The Faculty of Education at the University of Malta, invites the general public to a talk by Professor Christine Hélot (University of Strasbourg), entitled ‘Imagining Multilingual Education in France’. The talk will take place on Monday 7 December from 17:00-19:00 at the Engineering Lecture Theatre.
Abstract: Today all classrooms in France are multilingual because many learners speak languages other than French in their family. Can French schools continue to ignore this much needed linguistic and cultural resource for the 21st century? In order to answer this question, an ethnographic study of a primary school project implemented in Alsace will be analysed in order to illustrate how multilingual education can be developed in France and most importantly why we need to educate children to live together beyond their cultural differences.
Professor Christine Hélot is Professor of English at the University of Strasbourg, contributing significantly to the teacher training programme. She researches languages in education and specializes in multiliteracy and bilingualism in education. Further information can be found on her personal web-page.