Babylonia has entered the virtual world by celebrating with our special guests Patti Basler and Philippe Kuhn. Click here to see their performance! Enjoy!
Read more about Patti Basler & Philippe Kuhn's celebration of Babylonia in Open Access
The annual Swiss Teacher Training Day will be held at the Zurich University of Teacher Education on June 24, 2022. The invited speaker, Prof. Dr. Engelbert Thaler from the University of Augsburg, Germany, will speak on the use of films in language teaching and several other workshops on similar topics are on offer.
Register here: https://phzh.ch/de/Ausbildung/Studiengaenge/Master-Fachdidaktik/veranstaltungen/!
Read more about Swiss Teacher Training DaySamstag, 3. September 2022, Volkshaus Zürich
Welche technischen Trends werden in Zukunft den Sprachenunterricht beeinflussen? Wie sieht eine der digitalen Transformation angemessene Lernkultur aus? Welche medien- und fremdsprachendidaktische Überlegungen sind damit verknüpft?
Die Tagung soll Gelegenheit bieten, Chancen und Herausforderungen des digitalen Wandels im Sprachenunterricht gemeinsam zu diskutieren. Nebst Fachreferaten wird Gelegenheit bestehen, in zyklen- und stufenspezifischen Workshops individuelle inhaltliche Vertiefungen vorzunehmen.
Eingeladen sind Lehrpersonen (Volksschule und Sek II) sowie Bildungsverantwortliche aus Praxis, Aus- und Weiterbildung sowie der Bildungsverwaltung.
Read more about Sprachentagung 2022: «Digitaler Wandel im Sprachenunterricht – Innovation oder Irritation»L’enseignement bi-plurilingue s’établit petit à petit dans le paysage éducatif suisse. Cependant, il reste de nombreux défis à relever, comme par exemple celui des stratégies d’enseignement et d’apprentissage spécifiques. L’APEPS souhaite aborder cette thématique durant son Colloque annuel 2022, qui se déroulera à Bellinzone du 18 au 19 novembre, en impliquant les différentes parties prenantes : élèves, enseignant.e.s, parents, formatrices et formateurs, recherche, conceptrices et concepteurs de supports pédagogiques, etc. Les propositions de contributions au Colloque peuvent nous parvenir d'ici au 15 juin 2022 à l’adresse suivante apeps.plurilingua@gmail.com (abstract de max. 300 mots). Informations: www.plurilingua.ch
Read more about Colloque 2022 de l’Association de l’enseignement plurilingue en Suisse (APEPS)L’11 e 12 novembre 2022 si terrà a Bellinzona il convegno “Pluralita. Insegnamento dell’italiano e delle altre L2 nel contesto del plurilinguismo svizzero: sfide e opportunità”
In seguito alla chiusura dell’ufficio +italiano dell’USI, che organizzava il convegno Italiamo fino al 2019, il Dipartimento dell’educazione, della cultura e dello sport (DECS) del Canton Ticino si è incaricato di organizzare un evento successore.
Nella nuova formula il convegno si rivolge sia a insegnanti di italiano fuori della Svizzera italiana (come nelle passate edizioni) sia a insegnanti di lingue seconde nella Svizzera italiana. Il venerdì 11.11 sono previste due conferenze, vari laboratori e una parte fieristica, il sabato 12 saranno proposte delle attività culturali.
Il programma dettagliato è in via di affinamento e sarà comunicato prossimamente. Per il momento vi invitiamo a riservare le date.
Read more about Pluralita. Insegnamento dell’italiano e delle altre L2 nel contesto del plurilinguismo svizzero: sfide e opportunitàAccording to recent data, in 2020, slightly more than a third of the population residing in Switzerland - approximately 2.7 million people - came from an immigration background. Among these 2.7 million people are many school children who navigate in two or more languages on a daily basis. On top of learning the local language, some of them also participate in heritage language and culture (HLC) classes to maintain their parents' language in their linguistic repertoire.
In this issue of Babylonia, we focus on the preservation of heritage languages and their teaching in the context of HLC courses, as well as on issues related to the linguistic integration of students with a migrant background in the (Swiss) school system.
The teaching of heritage languages in the Swiss context represents a special situation. While some languages - such as English, Spanish or Russian (and even Italian, German or French, depending on the linguistic region) - are also taught in schools as "foreign" languages, other heritage languages, whose status is different or whose linguistic community is smaller, are not present in the official school system. Some languages have also been taught as part of HLC courses for decades (e.g. Spanish, Italian and Portuguese), while others are taught on a smaller scale and in semi-private initiatives.
What is the place of heritage language teaching in the Swiss context, and more specifically in the Swiss school system? Which socio- or geopolitical discussions may have an impact on the development of HLC courses? Are there any official documents guiding the teaching of heritage languages? What is the reception of these documents by HLC and regular teachers? How are the structures for heritage language teaching organized? What about teacher training? What experiences and good practices can be highlighted? Are there points of contact between the teaching of different languages of origin and/or between the teaching of languages of origin and the teaching of local and foreign languages?
