Developing resources to successfully support language learning in the multilingual primary classroom

Abstract

Over the past few years, Maltese schools have seen a rapid increase in the number of migrant learners. “In 2021, one in every four persons residing in Malta was born in another country” (European Statistical Team, 2022). This sudden influx of migrants changed the bilingual Maltese classrooms to multilingual classrooms. Teachers often face challenges with foreign students in the classroom who are not proficient in English and Maltese. They feel that they lack the right preparation and training in order to address these issues and hence find it challenging to cater for the needs of the linguistically and culturally diverse pupils in their classroom (Panzavecchia, M. & Little, 2019). There is a widespread belief that they can only support them through personal empathy rather than professional skill (Scaglione & Caruana, 2018).

The dissertation seeks to first create, then research the effectiveness of different teaching strategies and pedagogies that can be implemented in a multilingual classroom utilizing Malta’s official languages as means of instruction. Three strategies used to support multilingual classrooms will be used for the preparation of 9 lesson plans and the relative teaching materials, namely: i) Translanguaging ii) Cooperative learning iii) Multimodality. The lesson plans and materials will be subsequently presented to local state primary teachers. 6 teachers will be asked to evaluate whether they recommended lesson plans and material can be successfully implemented in the local curriculum within a multilingual primary classroom context.

This study is prompted by the discovery of a gap between research and professional training in the field at a local level (Panzavecchia, M. & Little, 2019). In this study, theory will be integrated with practice to depict the reality in our local linguistically diverse classrooms. Hence, this study aims to contribute by assisting teachers who feel challenged when facing linguistically and culturally diverse students, by introducing them to different pedagogies for providing better quality education to foreign students, who find it difficult to comprehend or express themselves in the Maltese and English language.