Project descriptionIn Luxembourg, amongst the programmes to further the development of multiple languages, there are none that are either specific or systematic or both. Our project, undertaken in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, addresses the need for the development of innovative didactic methods in order to manage the diversity and heterogeneity in Luxembourgish schools. The iPad App iTEO is a learning and teaching tool that records and edits language. It facilitates children’s collaborative, exploratory and open-ended language learning and allows them to draw on their diverse language repertoires.
The focus of the project was the development of oral skills but, given the inherent link between oracy and literacy, the study also contributed to the development of literacy. We investigated how 4 teachers and 8 children used iTEO to further the learning of languages in nursery and in Years 1 and 2, and how the language practices and the children’s oral performances changed over time. The focus was on non-native Luxembourgish-speaking children but given the collaborative nature of storying on iTEO, Luxembourgish-natives were investigated as well.
This qualitative longitudinal study with data collected over two years used several research methods: video recording of children’s storying, observations of classroom activities involving iTEO, interviews with all participants and the collection of documents. The data analysis drew on grounded theory which offered insights into the learning processes and teaching practices.
Findings of this educational research, firstly, deepened our understanding of the ways in which children aged 4 to 7 used and developed Luxembourgish, German and French when languaging on iTEO, second, helped develop sound pedagogical practices for furthering the learning of multiple languages in this context.
Educational videos on the use of iTEOWe produced a range of longer educational videos and short clips which document the use of the app in two nursery and two primary school classes. The videos show that children developed language skills through collaboratively constructing stories and other oral texts while listening attentively, using languages consciously, imitating, transforming utterances, practicing and reflecting on their language use. Their practice of translanguaging was frequent, regular and purposeful.
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This video introduces the ipad App iTEO and its development out of the programme TEO. Researchers and a policy-maker explain how iTEO facilitates language learning and the development of children’s multilingual repertoires.
Development of oral skills
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This video explains the concept ‘storying’ and shows how teachers in nursery and primary schools used iTEO to encourage children to collaboratively produce stories in several languages.
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This clip, from the perspectives of the teachers and researchers, shows the ways in which children use and build on their linguistic repertoires.
Capitalising on linguistic resources
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The present video, featuring Ofelia García, defines the concept of translanguaging, presents and discusses an example, and outlines the functions and frequency of translanguaging in a nursery class.
Translanguaging and learning
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This clip draws on interviews with teachers and researchers who discuss the children’s experiences of collaboratively producing oral texts on iTEO.
Collaboration and dialogue
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The present video presents and discusses two examples of how children in C2 learn language when collaborating on iTEO.
Learning through collaboration
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This video demonstrates iTEO as a language learning tool. It prompts children to use languages consciously and reflectively. They learn through listening, imitating, transforming, practicing and evaluating.
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Short clips
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A primary school teacher explains the iTEO to a group of students that get to try the language application for the first time.
Introduction of iTEO in class. Primary school
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Aaron and Lina (C2.1/ Year 1), choose to record how to say their names in French. Aaron speaks French at home, Lina is familiar with French as it is one of the 3 official languages.
Use of iTEO in the project classes: First steps in French
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Aaron, Flavio, Loane and Lina practise French vocabulary using objects. The task consists of creating formulaic sentences about toys. The children change the task by introducing vocabulary of politeness.Key features of the video include the collaboration between the children, the transformation of the task and dynamic assessment.
Use of iTEO in the project classes: Practising vocabulary in C.2.2
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This sequence illustrates Flavio’s and Tiago’s motivation and efforts when producing their first story in French. They speak of food and of eating and drinking amongst other matters, phrases acquired in their French lessons over the preceding 3 months. Flavio demonstrates that he has enriched his French with words learned outside these lessons. He learns new words during his collaborative work with Tiago. The video shows the boys planning and practising the text before Flavio recorded the first sentence fluently. Nevertheless, the boys decide to delete the recording as they were speaking at the same time.
First steps in producing French texts
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Kiara and Gina tell a story about a spaceship, a task set by the teacher. While Gina speaks fluent German, Kiara hesitates. Gina supports her, corrects her and asks her if she still wishes to continue when she notices Kiara’s unease with the task. She changes the atmosphere by setting a new task: Kiara is to make a movie about Mila, the caterpillar hand puppet used in the German classes. Mila “only speaks German”...
A space that encourages creativity and (trans)languaging
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Kiara and Gina tell a story about a spaceship, a task set by the teacher. While Gina speaks fluent German, Kiara hesitates. Gina supports her, corrects her and asks her if she still wishes to continue when she notices Kiara’s unease with the task. She changes the atmosphere by setting a new task: Kiara is to make a movie about Mila, the caterpillar hand puppet used in the German classes. Mila “only speaks German”...
A space that encourages creativity and (trans)languaging
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Anastazie and Nina tell a story about knights based on pictures and inspired by a text covered in the previous German lessons. They begin by discussing the protagonists and the setting in Luxembourgish, then practise the text in German, correct mistakes and record their first sentence in German. The girls decide to bring in new characters and notice that they have to change the previous recording in order to ensure coherence....
Developing language and narrative skills during storytelling
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Two teachers introduce iTEO to their own class and then the children have time to experiment on their own.
Introduction of iTEO in (a preschool) class
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Hanad and Oscar tell three stories involving monsters eating them and destroying objects.The excerpt shows how the children collaboratively construct creative stories based on their drawings and on the immediate reactions of their friend.
Collaborative storytelling - watch out for monsters!
