Multilingual and Third-Culture Learners (TCL) build a unique but common group in international or any school with an ethnically diverse student body. Known as individuals who have spent a significant part of their life in a culture different from their parents or passport country or have grown up in a multilinguistic environment that might be disconnected from their home or hosting country, multilingual and TC learners navigate a complex web of identities. Having to learn how to adapt to various cultural environments, they emerge as cultural chameleons with an enormous pool of experiences, knowledge, worldviews and advanced cognitive and reflective intellectual capacities.
If you make them tell their stories, you get a natural feel for how it is to be a world citizen. What an ideal starting point for Stefan Zweig, who envisioned that "citizens of the world" could foster a shared sense of humanity. His idealism was also evoked by experiences, in this case, influenced by experiences during a tumultuous period in European history. He might have loved meeting students who showed him true cosmological potential.
Returning to our schools that vision to prepare our students to deal with the economic and political challenges, imagine a classroom where students bring diverse backgrounds and can bridge cultural gaps effortlessly. TC and multilingual learners hold this transformative potential, yet depending on structures, inclusive systems and facilities, schools often struggle with meeting "their needs" as a challenge or, unfortunately, neglect the implications that go hand in hand with ignoring their contexts and wondering why their institutional pathways to inclusion stagnate.
So, how can we empower TC and multilingual learners with their remarkable potential to meet students' needs, foster belonging, and transform our teaching and learning into global citizenship education?
1. Allowing them to showcase their multilingual and intercultural expertise
Knowing languages means knowing cultures, and cultures echo identities and vice versa. Therefore, it is only natural that multilingual and TC learners benefit from student-centred approaches, which follow the core principles of identity-centred learning. Languages shape identities. They can determine our thinking, how we solve problems and behave, and catalyse emotional responses. When speaking two or more languages fluently, we can live in two or more worlds. I have the privilege to teach bilingual students, and many are multilingual learners. As English is the language of instruction in my school, their home language often differs from it. And whenever I can embed this"other world" or the "other worlds", their immediate response is an ongoing smile. Most recently, I asked my TOK students to buddy up with someone who does not speak the same home language. Listening to so many languages simultaneously was terrific, and I saw a smile in each of my students. When asked how they felt during that exercise, they all admitted that they liked knowing something the other person tried to understand. However, the main reason for their happiness was that their cultural and personal identity felt more complete and more included in their learning environment than before. Many stressed how much more full-heartedly they could contribute to the class and thought they belonged there. In addition to enhanced belonging, students realised that when making sense of their home language conversations, some felt they needed to share more context information to be understood.
Another example involving students' multilingual and third-culture potential elevated learning processes and outcomes noticeably is what TOK exhibition objects my multilingual and TC learners selected to further elaborate on their contexts and conceptually respond to specific knowledge-related prompts. It is worth stressing that especially students with languages that do not offer easier access due to global economic causations, exposure, or similarities between them decided on language and knowledge-related objects that provide a specific context only accessible to them, such as Kashubian (which is also an indigenous language holding cultural significance, and the alphabet is a symbol of cultural identity). When encouraging students to choose thematic focal points relevant to their culture and build on their language expertise, we can learn much more from each other and showcase the richness of knowledge through language diversity. Hence, embracing all languages in the classroom contributes to a holistic education that prevents mainstream languages from dominating our learning experiences and opens up to minorities and marginalised groups of the student body. To enhance that discovery, I exposed my students to Erin Meyer's book The Culture Map and some of her public speeches. They were amazed at how far knowledge about cultures through language can bring you. They appreciated her highlighting the execution business leaders feel when constantly shifting between communication and leading styles. They felt mirrored by how Erin Meyer illustrated her culture map concepts and how powerful they are to help navigate and understand diverse cultural experiences. So, we should value, empower, and utilize the adaptive skills and diverse knowledge that our multilingual and TC learners bring to our school.
