Machine translation in the multilingual classroom

Machine Translation (MT), the process by which a computer engine such as Google Translate or Bing automatically translates a text from one language into another without any human involvement, is increasingly used in professional, institutional and everyday contexts for a wide range of purposes. While a growing number of studies has looked at professional translators and translation students, there is currently a lack of research on non-translator users and uses in multilingual contexts. This paper presents a survey examining how, when and why students at Leiden University’s Faculty of Humanities use MT. A questionnaire was used to determine which MT engines students use and for what purposes, and gauge their awareness of issues concerning privacy, academic integrity and plagiarism. The findings reveal a widespread adoption of Google Translate and indicate that students use MT predominantly to look up single words, as an alternative to a dictionary. Many seemed sceptical about the value of MT for educational purposes, and many assumed that the use of MT is not permitted by lecturers for graded assignments, especially in courses focusing on language skills. The results demonstrate a clear need for more MT literacy. Students may not need practical training in how to use MT, but there is much room for improvement in terms of when and why they use it.

Intercultural Challenges of Teaching in Multilingual/Multicultural Classrooms

Language and culture are inseparable entities forming an interdependent relationship within the multilingual classroom, which is both a melting pot of languages as well as a myriad of cultural backgrounds. In learning a common language, known as “lingua franca,” in the multilingual classroom, culture plays a critical role since the lingua franca makes communication possible between language teachers and multilingual students. Cultural connections and effective communication enables these students to engage in social and interactive activities and allows them to become active participants of the multilingual classroom. This chapter addresses some of the major intercultural challenges that both teachers and students of multilingual classrooms currently face within the “cultural jungle” of New York City. These multilingual students are simultaneously learning English as the lingua franca and participating in an intercultural educational experience in order to become linguistically and interculturally competent global citizens.

Toward Racially-Just Multilingual Classroom Pedagogy

Creating equitable multilingual classrooms grounded in explicitly anti-racist teaching practices requires transformation of practice preceded by transformation of thinking. Classroom learning centers can provide the context for truly transformational, anti-racist teaching, but equitable implementation requires a deliberately humanizing approach toward teaching multilingual learners. The chapter outlines the process of operationalizing learning centers in such a way, through pedagogy grounded in the enduring principles of learning and critical sociocultural theory. Based on over 50 years of teaching across five countries and conducting international research in the field of multilingual education, the authors provide research-based, practical steps for learning center design and implementation. Educators will gain a practical pathway for implementation, as well as a model for the self-reflective work that is essential for any meaningful transformation toward racially just classrooms.

Creating an Inclusive Classroom Culture

The chapter discusses creating an inclusive classroom through a language socialization perspective. The authors suggest that to create an inclusive culture in a multicultural and multilingual classroom, language educators should engage in explicit language socialization practices that promote development of critical cultural consciousness and language awareness. They propose that in the process of creating an inclusive classroom, educators need to attend to affective, individual, and interpersonal domains. Specific practices for use in a language (including ESOL) classroom and a teacher preparation program are provided.

Assessment of the Application of Content and Language Integrated Learning in a Multilingual Classroom

(1) Background: based on the constantly increasing requirements for modern university graduates, we have developed an educational model that allows us to introduce content and language integrated learning into classes with a multilingual approach, which will allow students to use several foreign languages in the process of professional communication. The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the efficiency of a newly introduced integrated learning model from the perspective of students, to identify the impact of such a model on students’ professional discipline learning outcomes and to determine if the learning model contributes to an improvement in foreign language proficiency. (2) Methods: for our research we used qualitative and quantitative data from students’ records of professional discipline and Spanish testing, as well as surveys and interviews on proposed learning model efficiency. Two groups of students took part in the experiment (N = 23 and N = 24). (3) Results: results on students’ Spanish proficiency showed that the proposed learning model had a positive influence. Students from the experimental group got higher results on Listening, Reading and Speaking. According to results on professional discipline, both groups achieved approximately equal scores. Moreover, students described such a proposed learning model as efficient and progressive, giving a lot of advantages. (4) Conclusions: the experiment conducted confirmed the efficiency of the proposed learning model. In conclusion, it can be recommended for the realization of a multilingual approach, as well as the learning of a professional discipline.

Teaching grammar in context and multilingual environment

Multilingual environment has always been characteristic to Georgian reality. Today, due to current political or economic changes multilingualism has impacted the various fields including education. In this respect, Tbilisi State University is no exception, where the number of multilingual classes of ESL students of Azeri, Armenian and Georgian nationality is increasing. This process is accompanied by new challenges posed to the acquisition of the English language. The necessity of tackling these problems imposes responsibilities on English teachers, who are constantly engaged in the search for appropriate strategies and approaches fostering the proper learning process. Having a good command of a foreign language implies the acquisition of new language items and the development of all the skills and sub skills that cannot be achieved without knowing grammar as an important component for developing the receptive and productive skills. The paper aims at finding the efficient ways of teaching grammar in multilingual environment. For this purpose, the problems related to learning grammatical structures are identified and analyzed and their solutions are suggested. Reviewing the advantages and drawbacks of applying various approaches and strategies, the paper singles out teaching grammar in context and supports its utilization in the multilingual classroom with the findings demonstrated by the experiment conducted. The paper presents scholarly viewpoints regarding the above mentioned issues, inferences and concludes that the proper strategies, methods and approaches to teaching grammar should be determined considering the peculiarities of multilingual classroom so as to achieve the favourable learning outcomes.

Constructive alignment of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE) language policy implementation to the practices of a multilingual classroom

This descriptive observational study examined the implementation of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE) language policy to the classroom practices of a grade three multilingual classroom in the Philippines. The constructive alignment of the said language policy implementation was evaluated in terms of: (1) Mother Tongue (MT) as a subject area, examining specifically the coherence of the teaching and learning activities and assessment criteria used; and (2) MT as a medium of instruction. Findings revealed that there were discrepancies, incongruences, and insufficiencies in the administration of assessments in the alignment of MT as a subject area. These issues resulted in the underdevelopment of the four macro skills of the learners and caused misalignment of the classroom implementation to the language policy. The same is true with the implementation of MT as a medium of instruction in the classroom; however, the use of translation and code-switching of L1, L2, and L3 helped in the comprehension and participation of the students. These findings call for the attention of the policymakers and teachers for a rigorous review of the policy and its actual implementation as it significantly affects the holistic development of the students. This study further contributes to the continuous improvement of the educational system in the country particularly in the K-12 and MTB MLE implementation.