Much of our understanding of how languages are learned, and the added value of being able to use more than one language, has focused on bilingualism. This means that relatively little work has been done on the consequences of trilingualism, and those educational curricula which support the learning and usage of more than two languages.
Since 2000, the neurosciences have begun to provide research-based evidence indicating that trilingualism is not merely an extension of bilingualism, but a type of human competence which has very specific properties. This has direct implications for educators working with plurilingual curricula, or in social contexts where young people are multilingual.
This presentation will consider how the parameters of CLIL can be adjusted for plurilingual educational contexts, and the outcomes which may be expected across broad student cohorts in terms of cognition and thinking skills. Links will be made between specific types of CLIL methodology, how the brain functions, and the types of competences which can be evoked and developed. Cognitive functioning, flexibility and the more holistic individual capabilities will be given special focus. It is argued that given the appropriate educational environment, young people who are largely trilingual have special potential to further develop a cumulative broadening of creative abilities and critical thinking skills through divergent thinking.
In terms of good educational practice, it is argued that greater understanding of this relationship between learning and thinking is needed because then teachers can have greater control over how they combine the content of their teaching with the rather distinct potential of students who are multilingual.
David Marsh has worked on multilingualism & bilingual education since the 1980s. He was part of the team which conducted groundwork leading to the launch of the term CLIL in 1994. In 2002, he coordinated production of CLIL - The European Dimension: Actions, Trends and Foresight Potential for the European Commission (DG EAC). This overview of the situation in Europe was used in the compilation of the 2004-2006 EC Action Plan: Promoting Language Learning & Linguistic Diversity.
Born in Australia, educated in the UK and now based in Finland, he has extensive experience of teacher development, capacity-building, research and consultancy in a range of different countries in Africa, Europe and Asia. In 2004 he produced Special Educational Needs in Europe – The Teaching and Learning of Languages: Insights & Innovation for the European Commission (DG EAC). From 2005-2008 he has managed various international research and development assignments on education and curricular developments.
During 2008-2010, he acts as Strategic Director for CCN (Europe), and handles various educational development and research initiatives in the European Union & East Asia. One of these is a study for the European Commission on the relationship between multlingualism and creativity which is due in 2009.