2. Utilizing their insights when collaborating on policy and statement designs
Home language policies acknowledge and validate students' and teachers' linguistic diversity. They foster a sense of inclusivity and belonging by leveraging diverse insights, honouring and celebrating their home languages, and creating an environment conducive to effective learning and cultural exchange. Therefore, collaboration among students, educators, and parents is crucial.
Also, multilingual and TC learners can play a vital role in enhancing the decolonisation of linguistic and language systems. They can identify and challenge entrenched biases. By empowering these perspectives, individual needs become unleashed and heart so we can ensure that all students have equal opportunities to thrive academically and culturally. Postcolonial heritages are omnipresent and subtly shaping systems and curricula, hence, mindsets. Decolonising processes are very complex, and the more perspectives are involved in reevaluating language systems, the more holistic the outcome can be. Esther Bettney's dissertation paper Speak English -Don't Be Lazy!": Exploring Decolonial Approaches to
Colombia gives invaluable insight into the critical implications of the post-colonial era and paradigms within teaching and learning in multilinguistic contexts.
Time constraints, impatience and competing priorities can sometimes hinder consistent collaboration in policy development in our schools. This often leads to the drafting of policies without the full engagement of all stakeholders, including educators, students, and parents. Consequently, these policies may lack the depth and authenticity needed to guide practices within the school community effectively. It is often a critical loss of chances to create and nurture belonging sustainably.
However, schools must recognize the importance of breathing life into these policies by incorporating them into everyday practices, allowing them to evolve organically. Over time, though, it becomes essential to undertake a careful and collaborative evaluation of their practicality and efficacy. Schools are busy places, especially in the classroom world, and they can often be ignored or forgotten by leaders who left them years ago. By giving us time and creating a sustainable platform for assessing policies, policies can be applied and "lived". Sharing them on the staff desktop is not compelling enough.
Furthermore, it's essential to acknowledge the privilege that some leaders may have in terms of English being their home language. This privilege may lead to a lack of understanding of the challenges faced by individuals whose home language differs. Such leaders may miss opportunities to harness linguistic diversity's transformative and inclusive power. In some cases, there may be a reluctance to adopt a growth mindset towards linguistic diversity, stemming from a limited understanding of its value and potential impact. Awareness and empathy among leaders regarding the challenges and opportunities a linguistically diverse community offers is essential. When leaders see linguistic diversity as a strength rather than a barrier, they can pave the way for meaningful, inclusive transformation and equitable opportunities for all students. It can have an appreciative and value-increasing effect on schools hosting culture, which often is seen as the mainstream but, in reality, can be as excluded as a known minority culture or nationality. Even information evenings or additional programs can shift towards a more inclusive approach by following an authentic and decolonised home language policy.
3. Building the Global Citizenship Education program around their skills
Developing a strong and cohesive Global Citizenship Education (GCE) program across all school sections requires a deep understanding of the competencies essential for navigating today's interconnected world. In Veronica Boix Mansilla and Anthony W. Jackson's book Educating for Global Competence: Preparing our Students to Engage the World, educators can identify key competencies that form the foundation of GCE. These competencies encompass a range of skills, including critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and intercultural understanding, which are vital for students to thrive as global citizens.
Multilingual and TC learners, with their unique experiences and chameleon-like abilities to adapt to diverse cultural contexts, could play a crucial role in developing a GCE program if we let them. Their skills and perspectives provide valuable insights into navigating complex global challenges. If we systematically embed time for cross-cultural dialogues in our advisor sessions, classes, field trips, and co-curricular, experiential learning and community service projects will happen more naturally and be diverse, informed, and student-led. Then, they can become active global citizens.
Also, aligning GCE programs with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides a meaningful framework and roadmap for understanding and addressing global issues. By integrating the SDGs into GCE curricula, educators can instil in multilingual and TC learners a sense of purpose and agency, motivating them to contribute positively to society and effect meaningful change on a global scale.
Most recently, my Visual Arts students elaborated on how effective public sculptures or monuments can be in raising awareness, developing a great understanding of global issues, and actively contributing to sustainable change. It was intriguing to see that most multilingual and TC learners selected "less conventional" topics, which were, like all others, linked to specific SDGs. However, they stressed the necessity of adopting a more multiperspective approach to elaborating on the effectiveness of the art form chosen.
