Rutu FoundationLanguage Friendly School Webinar #3: The Role of Parents
Posted on June 24, 2020
Within the Language Friendly School, parents play an important role. Schools design their Language Friendly Schoolplan with the full participation of parents. Parental involvement is essential for a child’s school success. When teachers do not speak the same language as parents and when school books are in a language which the parents do not understand, this can have serious implications for the learning process of multilingual children. It’s important therefore that both parents and teachers find ways of supporting each other. On Thursday 7th May the Rutu Foundation organised a webinar on the role of parents and teachers in supporting multilingual children.
Upcoming event: NESET Webinar on Language Education and Multilingualism
Posted on June 24, 2020
Innovative Networks for Education of Multilinguals
How do cross-border networks and partnerships foster plurilingualism and promote an inclusive, multilingual ethos across systems? This will be explored in a webinar organised by NESET which has recently published an extensive analytical report entitled The Future of Language Education in Europe: case studies of innovative practices, authored by Emmanuelle Le Pichon-Vorstman (International Advisory Board of the Rutu Foundation), Hanna Siarova, and Eszter Szőnyi. The panelists will talk about two inspirational examples of school networks and labels – CertiLingua and #LanguageFriendlySchool, as well as reflect on innovative language learning methods (such as AIM), which can be promoted through such networks.
Distance Learning: Language and Arts Digital Resources for Multilingual Learners
Posted on June 11, 2020
The third part of our series on Free Digital Resources for Multilingual Learners focuses on Language and Arts Digital Resources. Along with the freely available multilingual resources related to language learning and arts, we present some creative activities realized by our Language Friendly Schools. As you will see, these can easily be repeated both at home and at school, giving vent to children’s imagination and inventiveness.
This initiative is part of a project which aims to support children, parents and schools in this difficult period. In fact, COVID19 has led us to rethink our lives. In this situation, education needs to shape itself into new forms, embracing different ways to reach students and support their learning. The Rutu Foundation has curated a series of free online resources specifically designed for multilingual learners. Even when schools open up again, these resources are important tools to create inclusive multilingual classrooms. We will continue to update them so check back regularly or subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss anything.
#LearningNeverStops
The first and second part of the series can be found here:
Zaanstad: the first Language Friendly Municipality of the Netherlands?
Posted on June 1, 2020
Parents should talk to their child from the very beginning, even when the child is still in the belly (Photo by nappy).
The municipality of Zaanstad, located just north of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, recently announced its intention to adopt a policy of bilingualism for children with a migrant background. “We recognize the multilingual identity of the multilingual child and welcome every child in his entirety,” it is said in the official document. ‘We recognise and appreciate the basic language and culture of the child.'” If adopted, Zaanstad may well be the first Language Friendly municipality of the Netherlands.
Language Friendly School in Action: Optimist International School
Posted on May 28, 2020
The network of Language Friendly Schools is growing. At the moment, around 15 schools are in the process to become a Language Friendly School. One of them is the Optimist International School in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands. They shared their experience of their first steps in this process on their website. And they created a special video to introduce their language friendly activities.
This month: #GiveATranslation of One Hundred Stories
Posted on May 11, 2020
Starting on Giving Tuesday Now, within one month, we will translate one hundred stories. Will you join us?
On Tuesday May 5 2020, the first Giving Tuesday Now took place. This global day for giving and unity is an emergency response to the unprecedented needs caused by COVID-19. Now that schools are closed, multilingual children who speak a different language at home, miss out on the languages they would otherwise use at school. Continue Reading
Distance Learning: Digital STEM Resources for Multilingual Learners
Posted on April 27, 2020
Welcome to the second part of our series on Free Digital Resources for Multilingual Learners. This time the focus is on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for distance learning.
The Rutu Foundation curated a series of free online resources specifically designed for multilingual learners to support schools, children, and parents in this difficult period. We will be sharing them during the next weeks, so check back often or subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss anything.
Our first part with a list of Resources for Reading can be found here.
#LearningNeverStops
Sint Janschool: Using Home Languages To Counter Inequality
Posted on April 27, 2020
The Sint Janschool in Amsterdam, one of the first Language Friendly Schools, uses the home languages of the children to counter inequality, to instill confidence in the students, and to enrich education by sharing information about different cultures and traditions of the students.
In February 2020, Dieneke Blikslager, the vice principal of the Sint Janschool was invited to the National Conference on Education Inequality to share her insights with teachers and researchers.
Continue Reading
Distance Learning: Digital Reading Resources for Multilingual Learners
Posted on April 15, 2020
[voor een Nederlandse collectie van leesmaterialen, klik hier] COVID19 is threatening our society and has a huge impact on our education systems. UNESCO estimated that nearly 80% of the world’s student population is not attending school due to the effects of the virus. An estimated 1.4 billion students are out of school…
Leren op afstand: online lezen voor meertalige kinderen
Posted on April 10, 2020
In deze tijd, waarin scholen zijn gesloten en op afstand leren de norm is geworden, staat ons onderwijs onder druk. Ongelijkheid in de toegang tot kwalitatief onderwijs wordt vergroot door gebrek aan digitale middelen of ondersteuning van ouders. Juist nu kan deze periode van thuisonderwijs ook nieuwe kansen bieden voor meertalige kinderen, zeker bij lezen. De input van thuistalen zal groter zijn, wat de taalontwikkeling kan stimuleren. Dit leidt uiteindelijk tot een betere ontwikkeling van de schooltaal.
Uit onderzoek onder tweetalige kinderen blijkt dat voorlezen helpt bij de taalontwikkeling van zowel de thuistaal als de taal die op school wordt gesproken. Hierbij is samenwerking met de ouders essentieel. Als een verhaaltje tijdens de les in het Nederlands wordt voorgelezen, en kinderen hetzelfde verhaal wordt voorgelezen door hun ouders in de voorkeurstaal, dan stimuleert dit de taalontwikkeling in beide talen. Vooral prentenboeken zonder tekst zijn hierbij een goed middel, omdat meer interactie wordt gevraagd. Bovendien kan dit helpen om met ouders in gesprek te gaan en om zo samen te werken aan de (taal)ontwikkeling van het kind.
New! Join our network of Language Friendly Schools