These and other topics could be the subject of a research article or practical experience in Babylonia 1/2023.
We welcome empirical contributions (research projects, action-research), practical (instructional materlals, exercises, good practices, etc.), and socially engaged contributions (position papers, interviews, etc.). Babylonia favors a clear and easily understandable writing style. Concrete examples - directly in the text or in boxes - are welcome. Article size: 16'000-20'000 characters (4-5 pages).
If you would like to contribute to this special issue of Babylonia, we invite you to send us a short summary (max 2000 characters) of your contribution by April 1st, 2022 to veronica.sanchez@irdp.ch and/or amelia.lambelet@unifr.ch.
You can also propose a "teaching taster" related to the theme of the issue. To do so, please contact laura.buechel@phzh.ch.
Deadlines:
Babylonia and CeDiLE, two organizations that share a common interest in foreign language learning and teaching, have recently formed a partnership that will allow for a more comprehensive coverage of the field in Switzerland.
Since its creation in 2019, the CeDiLE (Centre de didactique des langues étrangères) website has emerged as an important platform for the dissemination of scientific and pedagogical content. With the aim of stimulating exchanges between research and practice in foreign language didactics, CeDiLE produces information in generally short and accessible formats.
Similarly to Babylonia, CeDiLE seeks critical dialogue by presenting divergent opinions on topics such as early foreign language learning in schools and language teaching policies. The blog format of CeDiLE allows for regular posting of interviews, research summaries, videos and podcasts that are useful to the larger scientific and pedagogical community interested in foreign language teaching and learning.
Starting in December, you will be offered the opportunity to read, listen to, or watch original interviews with the editors and/or the authors of Babylonia’s new issues on the CeDiLE's website. As for the content produced by CeDiLE, it will appear on Babylonia's website, echoing the journal's themes.
Do you want to keep up to date with the latest news in foreign language teaching? Then subscribe to the newsletters of CeDiLE and Babylonia!
Read more about New partnership between Babylonia and CeDiLE3/2021: The representation of women: language, communication, teaching
1/2022: Vocabulary and Digitalization
2/2022: Convegno Homo Digitalis
3/2022: Living Languages at Museum
1/2023: Heritage Languages
2/2023: Faux-pas
3/2023: Language Education in Primary School
Read more about Theme of the next issuesMuseums are valuable cultural learning spaces and can as well be valuable foreign language learning spaces. In this issue of Babylonia, we welcome both research-based and practice-based articles that include:
• Observations of interactions (e.g. between learners and museum displays, between other visitors or guides) from a linguistics or communicative point of view;
• Descriptions and analyses of explicit museum-based programs that promote foreign language learning;
• Analysis of learner foreign-language products based on museum experiences;
• Considerations curators and museum educationalists put into practice when designing displays or workshops in foreign languages or instructing learners in foreign languages;
• Foreign language learning through virtual museum visit experiences or through exponents virtually displayed in class.
We are also open to further ideas.
Please send your abstract (max 2,000 characters including spaces) in German, French, Italian, Romansch, or English to laura.buechel@phzh.ch and/or karine.lichtenauer@unige.ch by January 7, 2022.
Dates:
Abstract (max. 2,000 characters): January 7, 2022
Notification of acceptance: mid-February, 2022
Article submission (max. 16,000 characters including spaces, 4 pages): May 1, 2022
Text revisions and final submission: September 1, 2022
Publication: December 2022
Wissenschaftliche·r Mitarbeiter·in am Fachdidaktikzentrum Fremdsprachen (30-50%)
Stellenantritt: 1. April 2021 oder nach Vereinbarung
Bewerbungsfrist: 14. März 2021
Weitere Auskünfte: Prof. Dr. Anita Thomas: anita.thomas@unifr.ch
Read more about Stellenangebot: wiss. Mitarbeiter-in 30-50% am Fachdidaktikzentrum Fremdsprachen
Babylonia 1/2022: Vocabulary and Digitalization
How important is and what role should vocabulary teaching play in foreign language instruction? How can it best be taught? How is it best learnt? Under what criteria should lexical items be selected as an active focus? These questions and more have been the topic of many a controversial discussion over the years. Vocabulary knowledge is an indisputable resource necessary for communicating in a foreign language and the acquisition of which is one of the most researched topics in foreign language education. Over the past years, uncountable apps and digital tools have been developed that have changed how vocabulary is taught and researched yet we know little about how these tools have influenced this learning and teaching. The effectiveness of such tools and their meaningful implementation in education is of utmost interest to both educationalists and researchers.
The learning of vocabulary with the help of digital tools - from a practical and theoretical perspective - is the topic of this issue of Babylonia. We look forward to articles describing concrete, sustainable practices and projects that include, but are not limited to, the following:
• How do digital tools support vocabulary acquisition in the skills (reading, writing, listening, etc…)?
