Abstract:

In recent decades, European educational systems have confronted numerous challenges related to issues of cultural and linguistic diversity. In addition, drawing on the most recent recommendations and actions in the European cultural space, and based on the multilingual reality of Europe, these educational systems have sought to foster the learning and usage of multiple languages amongst the citizenry. In the face of these new educational scenarios an agreement has been reached about the necessity to design and carry out the actions needed in order to guarantee academic success.

In this article I focus on the connection of the teaching and learning of languages to interculturality. On the basis of the research undertaken up to now I analyze how the teacher plays a key role. It is essential that teachers have the skills and attitudes necessary in order to respond appropriately to the needs of the students.

Based on this framework I present an experience from the class “Language learning and attention to linguistic diversity” that is taught in the third year of the Bachelor’s degree in Education at the University of Navarra. Via service-learning the students developed a project for aiding immigrant children in their language learning. This project has helped the children give meaning to content and become conscious of the intentionality that gives meaning to their actions. The results of this experience suggest that the students have been able to acquire certain skills for intercultural communicative, along both the cogntive as well as the affective axes. The students have primarily emphasized the more emotional and attitude related axes.

Keywords:

Intercultural, linguistic diversity, innovation, service-learning.