Recent foreign language education policies in Palestine

2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Hasan Amara

The paper investigates the development of foreign language education policies in Palestine, at a time when the establishment of a Palestinian state has become a real option, and when, following the Oslo agreements, the Palestinians have become responsible for Palestinian education. As the New Palestinian Curriculum shows, an international orientation is clearly part of the policy, and accordingly the learning and teaching of languages are a primary concern in identity formation. Through Arabic the relations with the Arabic countries in the region can be maintained, while Hebrew and also English will serve as the medium of communication with Israel, which will remain part of the Palestinian reality. Knowledge of other foreign languages will be needed to maintain contacts with other parts of the world. For historical reasons, Palestine has been in contact with many different countries all over the world, probably more than most other Arabic-speaking countries. It remains to be seen how the current battle between Arabization and Muslim fundamentalism on the one hand, and westernization and desecularization on the other will be resolved, but, whatever the outcome, Palestine cannot allow itself to turn away from the rest of the world.

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Peláez ◽  
Jaime Usma

Drawing on the concept of policy appropriation, this study investigates how different education stakeholders in a rural region of Colombia perceive foreign language education policies, and how these perceptions shape the way they recreate these reforms at the ground level. Contributing to the field of language policy analysis in Colombia and abroad, findings in this study not only provide knowledge on foreign language policymaking processes in rural areas in Colombia, but also shed light on the active role played by different stakeholders in the continuous recreation and appropriation of language education reforms.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Cameron Smith

This paper examines shortcomings in the individualist model of creativity and the implications that has for understanding creativity in second language education. The author first examines why education policies in Japan and around the world currently promote creativity and presents what until now has been the standard approach to understanding creativity. It discusses whether this approach, highly centred on the creative individual, is appropriate for foreign language education and education in general. It then introduces the concept of “participatory” or “distributed” creativity, in particular from the work of Vlad Petre Glăveanu, as offering a possible solution to problems with the individual sociocognitive model. Finally, the author argues that, by bringing in collaboration, increased audience awareness, and “openness to difference” in a “craft” approach to creativity, the distributed model supports genre approaches in teaching and the promotion of collaborative social skills in students in order to boost their ability to contribute creatively. この論文では、個人主義型創造性アプローチの不十分な点と、そこから暗示される第二外国語教育における創造性の理解について考察するものである。まず、日本および世界の教育政策において、なぜ創造性が推奨されているのかについて、これまでの創造性に関する一般的なアプローチについて示す。主に個人の創造性について焦点を当てたこのアプローチは、外国語教育や一般的な教育に適しているかについて論ずる。そして、個々の社会認知的アプローチに関する問題の解決に繋がる可能性のある、Vlad Petre Glăveanuの研究から”participatory” or “distributed creativity” (参加型創造性、分散型創造性)についても取り上げ紹介する。創造型技能的(“craft”)アプローチによる観衆の気付きと「違いに対する寛容さ」を増すコラボレーションを用いることで、この分布モデルは、生徒達が創造的に貢献できる能力を高めるための、協調的な社会的能力を向上させるだけでなく、様々なジャンルの授業において役立つものである。


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Schumacher

AbstractBy adopting “functional plurilingualism” – a recurring concept in its new curriculum, “Lehrplan 21” – Switzerland is pursuing new avenues in foreign language education. The term refers to a goal-oriented approach to foreign language learning and teaching in primary and secondary schools, and implies that barriers to communication can be overcome by exploiting the sum of the individual’s linguistic capacities. In future, language learners will be expected to build on the interrelatedness of languages instead of developing abilities in languages that they keep separate from one another. This view of foreign language education coincides with the recommendations of the Council of Europe’sHaving reached the highest level specified by the CEFR, some learners continue their studies, seeking to maintain or reinforce their competences or to address individual weaknesses. In this article, a group of C2+ learners of German as a foreign language reflect on their desire for linguistic perfection and the notion of “functional plurilingualism” against the background of their own biographies. These learners have a high awareness and knowledge of German (often their third language) and of the learning process, which allows them to make informative statements. The data was analysed qualitatively and subjective theories were reconstructed – an approach that took account both of the multiperspectivity of the topic and of the uniqueness of the individual cases.


2008 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Kramsch

Ecological approaches to language learning and teaching have captured the interest of language educators as both native and non-native speakers find themselves operating in increasingly multilingual and multicultural environments. This paper builds on Kramsch & Whiteside (in press) to conceptualize what an ecological perspective on foreign language education, based on complexity theory, would look like. It first explains some of the major tenets of complexity theory, and analyzes transcriptions of exchanges taking place among multilingual individuals in multicultural settings using the ecological approach offered by complexity theory. Based on what these analyses reveal about the ability of these individuals to shape the very context in which language is learned and used, it discusses the notion of ‘symbolic competence’ recently proposed by Kramsch (2006) and explores how symbolic competence might be developed through foreign language education in institutional contexts.


2017 ◽  
pp. 161-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edo Forsythe

With flipped learning becoming a normalized part of foreign language educational methodology, it is important to understand its past so that we, as teachers, can consider the future. This chapter reviews the pedagogical basis supporting flipped learning and discusses the recent research into the use of flipped learning methodology, primarily in the foreign language classroom. This survey encompasses studies done in Japan and around the world. Recent studies were analyzed to develop general guidelines for how to flip instruction, which are provided herein with suggestions for administrators to institutionalize the practice of flipped education. This chapter concludes with suggestions for future research into the field of flipped learning in foreign language education.


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