Key Features:
- Affirms the desirability of multilingual education and presents issues that confront it, as well as ways of constructing it
- Also acknowledges the relationship between global and local forces in different settings as they affect the development of multilingual education programs
Summary:
This book brings together visions and realities of multilingual schools throughout the world in order to examine the pedagogical, socio educational, and socio political issues that impact on their development and success. The book considers issues of multilingual schooling in different countries and for diverse populations and groups, while taking into account the global pressures of the 21st century.
Review:
In the “glocalized” context of hegemonic forces of assimilation and English (only), this book comes just in time for educators, researchers, parents, and policy makers. It allows us to better understand the factors that contribute to the oppression of minoritized languages and their speakers and the ways these factors have been overcome in different settings. Furthermore, it offers a space to imagine ideal circumstances for multilingual schools across divergent settings, a vital aspect to the vision, hope, and forward movement of those who believe in the strength of a multilingual and multicultural society. The next step is for the reader to imagine and bridge the vision with reality.
Tatyana Kleyn, City College of New York, in Teachers College Record, December 08, 2006 We need more books of this type (and our sincere thanks go out to Garcia and her collaborators realizing this need) and owe a huge vote of thanks to the editors, authors and publisher for getting this much overlooked ball rolling at last! More power to them all!
Joshua Fishman, Emeritus Professor A priceless contribution to the world to recognize and accept bi/multi-linguality as nature's gift for humanity to nurture!
Jennifer Marie Bayer, Central Institute of Indian Languages on www.boloji.com
Author Biography:
Ofelia Garcia is professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she presently serves as coordinator of the Bilingual Education program and co-director of the Center for Multiple Languages and Literacies. Tove Skutnabb-Kangas is from the University of Roskilde, Denmark, and Abo Akademi University, Finland. Her main research interests are linguistic human rights, multilingual education, subtractive spread of English, and the relationship between linguistic (and cultural) diversity and biodiversity. Maria E. Torres-Guzmán is associate professor of Bilingual/Bicultural Education in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her recent publications are on dual language education models both in the U.S. and in the Basque Country
Readership Level:
Postgraduate, Research / Professional, Undergraduate
Related Link:
This book is available as an e-book
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