Page 19 - Diversity in Action

Introduction: Diversity in Action

The Subject Matter and Composition of This Volume
ThevolumeDiversityinAction:TrainingTeachersthroughMultilingualandMul-
ticultural Experiences explores current trends, challenges, and developments
in educational settings for language learning and teaching to young learners
in multilingual and multicultural contexts. Through five chapters, the book
examines this broad field from a variety of perspectives, with a particular fo-
cus on local experiences and research conducted in collaboration between
different institutions with the aim of developing innovative teaching and
learningstrategies.Thesestrategiesarebasedon theprinciplesofactive,par-
ticipatory, and experiential learning and teaching.
The first chapter of the volume, written by Silva Bratož, Anja Pirih, Anita
Sila, and Mojca Žefran, focuses on fostering linguistic and cultural aware-
ness from an early age. Based on current definitions of multilingualism and
plurilingualism, the authors stress the importance of communicative com-
petence, which includes not only a person’s knowledge of languages but
also their ability to interact appropriately in different social contexts. They
then explorekeyareasoflanguageawarenessthat areessentialforthedevel-
opment of metalinguistic awareness, which in turn supports the process of
language learning and comprehension. Such awareness is nurtured through
pluralistic approaches to language teaching, including the DivCon (Linguis-
tic and Cultural Diversity in Context) model, which the authors have devel-
oped and presented as a participatory, interactive, and multi-sensory ap-
proach that encourages children to appreciate linguistic and cultural diver-
sity from a young age. Central to the model is the journey metaphor, where
children simulate train journeys to various countries, immersing themselves
in different languages, foods, songs, dances, and art. The journey metaphor
is supported by five essential elements: engagement with linguistic diver-
sity, engagement with cultural diversity, shifting from concrete to symbolic
understanding, effective foreign language teaching techniques, and active
child participation. Through structured activities within the DivCon model,
children are immersed in diverse linguistic and cultural experiences that ul-
timately cultivate empathy and strengthen their connection to the global
community.
Successful language teaching is based on an understanding of the pro-
cesses involved in language acquisition and learning. Key insights into for-
eign language teaching and plurilingual education in multilingual contexts
come from a basic knowledge of learners’ L1 systems and an awareness of
both positive and negative cross-linguistic transfer. These aspects are ad-

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