Abstract
This symposium focuses on innovative language initiatives piloted in Scotland over the past decade, following the adoption of the 1+2 Approach in 2012, which was fully implemented by 2021. This language education policy (Scottish Government, 2012) mandates that every child learn two languages in addition to their mother tongue, with the second language (L2) introduced at around age 5 and the third language (L3) at around age 9 or earlier. These changes sparked a range of creative projects in schools, exploring various teaching methods, resources, and languages.
The panel features researchers who have completed doctoral theses on innovations in language learning and exploring multilingual identities in Scotland. Each researcher will present their work and the research underpinning it. Projects include Mother Tongue Other Tongue, a poetry competition that encouraged primary and secondary school pupils to showcase their plurilingual skills by writing a poem in a language other than English (Pedley, 2018; 2021). Another project introduced an interdisciplinary L3 experience that promoted cultural and linguistic diversity in primary schools through a Mandarin language project focused on purpose, relevance, and engagement (Roxburgh, 2021; 2024). A third involved a series of after-school clubs exploring multilingual identities among secondary school pupils (Ryan, 2018); and a fourth project focused on a series of workshops in which translanguaging art and art-making as pedagogy and as research was used to embrace all languages of learners in teaching L3 Polish to upper primary school pupils (Futro, 2024a; 2024b).
These projects share three key features. First, they are embedded in the primary and secondary education sector and have broader implications for these levels of schooling. Second, they take an ecological approach to multilingualism, facilitating local language encounters (Pedley, Roxburgh, Anderson & McPake, 2024), whether through historical or recent, distant or local languages. These are explored through culturally relevant practices that allow learners to connect language to their lived experiences. Third, the initiatives are grounded in arts-based and sensitive approaches, emphasizing emotional and creative engagement with languages.
Art and creative expression played central roles in these projects, with students engaging in activities such as painting, creative writing, podcasting, and cultural mediation. These arts-based methods supported the teaching of multiple languages, including Mandarin, Polish, and English as an Additional Language (EAL). Each project had specific goals, such as raising awareness of bilingual learners, reflecting on language learning at the primary level, and aligning with the Scottish 'Curriculum for Excellence (CfE)' in areas such as health and wellbeing. Collaboration was crucial, with mainstream class teachers, EAL specialists, visiting language teachers, and the wider community, including parents, local businesses, artists, and researchers, all working together to support the initiatives.
The symposium will also address the transformative impact these projects had on students, particularly regarding language ideologies, identity formation, and language appropriation (Castellotti, 2017). By giving children a platform to express themselves in new ways, these projects enabled them to explore their plurilingual identities. Data gathered from creative outputs such as texts, podcasts, multi-semiotic pieces, and mediation activities, as well as interviews and observations, will form the basis of the analysis.
Several critical points will be highlighted. Pupils who were not typically encouraged to showcase their plurilingual abilities at school often experienced a sense of liminality when invited to embrace their diverse linguistic backgrounds. Art-making, in the context of translanguaging theory, fostered creative thinking and expression, allowing children to use arts, sound, poetry, and discourse to represent, and even create, their local worlds. This reflective engagement with their language repertoires and skills led to shifts in their worldviews, encouraging them to become advocates for change.
The symposium ultimately aims to explore the potential of arts-based and sensitive approaches to unlock new ways of thinking about language. These methods foster not only language appropriation (Castellotti, 2017), but also encourage learners to think of languages as tools for creation and worldmaking, beyond their mere communicative functions.
The panel features researchers who have completed doctoral theses on innovations in language learning and exploring multilingual identities in Scotland. Each researcher will present their work and the research underpinning it. Projects include Mother Tongue Other Tongue, a poetry competition that encouraged primary and secondary school pupils to showcase their plurilingual skills by writing a poem in a language other than English (Pedley, 2018; 2021). Another project introduced an interdisciplinary L3 experience that promoted cultural and linguistic diversity in primary schools through a Mandarin language project focused on purpose, relevance, and engagement (Roxburgh, 2021; 2024). A third involved a series of after-school clubs exploring multilingual identities among secondary school pupils (Ryan, 2018); and a fourth project focused on a series of workshops in which translanguaging art and art-making as pedagogy and as research was used to embrace all languages of learners in teaching L3 Polish to upper primary school pupils (Futro, 2024a; 2024b).
These projects share three key features. First, they are embedded in the primary and secondary education sector and have broader implications for these levels of schooling. Second, they take an ecological approach to multilingualism, facilitating local language encounters (Pedley, Roxburgh, Anderson & McPake, 2024), whether through historical or recent, distant or local languages. These are explored through culturally relevant practices that allow learners to connect language to their lived experiences. Third, the initiatives are grounded in arts-based and sensitive approaches, emphasizing emotional and creative engagement with languages.
Art and creative expression played central roles in these projects, with students engaging in activities such as painting, creative writing, podcasting, and cultural mediation. These arts-based methods supported the teaching of multiple languages, including Mandarin, Polish, and English as an Additional Language (EAL). Each project had specific goals, such as raising awareness of bilingual learners, reflecting on language learning at the primary level, and aligning with the Scottish 'Curriculum for Excellence (CfE)' in areas such as health and wellbeing. Collaboration was crucial, with mainstream class teachers, EAL specialists, visiting language teachers, and the wider community, including parents, local businesses, artists, and researchers, all working together to support the initiatives.
The symposium will also address the transformative impact these projects had on students, particularly regarding language ideologies, identity formation, and language appropriation (Castellotti, 2017). By giving children a platform to express themselves in new ways, these projects enabled them to explore their plurilingual identities. Data gathered from creative outputs such as texts, podcasts, multi-semiotic pieces, and mediation activities, as well as interviews and observations, will form the basis of the analysis.
Several critical points will be highlighted. Pupils who were not typically encouraged to showcase their plurilingual abilities at school often experienced a sense of liminality when invited to embrace their diverse linguistic backgrounds. Art-making, in the context of translanguaging theory, fostered creative thinking and expression, allowing children to use arts, sound, poetry, and discourse to represent, and even create, their local worlds. This reflective engagement with their language repertoires and skills led to shifts in their worldviews, encouraging them to become advocates for change.
The symposium ultimately aims to explore the potential of arts-based and sensitive approaches to unlock new ways of thinking about language. These methods foster not only language appropriation (Castellotti, 2017), but also encourage learners to think of languages as tools for creation and worldmaking, beyond their mere communicative functions.
| Translated title of the contribution | Arts-Based and Sensitive Approaches to Support Language Learning, Identity and Worldmaking in Scotland (symposium): Creative Multilingualism and Local Languages: Arts-Based Approaches to Identity and Worldmaking (individual paper within symposium) |
|---|---|
| Original language | French |
| Pages | 45-47 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 16 May 2025 |
| Event | Pratiques Artistiques et Approches Sensibles en didactique des langues-cultures: Contextes & appropriations - University of Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France Duration: 14 May 2025 → 16 May 2025 https://paas.sciencesconf.org/ |
Conference
| Conference | Pratiques Artistiques et Approches Sensibles en didactique des langues-cultures |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | PAAS 2025 |
| Country/Territory | France |
| City | Toulouse |
| Period | 14/05/25 → 16/05/25 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- art as content tool, and medium
- language as both communication and creation
- L3 radical space
- local language encounters
- language appropriation
