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.

Data organization issues in civil engineering

In today's organization of data in civil engineering there remains ambiguity, diversity of terminology and consequent lack of clarity. The daily reality is to work with hybrid data sources in a variety of software programs. In CAD programs it is possible to import and convert elements from GIS, but they will be classified only into layers. Or, attach external references from CAD files in BIM, but there still remains the problem of finding your way around the confusing list of layers, and their abbreviations. Also broadly used filesystems as place for store and organise data on disk into files (entities) and hierarchical structure of folders (categories) is limited by reductionist categorization approach. Another problem shows with absence of multilingual approach. The limits are in the methods of data organization, and so only partially portable. Therefore, if there is a common denominator to all problems, it is the absence of a unifying organizational environment. In current computer applications used in civil engineering, methods of data classification are implemented that do not allow multiplicative or faceted categorization and thus inevitably create an antagonistic environment with any previous or future classification system. Unfortunately, even if a software tool implements a modern multiplicative categorization or domain ontology, it will not significantly solve the overall situation, because it will still not be possible to use such a method of categorization in other applications. Therefore, if there should exist a solution that would significantly facilitate cooperation and orientation in the data, it must inevitably work independently, across diverse software applications, with the ability to link the functions of the application with such a separate categorization system.

Public Policy Dilemma of Choosing the Medium of Instruction for School Education: A Case for Questioning Fallacies and Connecting Objectives

This article focuses on the issue of the public policy choice of the medium of instruction in public schools in India, taking the high demand for English-medium school education into consideration. Building on the available literature and evidence, the article argues against the introduction of English as a singular medium of instruction in school education. The introduction of English in public and private low-cost schools is not helping children in attaining any proficiency in English. The use of English also adversely impacts their capacity to learn other subjects well. The article argues for the adoption of the translanguaging philosophy and multilingual approach to address all objectives that drive the choice of a particular medium of instruction: gaining proficiency in the said languages, ability to communicate well using those languages, using those languages to learn other subjects, making schools inclusive by including diverse home languages present in school education and enabling diverse languages to flourish by promoting their learning and usage in formal schools. This requires a reform in institutional approaches and capacity building but does not necessarily imply additional burden. Certain parts of the world have adopted these approaches successfully and learning from them. Indian states can device their own approaches taking local contexts and realities into account.