• Which tools (translation tools, vocab learning apps, videos, e-readers, etc….) are useful with specific
groups of learners?
• What is the role of learning apps and platforms in networked vocabulary learning?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of such tools in different instructional settings?
Please send your abstract (max 2,000 characters including spaces) in German, French, Italian, Romansch, French or English to isabelle.udry@unifr.ch by March 1, 2021.
Dates:
Abstract (max. 2,000 characters): March 1, 2021
Notification of acceptance: April 2021
Article submission (max. 16,000 characters including spaces): July 31, 2021.
Text revisions and final submission: December 31, 2021
Publication: April 2022
The representation of women: language, communication, teaching
2021 marks the 50th anniversary of women's right to vote and be elected at the federal level in Switzerland. It is therefore the perfect time to discuss not only women's representations at the political level but also their representation in language and, more generally, in communication. A thorough examination of this topic is essential because equality between men and women is also expressed in the way we communicate.
In this issue of Babylonia, we aim to reflect on the representation of women across all functions (not only related to politics) and in all types of language (verbal, iconic, etc.). We consider, in particular, texts used in schools, and more specifically in language teaching. The topics we want to reflect on include but are not limited to the following aspects:
- How are women portrayed in textbooks, for example in coursebooks or (school/foreign) language exercises?
- What foreign/school language lessons can be created using literary texts (classical, contemporary, children's literature), authentic texts (web, newspapers, etc.), films, comic strips, etc. around this theme?
- How can students and teachers be made aware of the issue of gender equality in everyday communication? What courses, interventions, or other awareness-raising materials are planned or already exist?
- What interventions could be carried out to improve the representation of women in the language? Is it useful to develop a "gender-tracker" to monitor the situation at school and in other areas of society?
- What studies (including master's theses) have been carried out or are in progress at Swiss universities on the issue of women's representation in language and communication in general?
- How are women represented in the media (social media, radio, television, print and online, etc.)? Why? With what effects?
If you would like to contribute to this special issue of Babylonia, we invite you to send us a short summary (250-500 words) by January 10, 2021 (anna-maria.decesare@unibas.ch and/or matteo.casoni@ti.ch ). The publication will follow the timing indicated in the calendar below. The publication of the issue is scheduled for the end of 2021.
We welcome empirical contributions (research projects, action-research), practical (instructional materials, exercises, good practices, etc.), and socially engaged contributions (position papers, interviews, etc.). Babylonia favors a clear and easily understandable writing style. Concrete examples - directly in the text or in boxes - are welcome. Article size: 16'000-20'000 characters (4-5 pages).
Deadlines
January 10, 2021: deadline for receipt of title and summary of contributions; proposals to be sent to anna-maria.decesare@unibas.ch and/or matteo.casoni@ti.ch
February 1, 2021: notification of possible acceptance of contributions
May 1, 2021: first version of contributions
September 1, 2021: final versions
December 2021: publication
Read more about Call for Papers - Babylonia 3/2021If you would like to be the editor of a special issue of Babylonia on a theme of your choice, please contact amelia.lambelet[at]unifr.ch
Your proposal will be discussed by the editorial team at our biannual meetings. If accepted, you will be teamed up with one of the members of the editorial staff, who will co-edit the issue with you.
Read more about Do you want to edit an issue of Babylonia?Children with special needs and foreign/second language learning
Between 1 and 7% of children are estimated to have oral language acquisition disorders and between 5 and 10% are estimated to have written language disorders (e.g. dyslexia). In Switzerland, each primary school class would thus count on average 3 children with special needs (dysphasia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, etc.). Some of these children come from immigration backgrounds and are faced with important challenges in terms of schooling in an L2 as well as social integration in the host country. Added to the language disorder, there are the child’s and family's socialization efforts.
In this issue of Babylonia, we bring forward a discussion of the needs of children with learning disabilities and language disorders with respect to foreign and second language learning:
If you would like to contribute to this special issue of Babylonia, we invite you to send us a short summary (0.5-1 page) of your contribution before November 5, 2020 (anna.ghimenton[at]univ-lyon2.fr and/or amelia.lambelet[at]unifr.ch). Selected contributions will be due by February 1, 2021 for publication in August-September 2021.
Following Babylonia's editorial line, we welcome empirical contributions (research projects, action-research), practical (didactic sheets, exercises, good practices, etc.), and socially engaged contributions (position papers, interviews, etc.). Babylonia favors clear and easily understandable writing style. Concrete examples - directly in the text or in boxes - are welcome. Article size: 16'000-20'000 characters (4-5 pages).
Deadlines:
November 5, 2020: Submission of contribution proposals
November 20, 2020: Decision on contribution proposals
February 1, 2021: first version of the articles
June 1, 2021: Final version of the articles
Read more about Call for Papers - Babylonia 2/20213 / 2020 Mediation
1 / 2021 Social Justice
2/ 2021 Children with special needs and foreign/second language learning (Call for papers)
Read more about Theme of the next issues
