SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHING/ACQUISITION
IN THE CONTEXT OF MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION


About Conference


 

The past decade has seen an increase in attention toward multicultural education and second language teaching, experiences of many countries are researched and important issues are emerged. Researchers have addressed a wider range of topics, but new questions are still asked. Approaches of multicultural education are especially important and sensitive for the countries where the small ethnic groups are compactly populated.

In spite the fact that Over 25 years have passed since the declaration of independence of Georgia, in terms of language policy, the situation is still severe and serious reforms are all high on the agenda. It is especially important to raise the level of teaching of the state language in the compact settlements with ethnic minorities (Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli).

Since 2006 the Ministry of Education and Science has launched a series of projects to improve the quality of Georgian language teaching in the regions.

 Despite some apparent success, the complex process of development of common vision and approaches in regard of state language teaching is still in progress. It aims to continue to further improve the excising situation at all the levels of the educational system (preschool, general, higher education). Due to the find solutions the main principles and approaches of multilingual education are the main priority directions of the Georgian Educational Environment.

With cooperation of TSU and the Center for Civic Integration and Intercultural Relations, few international conferences were held (in 2008, 2011, 2015, and 2016) in which next to Georgian researchers and educators more than 20 experts and specialists from different countries participated.

These conferences played a great role to improve approaches and vision of both educational institutions and the Ministry of Education and Science.  The current application serves as a continuation of above mentioned tradition, however, as a result of the implementation of the project "Development of Multilingual Teacher Training Programs in Georgia and Ukraine" within the program "Tempus", the conference provided by the project promises to be much wider and diverse.

The aim of the conference is to consider and share the main concepts and achievements also approaches and strategies of second language teaching within the context of multilingual education.

On the one hand the great experience of the foreign countries due to these issues should be taken into consideration. On the other hand, Georgian specialists will discuss the experimental projects and activities that are already undergoing or are currently being conducted in higher education institutions or at the schools of regions which are compactly settled by ethnic minorities.

Presenters of the plenary sessions are experts invited from Estonia (Tartu University); Germany (Freiburg University of Education), Lithuania (Vilnius University), Latvia (University of Latvia), Finland (Helsinki University).

 

Conference Main Topics:

  • Multilingual Education: theories and practices;
  • the key issues surrounding Intercultural Education;
  • Second/Foreign Language Teaching Methods and Strategies;
  • Integrating language and content in the language classroom;
  • Distance/Online Teaching and Multimedia and Second Language Teaching/Acquisition ;
  • Language Policy Planning and its Importance from the prospective of Multicultural Education and Second Language Teaching;
  • A Sociocultural View of Language Learning and the Role of Pragmatics in Language Teaching.

REGISTRATION

Tbilisi State University | Contact | Copyright