Plurilingualism
Plurilingualism has been defined by the Council of Europe as ‘the ability [of an individual] to use languages for the purposes of communication and to take part in intercultural interaction, where a person, viewed as a social agent, has proficiency of varying degrees, in several languages, and experience of several cultures.’ Plurilingualism is dynamic and develops over a lifetime. The ability to use a language and contribute to intercultural interactions involves the building of a linguistic repertoire. The education system has an important role to play in fostering these plurilingual and intercultural competences through embracing and exploiting linguistic diversity in supporting communication, subject learning, language and cultural awareness, and the learning of new and / or additional languages.
Diversity
Our society is culturally and linguistically diverse. This diversity is also reflected in the education system: in our schools, in our classrooms, and in our learning communities. Recognising and promoting the diverse language learning pathways and cultural experiences that children and young people bring to the classrooms supports equality amongst learners. This includes opportunities to raise racial consciousness and help value, recognise and respect the diversity of all children and young people. Promoting diversity means recognising that differences can be used for transformative teaching practices to enhance the learning experiences for all learners in our classrooms and to foster intercultural understanding and respect.
Policy & Legislation
The fostering of plurilingualism within the education system follows national policies and guidelines but also integrates with wider international agreements, treaties and human rights legislation. These policies and guidelines cover the teaching and learning of languages and literacies in the language of the classroom, additional languages, but also the fostering of plurilingual and pluriliterate identities, including where the home language(s) of children and young people are different from the language of school.
Transformative practices
Plurilingualism and pluriliteracies benefit all children and young learners. Transformative teaching and learning practices consider the individual learners and how they see themselves and others. This includes considering the linguistic repertoire and cultural backgrounds of all children and young people in classrooms and promoting the values of diversity and inclusivity.