What are the challenges for teaching language in today’s schools? (2023)

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September 24, 2019 in Announcements, Career-related Programme (CP), Heads Up, Research

Multilingualism as a concept

The idea of multilingualism has garnered a lot of positive attention over the past few years. A generation ago, bi/multilingual parents were frequently advised not to speak their own language with their children as it would ‘confuse them’ and hinder the acquisition of the language of the community. Today, multilingualism is not only desirable, but many parents are actively looking to enable their children to acquire multiple languages both at home and at school. This is evident in the number of private and state schools that use language offerings as a marketing tool for their school, including a variety of models of bilingual education. The challenge for schools today is to recognise that every student’s path to becoming multilingual is unique to them, as it is built on their other languages. Teachers need to tap into the existing linguistic resources that a student has at their disposal to maximise the impact of their language learning.

Different language programmes

“The challenge for every teacher, regardless of which programme they are teaching, is to resist the temptation of teaching their language in isolation.”

What are the challenges for teaching language in today’s schools? (2)

A distinction should be made between language programmes that aim to develop a child’s existing fluency in a home language, immersion programmes where children are being schooled in a new language and second language lessons as an ‘additional’ language. Each of these language programmes have their own associated challenges. The challenge for every teacher, regardless of which programme they are teaching, is to resist the temptation of teaching their language or subject in isolation, and ignoring what the student might know in terms of language, knowledge or skills in other languages. The IB helpfully distinguishes between a students’ personal language(s), functional language(s) and language(s) of instruction.

Language of instruction

There are three official languages of instruction: English, French and Spanish. Ideally, the written school language policy would state that all languages in the school community should enjoy equal respect. How the language of instruction is enacted in the practices of the school and possibly within the curriculum is not always straightforward. The IB regards multilingualism as a right and a resource, however as soon as languages are perceived to have hierarchy, we can start seeing one of the languages as a ‘problem’.

Home languages

Home language programmes might encounter challenges of delivering courses within named languages such as Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Dutch (to name a few), as varieties of these languages sometimes carry varying degrees of status and perceived use. Parents’ views on the suitability of a teacher teaching these languages might lead to situations where the school is inadvertently not giving due respect to all languages, and by extension to all language varieties. The IB Language and Literature curriculum recognizes all dialects and variations of languages. For example, a Portuguese exam paper might include literature from Africa, Europe and South America.

“Language learning is a slow process and one where it is not easy to observe progress.”

The importance of biliteracy

Biliteracy (the ability to read and write to an academic standard in two languages) is a very desirable and realistic goal for many IB students. Bilingualism and literacy (the two components of biliteracy) are two complex processes. Any planning for biliteracy in a school necessitates reflective planning grounded in research, as well as in-depth understanding of every student’s language portrait.

If the languages used in the wider school community are different from the language of instruction, they are often relegated to the margins of the curriculum. This could offer a unique opportunity to acquire a new language and use it in a meaningful manner by adding it to your linguistic identity. These languages might well be the dominant language for a large proportion of the school population, but might not enjoy an equal status in terms of being a vehicle for academic progress.

What are the challenges for teaching language in today’s schools? (3)

What is the goal of learning an additional language within a school setting? Is it to communicate in the language? If so, what would you like students to be able to communicate? Who is the intended audience and to what level? School language policies that build on curricular aims need to ensure that the school, teachers, students and parents are on the same page on the purpose of these language lessons. As language curricula continue to move the focus away from ‘form’ (grammatical accuracy) to ‘meaning’ (communication), we need to ensure that pedagogy and learning materials also reflect this shift.

Recent research initiatives have been looking at how linguistics (i.e. an understanding of language) can be incorporated into additional language classrooms, to stimulate interest in learning the language as well as increasing motivation and uptake in language studies post-secondary school. Technological initiatives, such as the use of location services on a smartphone, highlight opportunities beyond the confines of school walls to use language in real-life situations.

Language learning is a slow process and one where it is not always easy to observe progress; this can sometimes affect the motivation of both students and teachers. Having a clear focus and associated goals, which might vary from course to course, and from student to student, can ensure that language learning is a positive and impactful experience. The language development course in the Career-related program (CP) lends itself to a learner-centred approach, placing its focus on personal goal setting coupled with its pronounced valuing of cultural understanding, to ensure it is flexible and relevant in any context.

If you are interested in participating in the curriculum review for language development, please email cpdevelopment@ibo.org for more information.

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Susan Stewart is part of the International School of London’s Middle School Research Institute and chair of the ECIS MLIE (Multilingual Learning in International Education) special interest group. Susan has lived and worked in Thailand, the UAE, South Africa, Belgium, Oman and Sweden, and has raised two bilingual global-nomad children. Susan has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics and French and an MA in Applied Linguistics and Communication from Birkbeck College, University of London. Susan speaks English, French, German, Afrikaans, Swedish and Arabic and is a lifelong learner of languages. Susan is active in the local community in promoting the use of home languages, delivering regular parent workshops around the challenges of raising bilingual children in monolingual environments. Susan supports a group of heritage language schools in the local community and is interested in the interaction between (international) schools and local language communities.

