MANAGEMENT OF ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION

Presented to

The Faculty of the Graduate School

University of Perpetual Help System Laguna

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education Management

Reported by:

Verminia Aurora A. Basilio, RN MAN

Evelyn Del Rosario, RN MAN

Submitted to:

Dr. Bunag, PhD

March 17, 2017

 Languages in education

What is the EU's role?

Member States shape their own education policies. The European Commission works with
Member States and stakeholders, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, to ensure that
objectives are shared, and assists them in their efforts, notably by encouraging the sharing of
good practices. In the field of language teaching and learning, the role of the European
Commission is to coordinate efforts with national governments to pursue the objectives of
the language strategy

Why is it needed?

Foreign languages are essential to ensuring that European citizens can move, work, and learn
freely throughout Europe. This will help boost jobs and growth, reducing unemployment and
increasing living standards.

It is also essential to ensure that languages are not a barrier to participation in society, and
that marginalised language groups can be identified, represented, and included in society.

What has been done so far?

Within the scope of the strategic framework for cooperation on education and training 2020
(E&T 2020) the European Commission has been working with Member States in two
consecutive working groups on languages. The first group focused on how to improve the
provision of multilingual communication skills for the labour market. The second group on
languages in education and training carried out a comparative analysis of language teaching and
learning in the Member States as well as reports on methods to improve the efficiency of
language teaching.The EC also supports these aims through the activities of Erasmus+
What are the next steps?
The European Commission and the Member States will work together on the implementation
of the strategy to improve language teaching and learning in the EU. This will involve further
cooperation within the E&T 2020 Working Groups

Other priorities include:

Improving the relevance and comparability of testing and assessment

Making schools socially more inclusive by acknowledging migrant languages
Supporting and developing the skills of language teachers and language skills of other
teachers
Increasing the efficiency of teaching through the Content and Language Integrated Learning
(CLIL)
Encouraging Computer Aided Language Learning (CALL) and the development of
multilingual Open Educational Resources
Embedding foreign language education in general skills strategies, such as the European Area
for Skills and Qualifications and the implementation of Opening up Education.
Council of Europe language education policy

The maintenance and development of linguistic and cultural diversity is a Council of Europe
aim, enshrined in the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages on Minority
languages in a typically cautious fashion. There has been some backlash recently against societal
multiculturalism as divisive, reinforcing separatism and blocking the integration of immigrants
and encouraging ghetto formation. Here the concepts of plurilingualism and pluriculturalism are
of real value, since they take a holistic view of linguistic and cultural competence, to which all
linguistic and cultural experience contribute.

Both at individual and societal levels the concept is dynamic, since the components from the
experience of different language and cultures interpenetrate and interact, forming something new,
enriched and in continual development. This approach meets better the realities of globalisation
than various forms of purism which regard each language and culture as a separate entity, to be
preserved and protected against the threat offered by alien forces.

The Council of Europes activities to promote linguistic diversity and language learning in the
field of education are carried out within the framework of article 2 of the European Cultural
Convention, which commits the states party to the Convention to promote the reciprocal teaching
and learning of their languages.

Each Contracting Party shall, insofar as may be possible:

a. encourage the study by its own nationals of the languages, history and civilisation of the other
Contracting Parties and grant facilities to those Parties to promote such studies in its territory,
b. endeavour to promote the study of its languages, history and civilisation in the territory of the
other Contracting Parties and grant facilities to the nationals of those Parties to pursue such
studies in its territory.
In the spirit of this article the Council of Europes work in the area of language education policy
has developed over five decades in response to the changing needs and priorities of member
states. The Council promotes policies which strengthen linguistic diversity and language rights,
deepen mutual understanding, consolidate democratic citizenship and sustain social cohesion.

Council of Europe language education policies aim to promote:

- PLURILINGUALISM: all are entitled to develop a degree of communicative ability in a
number of languages over their lifetime in accordance with their needs
- LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY: Europe is multilingual and all its languages are equally valuable
modes of communication and expressions of identity; the right to use and to learn ones
language(s) is protected in Council of Europe Conventions
- MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING: the opportunity to learn other languages is an essential
condition for intercultural communication and acceptance of cultural differences
- DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP: participation in democratic and social processes in
multilingual societies is facilitated by the plurilingual competence of individuals
- SOCIAL COHESION: equality of opportunity for personal development, education,
employment, mobility, access to information and cultural enrichment depends on access to
language learning throughout life
Policies for plurilingualism

The emphasis from an early stage in Council of Europe projects on successful communication
skills, motivated by increasing opportunities for interaction and mobility in Europe, remains
important, but globalisation and internationalisation pose new challenges to social cohesion and
integration. Language skills remain essential if individuals are to benefit from opportunities in
employment and mobility but they are also necessary to participate actively in the social and
political processes which are an integral part of democratic citizenship in the multilingual
societies of Council of Europe member states.
This increasing focus on language policies for democratic citizenship and social cohesion reflects
the priority which the Council of Europe accords to education for citizenship and intercultural
dialogue in the 21st century. It is reflected in the goal of education for plurilingual and
intercultural citizens capable of interacting in a number of languages across linguistic and
cultural boundaries.

- 'Multilingualism' refers to the presence in a geographical area, large or small, of more

than one 'variety of language' i.e. the mode of speaking of a social group whether it is
formally recognised as a language or not; in such an area individuals may be
monolingual, speaking only their own variety.
- 'Plurilingualism' refers to the repertoire of varieties of language which many
individuals use, and is therefore the opposite of monolingualism; it includes the language
variety referred to as 'mother tongue' or 'first language' and any number of other
languages or varieties. Thus in some multilingual areas some individuals are monolingual
and some are plurilingual.

Council of Europe policy attaches particular importance to the development of plurilingualism

the lifelong enrichment of the individuals plurilingual repertoire. This repertoire is made up of
different languages and language varieties at different levels of proficiency and includes different
types of competences. It is dynamic and changes in its composition throughout an individuals
life.
The use and development of an individuals plurilingual competence is possible because different
languages are not learned in isolation and can influence each other both in the learning process
and communicative use. Education systems need to ensure the harmonious development of
learners plurilingual competence through a coherent, transversal and integrated approach that
takes into account all the languages in learners plurilingual repertoire and their respective
functions. This includes promoting learners consciousness of their existing repertoires and
potential to develop and adapt those repertoires to changing circumstances.
A plurilingual person has:
- a repertoire of languages and language varieties
- competences of different kinds and levels within the repertoire
Plurilingual education promotes:
- an awareness of why and how one learns the languages one has chosen
- an awareness of and the ability to use transferable skills in language learning
- a respect for the plurilingualism of others and the value of languages and varieties irrespective
of their perceived status in society
- a respect for the cultures embodied in languages and the cultural identities of others
- an ability to perceive and mediate the relationships which exist among languages and cultures
- a global integrated approach to language education in the curriculum