Multilingual voices in STEM education

The Netherlands is a diverse and multilingual country, but the multilingual voices of children with a migration background are rarely heard. These children receive education in Dutch, which is a language that they do not necessarily master, while knowledge and proficiency in their mother tongues remain unused. As a consequence, many children do not participate in education as successfully as their native peers. The problem is particularly pressing in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Existing interventions to improve inclusion and diminish the achievement gap are fragmented and target formal learning settings with an exclusively monolingual focus on Dutch. These interventions do not capitalise on what children with migrant backgrounds know in their mother tongues and ignore that children also learn in informal settings outside school. Multilingual approaches to address these issues, such as translanguaging, have gained popularity, but it is largely unknown why, when and how such approaches benefit childrenâ??s formal, non-formal and informal learning. Multilingual voices in STEM education (Multi-STEM) will address these knowledge gaps by using an ecological approach that combines the concept of translanguaging with a boundary-crossing framework, and examines childrenâ??s learning through all their linguistic resources in and across different learning settings. To maximise successful implementation of a flexible toolbox along with new insights, ecologically valid research will be conducted in the actual learning settings in close collaboration with parents, teachers and other educational professionals. Scientific and societal breakthroughs of Multi-STEM concern the understanding of translanguaging as a form of boundary-crossing by all parties around the child, and promotion of translanguaging in and across different settings. The results of Multi-STEM will enhance the communication between teachers, parents and children, and impact on childrenâ??s learning in a more inclusive society.

Related cases

View here the highlighted cases for the project.

  • Integrating home language in schools

    How do you ensure that children who at home speak a language other than Dutch experience no limitations as a result of that at primary school in the subjects mathematics and science and  technology? As part of the NWA project ‘Multilingual voices in STEM education’, researchers will investigate whether, and if yes, how, integrating the home language in the learning process can remove barriers and make education more inclusive. This research will be conducted together with, amongst others, teachers, science museums and parents.

Outputs

Wetenschappelijk artikel

Publicatie

Overige Output

  • L.E. Stolte, E.G. MacDonald (2022): Workshop: Inclusie van meertalige kinderen in STEM-onderwijs, PO-conferentie, Feb 2022
  • E.G. MacDonald, L.E. Stolte, L.B. Chisari (2022): Presentatie: Meertaligheid in de Klas en het Museum, NEMO Night at the Museum, Apr 2022.
  • L.E. Stolte, E.G. MacDonald (2022): Presentatie: Multi-STEM Partnerbijeenkomst Thuis & School Context, SLO Amersfoort. 2022.
  • E.G. MacDonald, E. Blom, E. van de Weijer, A. Bakker (2022): Translanguaging strategies for mathematics learning in the home setting: A design-based approach. EMRE conference, September 2022, Oxford (UK).
  • E.G. MacDonald (2023): Presentation: Developing Multilingual Math Activities for Parents of Multilingual Children, SIG Inclusive Education UU, Jan 2023.
  • E.G. MacDonald (2023): Presentatie bij NWA Actualisatie in Den Haag, April 2023
  • L.B. Chisari, A. Bakker, E. Blom, J. Smit (2022): Presentation: Promoting the participation of children from multilingual backgrounds in Stem museums, Anéla Studiedag, Mar 2022.
  • K. De Long, L.B. Chisari (2022): A Short Report: Challenges And Opportunities for the Participation of Multilingual Children in Science Museums, Multi-STEM, Aug 2022.
  • L.B. Chisari (2022): Presentatie: Multi-STEM Partnerbijeenkomst Wetenschapsmusea Context, NEMO science museum, Oct 2022.
  • L.B. Chisari, J. Smit (2022): Keynote: Meertaligheid, Museon-Omniversum, Sept 2022.
  • L.B. Chisari (2022): Presentation: Translanguaging strategies for the participation of children of multilingual backgrounds in science museums, SIG Inclusive Education UU, Sept 2022.
  • L.B. Chisari (2023): Design: Designed Team Activity for Museum Partners, which involves imagining scenarios of multilingual children visits and the brainstorming of language strategies. Used and refined throughout 2022-2023.
  • E.G. MacDonald (2023): Design: Designed Match Activity for Parents and Caregivers. Used and refined throughout 2022-2023
  • L.B. Chisari, M. Moraru (2023): Presentation: Multi-STEM table, VSC Samen Inclusief Verder, Mar 2023.
  • L.B. Chisari, S. Harmsen (2023): Design: Designed a Bilingual Turkish-Dutch Family Tour & a Speurtocht Flyer to be offered at Museon-Omniversum (developed by S. Harmsen and team, in consultation with L. Chisari).
  • L.E. Stolte, E. Blom, J. Smit, A. Bakker (2022): Presentation: Translanguaging is primary school mathematics education: how can we accept and use all home languages as resources? Anéla Studiedag 2022, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.
  • E. Blom, E. van de Weijer, E.G. MacDonald, A. Bakker (2022): Presentation: Translanguaging strategies for mathematics learning in the home setting: A design-based approach. ERME Topic conference: language in the mathematics classroom. September 2022.
  • E. Blom, L.E. Stolte, J. Smit, E. Bakker (2022): Presentation: Promoting newcomersâ?? participation in Dutch primary mathematics classrooms: Developing and enacting translanguaging strategies within a design-based research approach. EMRE conference, September 2022, Oxford (UK).
  • V.E. Van Bork, T. Lambooij, L.E. Stolte (2023): Design: Lesactiviteit meertalig klokkijken ontwikkelt, versie 1. April 2023.
  • M. Moraru (2022): Reviewer: Reviewer of the Journal Applied Linguistics, May 2022
  • M. Moraru (2022): Presentation: An introduction to boundary work, Malmö University, Sep 2022
  • M. Moraru (2022): Presentation: An introduction to translanguaging as boundary work, DEEDS, UU, Dec 2022
  • M. Moraru (2022): Presentation: An introduction to Multi-STEM, RMA Linguistics, UU, Dec 2022
  • M. Moraru (2022): Design: Designed a Boundary work template v.12
  • M. Moraru (2023): Reviewer: Reviewer for the Journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Feb 2023.
  • M. Hajer, J. Smit (2022): Lunchlezing: Gelijke kansen: Inclusieve werkwijzen in meertalige klassen. Hogeschool Utrecht, 2022.
  • L.B. Chisari, J. Smit (2022): Keynote: Naar een meertalige aanpak in het onderwijs én in onze wetenschapsmusea. Museon-Omniversum, Den Haag, 12 september 2022.
  • J. Smit (2022): Presentatie: In alle talen: Meertaligheid in het VO verwelkomen en benutten. Netwerk Taalrijk Onderwijs VO, SLO, 11 oktober 2022.
  • E. van de Weijer (2023): Presentatie: Presentatie over Multi-STEM op de Math Expert Meeting in Nijmegen, mei 2023.