Call to action, IB in Practice, Language Acquisition, Thought Leadership

Diversifying yourself by being a jack of all trades

Learning another language

About the IB

Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate (IB) pioneered a movement of international education, and now offers four high quality, challenging educational programmes to students aged 3-19. The IB gives students distinct advantages by providing strong foundations, critical thinking skills, and a proficiency for solving complex problems, while encouraging diversity, curiosity, and a healthy appetite for learning and excellence. In a worldwhereasking the right questions is as important as discovering answers,the IB champions critical thinking and flexibility in study by crossing disciplinary, cultural and national boundaries. Supported by world class educators and coordinators, the IB currently engages with more than 1.95million students in over 5,300 schools across 158 countries. To find out more, please visitwww.ibo.org.

FAQs

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These challenges include the feelings that they are not part of class; lack of experience to handle linguistic needs; large number of learners in language classroom; the strong influence of first language; inadequate time to address each learners' needs, and language policy not being supportive.

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Consistency & Making It a Routine.

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What issues will I have to consider in a multilingual classroom?
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What are the challenges of English language? ›

Here are the 4 biggest challenges English students face:
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Grammar. The grammar of the English language is tricky and intricate. Non-native speakers may have difficulty picking up grammatical patterns during speech, and that could lead to a misunderstanding or wrong message being relayed. English grammar has many rules, and with that comes many exceptions to the rules.

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Lack of Instant Communication

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All that happens due to the challenges faced by a teacher and influencing the learners.
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Why is it difficult to teach English in multilingual context? ›

Teaching English language in a multilingual context is an enormous challenge for the English teachers due to linguistic diversity in the classrooms. The students in the multilingual classrooms lack confidence to use English language because they hesitate to commit mistakes.

What problems do English teachers face while teaching English at primary level? ›

... Besides, they also found that the challenges faced teachers when teaching English for young learners are (1) lack of training, (2) lack of knowledge, and (3) lack of resources, (4) the government policy, (6) class size, (7) teachers' own skills and confidence in English, and time pressures.

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Top 10 problems of multilingualism
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  • Being used as human google translator. ...
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  • Badly dubbed movies. ...
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How should the teacher overcome these challenges? ›

Strategy:
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  2. Always ensure students enter a classroom on your terms. ...
  3. Allow more time for big classes. ...
  4. Allow for (a little) extra noise. ...
  5. Have students complete feedback surveys. ...
  6. Rotate students through activities. ...
  7. Focus on your classroom. ...
  8. Always be non-confrontational.
20 Sept 2021

What do you think are the main challenges in dealing with a multilingual class Brainly? ›

The challenges faced in multilingual classroom are medium of instruction, groupism etc.

What are the five biggest challenges in teaching English? ›

5 biggest challenges of learning English
  • Grammar. English Grammar is complex, making it difficult to remember, master and use logically. ...
  • Vocabulary. ...
  • Slang and colloquialism. ...
  • Pronunciation. ...
  • Variations in English. ...
  • Articles.

What are the biggest challenges for teachers? ›

Teaching has evolved over the years, and with that comes different challenges. Classroom management, creating engaging lesson plans, time management, and reaching diverse learning styles are some things on teachers' plates.

What are the biggest challenges for new teachers? ›

  • Personal.
  • Professional.
  • Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment.
  • Relationships with Students and Focus on Student Learning.
  • Organizational Systems for the Teacher, the Classroom, and Students.
  • School/District Policies and Procedures.
  • Collegial Interactions.
  • Parents and Community.

Why is teaching difficult today? ›

Lack of Resources

They are understaffed with many administrators and teachers taking on dual roles to save money. Programs that may benefit students, but are not required are the first to be cut. Students lose out on opportunities when schools are underfunded. Teachers must become adept at doing more with less.

What are the challenges of the 21st century education? ›

Technological, demographic, social, environmental, economic and political shifts are forcing us to redefine what our educational structure should be. The discussion has also widened from the inner circles of curriculum experts and researchers to the broader public.

What challenges do teachers face during pandemic? ›

(2020) found in their research that teachers face problems in the Covid-19 pandemic such as lack of opportunities, network and internet use, planning, implementation and evaluation of learning, and collaboration with parents.

What is the greatest challenge for teachers in the 21st century? ›

One of the critical challenges of the twenty first century is to address issues of value-based education in curriculum as well as recognizing the role of teachers/lecturers as facilitators of changes in education curriculum.

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