tongue support

·  Maintaining students’ development and esteem in their own language and culture is an essential element in promoting the international-mindedness of L2 students and their L1 peers.

(ii) L2 students have the right to effective English teaching (the language of instruction) and to maintain and develop their mother tongues. Perhaps monolinguals also have the right to learn through another language as well as English.

·  For international-mindedness to flourish in a school, both monolinguals and bilinguals need to be given the insights and experiences that come from learning through other languages.

(iii) All the constituencies of a school need to be aware of the discourses relating to English: chiefly they need to understand the discourse of linguistic imperialism that attaches to English.

·  Only by engaging in a balanced critique of the use of English, can international educators examine their own assumptions and practice. A key component of international-mindedness is for all languages and cultures to be accorded an equal respect and standing.

(iv) Culture dissonance is an issue in international schools. For L2 students to access the academic curriculum fully, both teachers and students need to understand the cultural nature of academic discourse.

·  Explicit teaching of the school’s learning culture is essential if all students are to have access to the academic programme. For two-way international-mindedness to develop, both teachers and students need to respect and understand other learning cultures.

(v) It is the stated aim of many schools that their students emerge as international citizens. For this to be possible, schools need to adopt a consistent strategic approach to the inclusion of all students in the learning of the mainstream academic programme.

·  For two-way international-mindedness to develop, teachers need to adopt consistent strategies that give access to the mainstream academic programme for their L2 students. In turn, they need to draw on the life experiences and cultural insights of their L2 students to enhance the learning of all the students in a class.

(vi) The demographic profile of the students in many international schools is changing. Schools that once had a majority of first language speakers, now have a majority of second language speakers. This change results in a shift in the balance of language use and, potentially, increases the impact of the L2 population on school policy making.

·  When a certain critical mass is reached in a school’s population, the growth of international-mindedness is promoted.

(vii) A group of educators concerned with issues of language and culture in international schools has formed a group, known at this time, as The ESL/Mother Tongue Research Group.

·  More information about the activities of the group will be available shortly on a website.

The input of the language strand into the discussions about the future of the Alliance for International Education

·  The Statement of Purpose of the Alliance should reflect and respect the contribution to be made to the debate by international educators of all races and cultures.

·  The discourse of the Alliance should reflect an awareness of the cultural and linguistic issues relating to the use of English.

·  The activities of the Alliance should have relevance and meaning for all the individuals in it. It is not only words that cannot be translated from English into other languages, it is also cultural concepts and codes.