4. Creating systems to ensure collaboration and standardisation with their feedback
Many teachers have structured processes for collecting and providing feedback on curricula, enhancing them and fostering a continuous improvement culture within their classrooms. What if schools have this as a shared approach after each unit? What if school leadership members establish similar transparent methods for sharing updates and embedding feedback?
Transparent communication channels facilitate the dissemination of updates throughout the school community, empowering TC and multilingual learners to voice their needs effectively and contribute to enhancing educational practices.
What could that look like?
As suggested, student feedback surveys and dedicated feedback sessions led by trained teachers or counsellors can be shared in each classroom. They should capture insights into students' experiences and challenges and suggest curricula, language support, and cultural integration improvements. For rather school-wide matters,
online platforms could allow multilingual and TC learners to submit feedback anonymously or depending on their situation. These platforms could also serve as spaces for ongoing discussions, resource sharing, and peer support. Schools with intact advisory boards can establish student advisory committees that empower TC and multilingual learners to provide ongoing input and guidance on educational policies, programs, and initiatives. These committees can regularly discuss relevant issues and collaborate with school leadership on decision-making processes. When dealt with as an equal organ among all stakeholders, they can hold leading staff accountable and help move the school's development forward. Also, similar to ambassadors for new students entering our schools, cultural liaisons or mentors can ensure continuous communication between multilingual and TC learners and school administration. Their language fluency brings profound knowledge about various cultures and perspectives to facilitate communication and support effectively. The skills staff members bring to these situations through their diverse working environments and experiences (the so-called internationals) do not reach the level of insight of a student or teacher with innate multilingual or TC competencies. Many fests or motto weeks involve parents, but systemic parent engagement initiatives involve parents of TC and multilingual learners in organised, regular meetings, focus groups, or surveys to gather their perspectives on their children's educational experiences and needs.
Language and culture clubs can also serve as additional channels for gathering informal feedback and fostering a sense of community among students. Finally, they should be allowed to create their own channels.
5. Seeing Belonging as an essential continuum
Third-culture learners can contribute so much to any learning environment. However, they often struggle to find their identity/ies or a mirror of them. It is, therefore, decisive to create belonging at their schools.
Fostering belonging should not be a one-time endeavour or an accreditation checkbox but requires a sustained commitment. This can also entail providing ongoing mental and emotional support, ensuring student voices are heard, and fostering a collaborative learning environment. For that to happen, educators must be attuned to students' emotional needs and provide resources and interventions to support their mental health. Creating a culture of empathy and understanding empowers students to navigate their multifaceted identities with resilience and confidence.
Hence, further research and investment in professional development and initiatives are potentially necessary to fully harness cultural chameleons' transformative power in education and ensure their well-being.
When participating in a panel discussion with university students at the TU Dresden, we discussed how to address the diverse language needs of students with immigration backgrounds. Knowing that I do not have to deal with additional social and political demands as my colleagues from so-called hotspot schools have, I still stressed that students from an immigrant context are multilingual and TC learners. Usually, they can speak far more languages of different linguistic origins fluently - meaning - they can bring so much more to the classroom that can build bridges while enhancing global competencies in all of us.
The silence due to adopting this perspective shortly after still resonates with me.
Multilingual and TC learners can catalyze positive change in education if we recognize and value their unique contributions and nurture a culture of belonging.
Sources
Bettney, Esther (2022). Speak English -Don't Be Lazy!": Exploring Decolonial Approaches to Multilingual Education through a Case Study of an International School in Colombia.
Cohen, Geoffrey L. (2023). Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides.
Mansilla, V.B., & Jackson, A. W. (2023). Educating for Global Competence: Preparing Our Students to Engage the World (2nd ed.).
Meyer, Erin (2016). The Culture Map: Decoding How People Think, Lead, and Get Things Done Across Cultures.