I am continually interested in and try to keep abreast of issues concerning linguistic and cultural diversity in education.
In visiting the UNESCO website, I was immediately drawn to an article under the tab of Latin America and the Caribbean. Once there I found the following linguistic and cultural diversity facts fascinating:
There is a critical issue of losing languages. Out of 6,000 languages and dialects in the world, there is a threat of losing 50%.
Almost every two weeks, a language vanishes. When languages disappear, cultural and intellectual heritages also leave. Languages are our path to knowledge and they are unique making them an important support for human growth and development.
Linguistic diversity is connected to natural diversity. Together, both promise that there will be future generations to carry on progress.
In the country of Peru the Quechua or Aymara are the dominant languages. However, the schools still use Spanish when teaching students. This presents problems for children as they struggle to learn how to read and communicate.
CARE (National humanitarian organization) has stepped in to aid schools in Peru. They work to create classrooms that have essential materials for learning a second language of Spanish.
They also provided training to teachers helping them to understand intercultural and bilingual education requisite by Peru. They also put together and distribute information and organize workshops directed to local authorities, families, and civil society members educating them on the significance of bilingual education.
Efforts like those listed above give hope for preserving mother languages (UNSECO, 2012).
It is interesting to note that educators in such countries as Peru have to contend with linguistic and cultural issues just as we do here in America.
Reference:
UNESCO. (2012, February 20). Education for sustainable development – preserving linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved from the UNESCO website at http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/resources/online-materials/single-view/news/education_for_sustainable_development_preserving_linguistic_and_cultural_diversity/
2 comments:
UNESCO seems to be really popular huh? This is the third post I have read discussing the program. Continue doing research and gaining much information as you can about these programs. They will benefit us in the long run.
Your observation that Peru has an expectation for "intercultural and bilingual education is truly significant. I hope that all of us in this class pay closer attention to the quality aspect of a cultural and linguistic responsive program.
In the rush for educational attainment of our workforce - we sometimes overlook the contribution of anti-bias to quality.
Thursday night, I spoke to a classroom without any men (other than myself) about the issue of gender bias in ECE. What does this say about our profession?
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