Page 26 - Linguistically Diverse Educational Contexts

LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS
about creating a new linguistic reality for those involved in the learning process, an activity that would allow languages to be used in different social, cultural, and political contexts (Garcia, 2009). Certainly, it is also a positive experience for both the teacher and the learners when the teacher starts to learn their mother tongue and uses his/her knowledge both in and out of class with the learners. Then the teacher also becomes a second language learner and can feel what a daunting task it is, can relate better to the pupils, and can have similar experiences to them.
1.4 The concepts of multiculturalism and interculturalism
The terms "multiculturalism" and "interculturalism" seem to be used interchangeably by many people, so I think that an explanation of both terms would be useful. Edward Haskell used the term multicultural in 1941 to describe a cosmopolitan, multiethnic, multilingual society. At the time, discussions about a multicultural society were very prominent in Canada, Australia, and the United States. The multicultural model has Anglo-Saxon roots, and in Europe it is present in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Scandinavian countries (Grzybowski, 2008, p. 30). In Europe, the term interculturality (French: interculturel) appeared in France in 1975, but the first premises of an intercultural approach appeared in the mid-1960s in Switzerland. In the 1980s, the first scientific studies and publications on the subject appeared. The term was quickly identified with migrant issues, which had the effect of distorting its meaning. Just as quickly, the term came into use in education, where it is still used today in foreign language teaching as intercultural learning and enjoys great popularity: indeed, language publishers like to include pages on intercultural learning in their language textbooks. Obviously, the term is simplified here and has little to do with the axiological axis of interculturalism, which is the philosophical concept of man as a free and responsible individual, inscribed in a community of similar beings (Grzybowski, 2008, p. 31).
Both concepts can be summarised as follows: Multiculturalism refers to:
• group behaviour (this concept regulates the coexistence of different groups in society);
• the apparent elimination of antagonisms within a "multicultural unity";
• agreement as a result of initiated negotiations.
Interculturalism refers to:
• individual behaviour;
• interest in another culture leading to a real knowledge of the Other, as well as a better
understanding of one's own and another culture;
• greater understanding as a result of intercultural dialogue (Byram, 2009, p. 6).
Jürgen Bolten (2006) describes these two concepts as "being side by side" and "being with each other". It is worth adding that in the realities of the European Union, these two divergent visions are often in conflict with one another – on the one hand, the countries of the community wish to preserve their cultural distinctiveness, and on the other, they want to pursue so-called common policies (Hemnej, 2009, p. 35). The Council of Europe's White Paper of 2008 on intercultural dialogue emphasises the dependence of social cohesion on interculturality. Social cohesion is defined in this document as "a society's capacity to ensure the well-being of all its members, minimising disparities and avoiding polarisation" (paragraph 24). It goes on to say that the role of intercultural dialogue is central to the
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