Multilingual Education

The need to develop educational programmes which allow the speakers of minority languages to learn in their own language and to develop communicative ability in other languages has been recognised internationally. Increasingly new initiatives are being developed to meet this need.

Multilingual Education for Minority Language Contexts is a four-week intensive seminar intended for those wishing to:

• increase their understanding of multilingualism in minority language contexts;
• develop basic skills in planning, implementing, and supporting multilingual education programmes in these contexts.
• develop an understanding of language and education policies and attitudes currently held worldwide;

It is based on the two interrelated principles that:

• children and adults learn best in the language which is most familiar to them;
• those who live in multilingual contexts value being able to participate fully in the life of their community by making use of various languages spoken in their environment.

The seminar will offer participants a superb opportunity to interact with colleagues from around the world who are working in this field. Participants will have the opportunity to work together and share experiences. It will be especially advantageous for participants to come with colleagues with whom they expect to collaborate in the future.

Multilingual Education for Minority Language Contexts may be taken as training towards a role within SIL, but is also open to those working outside of an SIL context.