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Worldwide, pupils with migrant backgrounds do not participate in school STEM subjects as successfully as their peers. Migrant pupils’ subject-specific language proficiency lags behind, which hinders participation and learning. Primary teachers experience difficulty in teaching STEM as well as promoting required language development. This study investigates how a professional development program (PDP) focusing on inclusive STEM teaching can promote teacher learning of language-promoting strategies (promoting interaction, scaffolding language and using multilingual resources). Participants were five case study teachers in multilingual schools in the Netherlands (N = 2), Sweden (N = 1) and Norway (N = 2), who taught in primary classrooms with migrant pupils. The PDP focused on three STEM units (sound, maintenance, plant growth) and language-promoting strategies. To trace teachers’ learning, three interviews were conducted with each of the five teachers (one after each unit). The teachers also filled in digital logs (one after each unit). The interviews showed positive changes in teachers’ awareness, beliefs and attitudes towards language-supporting strategies. However, changes in practice and intentions for practice were reported to a lesser extent. This study shows that a PDP can be an effective starting point for teacher learning regarding inclusive STEM teaching. It also illuminates possible enablers (e.g., fostering language awareness) or hinderers (e.g., teachers’ limited STEM knowledge) to be considered in future PDP design.
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Across the globe, linguistically heterogeneous populations increasingly define school systems at the same time that developing the ability to communicate cross-culturally is becoming essential for internationalized economies. While these trends seem complimentary, they often appear in paradoxical opposition as represented in the content and execution of nationwide education policies. Given the differing geopolitical contexts within which school systems function, wide variation exists with regard to how policymakers address the challenges of providing language education, including how they frame goals and design programs to align with those goals. Here we present a cross-continental examination of this variation, which reveals parallel tensions among aims for integrating immigrant populations, closing historic achievement gaps, fostering intercultural understanding, and developing multilingual competencies. To consider implications of such paradoxes and parallels in policy foundations, we compare language education in the US and in the EU, focusing on the Netherlands as an illustrative case study.
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Meertalige leerlingen krijgen les in een taal die zij (vaak) nog aan het verwerven zijn, het Nederlands. Daardoor is meedoen in vakken zoals rekenen en Wetenschap&Techniek lastiger. In dit project onderzoekt de HU samen met verschillende partners hoe het benutten van thuistalen bijdraagt aan betere leerprestaties en inclusiever onderwijs.Doel Multi-STEM beoogt de participatie van meertalige leerlingen bij rekenen en W&T te bevorderen, niet alleen op school, maar ook thuis en in musea. Leerkrachten, ouders en museummedewerkers leren hoe ze ruimte kunnen maken voor thuistalen, waardoor alle leerlingen een stem krijgen. Resultaten Wat? Een toolbox met meertalige strategieën en lesactiviteiten. Kennis over het benutten van thuistalen in het STEM-onderwijs. Wie? Professionals: zij handelen inclusiever door de inzet van thuistalen. Meertalige leerlingen: zij voelen zich meer gehoord en presteren beter. Looptijd 01 juni 2021 - 01 juni 2027 Aanpak Onderzoekers en maatschappelijke partners ontwikkelen samen meertalige strategieën. Samen evalueren ze of en hoe deze strategieën werken. Kennis en opbrengsten worden niet alleen na, maar ook al tijdens het onderzoek verspreid. Downloads en links
