From a lecturer´s perspective

The lecturers in all partner programmes talked about advantages with multilingual teaching and learning context. Some see multilingual teaching and learning as a more productive strategy and successful if the participants have the possibility to decide in which language they want to work. The advantages can be divided into two different areas:

1. Deeper understanding of the programme content

2. Open attitude towards heterogeneity, diversity, and multilingualism

1. Deeper understanding of the programme content

Lecturers mentioned the in-depth understanding of the content as a positive effect of addressing the multilingual learning situation. If the participants can use their first languages to deeply discuss the complex content, and then rethink it again and express it in the new language it will give a better understanding of the course content.

The development of the target language by meta-linguistic reflections and comparisons and terminology in different languages enhances the learning. It is a good thing if the participants can use their entire linguistic repertoire to learn and identify with the subject matter in a different way. When something is unclear, it can sometimes be solved by someone else explaining it in another language, or saying the word in their language, trying to build bridges.

2. Open attitude towards heterogeneity, diversity, and multilingualism

A positive effect is the possibility to see multilingualism as a competence that enables participants to gain additional perspectives on content. Further, a possibility to show an openness towards multilingualism, diversity and heterogeneity. It contributes to a more positive attitude to the mother tongue.

Speaking a language offers different perspectives and is connected to social experiences that go beyond language proficiency. The decision of which learning method is appropriate is strongly connected to the language resources in the group. When possible, language comparing strategies were used.

The challenges of using multilingual teaching and learning strategies from the perspective of the lecturers can be divided into three areas:

1. Teaching challenges

2. Learning challenges

3. Negative attitude towards multilingualism

1. Teaching challenges

Teaching multilingual is time-consuming and challenging for the teachers when it comes to the different linguistic levels and represented languages in the classroom.

Following strategies met the learning situation:

• make key messages understood
• repetition of conversation phases
• reflection phases
• words explained as needed
• nonverbal support in the classroom
• using terminology and imagery
• simple sentence structure
• terms explained and illustrated by examples
• slowly speaking and being cautious about word selection
• putting mother-tongue partners together in group work

2. Learning challenges

Learning and understanding the content can be challenging, problems with translations and direct transfer and sometimes a cultural divide. Translation errors or false friends may occur. However, when languages are used in a balanced way, given time for communication and reflection, they can be counteracted well and even used for a reflexive learning process. There is also a general danger that people will be excluded if their language is in minority.

3. Negative attitude towards multilingualism

A negative attitude among teachers and participants in using other languages than the target language was discovered in some cases, both among lecturers and participants. However, this reluctance diminished with time. It could also be secondary to some difficulties in finding a balance between the linguistic and knowledge levels.