The role of literature within plurilingual and intercultural education: literature and discursive competences
Submitted by:
Irene Pieper
Abstract:
In an ongoing project the Council of Europe is developing a platform of resources for plurilingual and intercultural education. This project spells out the transversal notion of language in all education and aims at providing tools for curriculum design and education to make sure that the rights of all learners to quality education are taken into account. Literature is acknowledged as an important part of plurilingual and intercultural education and namely its potential to allow for experiences with the creative, aesthetic and ludic use of language as well as for encounters with culture(s) and for the development of an intercultural openness is clearly acknowledged.
The workshop will present this project and namely the study on literature (Pieper 2011). I will argue that the potential of literature education with regard to the development of discursive competences should be focused upon. We will then engage in a literary dialogue on a piece of short prose taken from world literature (probably Kafka) and discuss this learning scenario in the frame of the plenitude of competences involved and will also look at the presuppositions of a successful arrangement.
References:
Council of Europe: Platform of resources and references for plurilingual and intercultural education. http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/langeduc/boxb-learner_en.asp
Pieper, Irene (2011): Items for a description of linguistic competence in the language of schooling necessary for teaching/learning literature (at the end of compulsory education). An approach with reference points. Strasbourg: Council of Europe (Language Policy Division). http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/langeduc/BoxD2-OtherSub_en.asp#s4