Whether found in newspaper headlines or various forms of social media throughout the world (especially tweets these days!) we are quite occupied by the vexing experience of living in diverse communities.
Some of us seem to spend a great deal of time and resources "stemming the tide" or building walls, as if preparing for the next apocalypse.
Others, while certainly aware of the difficulties, choose to learn how to communicate effectively and live gracefully in these new communities, even if this means considering new ways to educate ourselves and our children.
As one of the second group, I'm alert to efforts such as comes through UNESCO....
Towards Sustainable
Futures through Multilingual Education
"On the occasion of this Day, I launch
an appeal for the potential of multilingual education to be acknowledged
everywhere, in education and administrative systems, in cultural expressions
and the media, cyberspace and trade.
"
Irina
Bokova, UNESCO Director-General
UNESCO celebrates International Mother
Language Day (IMLD) on February 21, 2017 under the theme “Towards Sustainable
Futures through Multilingual Education”. To foster sustainable development,
learners must have access to education in their mother tongue and in other
languages. It is through the mastery of the first language or mother tongue
that the basic skills of reading, writing and numeracy are acquired. Local
languages, especially minority and indigenous, transmit cultures, values and
traditional knowledge, thus playing an important role in promoting sustainable
futures.
What is multilingual
education?
Multilingual education facilitates
access to education while promoting equity for populations speaking minority
and/or indigenous languages, especially girls and women:
- It emphasizes the quality of teaching and learning with a focus on understanding and creativity;
- It reinforces the cognitive aspect of learning by ensuring the direct application of learning outcomes to the learner’s life through the mother tongue
- It enhances dialogue and interaction between learner and teacher by allowing genuine communication from the beginning.
- It facilitates participation and action in society and gives access to new knowledge and cultural expressions, thus ensuring a harmonious interaction between the global and the local.
So, what have I done lately to consider new forms of education for new neighborhoods and communities? (Just something to chew on this Tuesday....)