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This sequence begins with Benjamin, a native-English speaker, creating a tale in Luxembourgish. Diego, a native-French speaker, introduces a knife and a villain, being inspired by the plastic knife in his hands. He thereby turns the tale into an action-story. The boys collaboratively find a suitable end. In the second part of this video, Benjamin encourages Diego to tell a story in French....
iTEO as a space for creative storytelling, translanguaging and language learning
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Having listened to stories recorded on iTEO, the nursery teacher and a group of nine children embark on a discussion of what makes “good” stories. A girl expresses her dislike for stories with baddies, a boy suggests a topic in the event of no one having any ideas, and children wonder whether a story can be a song.
What is a good story? Perspectives of nursery children
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The nursery teacher and a group of 7 children listen to two iTEO stories recorded by Ariana and Miley. The teacher guides the discussion, focuses on comprehension, elaborates on the content and asks children to explain what they liked.
Listening to stories and commenting in the nursery class
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Publications
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- Kirsch, C. and Bes, A. (forthcoming) Promoting literacy through storytelling on the app iTEO. In Breuer, E.O., Lindgren, E., Stavans, A., and Van Steendam, E. (eds.) Multilingual Literacy. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
- Kirsch, C. (2018) Developing speaking and pronunciation skills through storytelling on the app iTEO. In Ph. Hood (Ed.) Teaching Languages Creatively (pp. 47-59). London, New York: Routledge.
- Kirsch, C. (2018). Dynamic interplay of language policy, beliefs and pedagogy in a nursery class in Luxembourg. Language and Education 32(5), 444-461. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2018.1487452
- Kirsch, C. (2017). Young children capitalizing on their entire language repertoire for language learning at school. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 31(1), 39-55. http://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2017.1304954
- Kirsch, C. (2017). Translanguaging practices on iTEO in Preschools. Translation and Translanguaging in Multilingual Contexts, 3(2), 145-166. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/ttmc.3.2.01kir
- Kirsch, C. & Cicero Cantanese, G. (2017) Sprachbiographien und ihre Bedeutung in multilingualen Kontexten. Eine Fallstudie aus Luxemburg. Zeitschrift für Grundschulforschung Bildung im Elementar- und Primarbereich 10, 35-48.
- Kirsch, C. & Bes, A. (2017) Emergent multilinguals learning languages with the iPad app iTEO: a study in primary schools in Luxembourg. The Language Learning Journal, doi:10.1080/09571736.2016.1258721.
- Kirsch, C. (2016) Developing language skills through collaborative storytelling on iTEO. Literacy Information and Computer Education Journal 7(2), 2254-2262.
- Kirsch, C. & Gretsch, G. (2015) L’apprentissage langagier avec l’App iTEO. Multilinguisme: enseignement, littératures et cultures au Luxembourg. Synergies pays germanophones. Gerflint 8, 37-48.
- Gretsch, G. & Kirsch, C. (2015) Echo iTEO. Co-languaging, collaborating, co-constructing. Luxembourg: Mindforest, Septembre
- Kirsch, C. & Gretsch, G. (2014) Echo iTEO. Sprachräume. Luxembourg: Mindforest, Octobre.
- Kirsch, C. (2014) Storytelling at home and at the nursery school: A study of bilingual children’s literacy practices. In N. Morys, C. Kirsch, I. De Saint-Georges & G. Gretsch (eds) Lernen und Lehren in multilingualen Kontexten: Zum Umgang mit sprachlich-kultureller Vielfalt im Klassenraum. (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Erfurt). Frankfurt: Peter Lang Verlag, 219-246.
- Gretsch, G. (2014). iTEO as a Tool-and-Result in dialogical multilingual language learning. In N. Morys, C. Kirsch, I. De Saint-Georges & G. Gretsch (eds) Lernen und Lehren in multilingualen Kontexten: Zum Umgang mit sprachlich-kultureller Vielfalt im Klassenraum. (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Erfurt). Frankfurt: Peter Lang Verlag, 183–217.
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Conferences
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- ‘Dynamic interplay of language policy, beliefs and pedagogy in a nursery class in Luxembourg’ – paper presented on 24.07.2017 by Claudine Kirsch at the world conferenceAILAin Rio, Brazil.
- ‘Aufbauen auf den mehrsprachigen Ressourcen der Kinder’ – paper presented by Claudine Kirsch on 7.12.2016 at the FachtagungSchule für Alle – interkulturelle Schulentwicklung, Ludwig Maximilians Universität, München, Germany.
- ‘iTEO as a translanguaging and learning space’ – paper presented by Claudine Kirsch and Asunción Bes on 12.06.2016 at theBangor International Conference on Bilingualism in Education,Bangor, Wales.
- ‘iTEO: a translanguaging space for collaborative language learning in Luxembourg. Translanguaging as a motor for the development of oral skills in early childhood’ – paper presented by Ofelia García, Claudine Kirsch and Argyro Panagiotopoulou on 18.02.2016 at the conferenceDéveloppement des compétences orales des enfants multilingues, University of Luxembourg, Esch-Belval, Luxembourg
- ‘Dynamic assessment of children’s language learning processes with iTEO’ – paper presented by Claudine Kirsch and Gérard Gretsch on 9.9.2015 at the conferenceEECERA, Barcelona, Spain.
- ‘Language learning through storying on iTEO in a nursery school’ – paper presented by Claudine Kirsch and Laurence Di Letizia on 9.9.2015 at the conferenceEECERA, Barcelona, Spain.
- ‘Developing multilingualism through collaborative storytelling on iTEO in nursery schools in Luxembourg’ – paper presented by Claudine Kirsch on 28.05.2015 at the conferenceRethinking Language, Diversity and Education, Rhodos, Greece.
- ‘Spaces for translanguaging in diverse language learning situations’ – paper presented by Claudine Kirsch on 20.04.2015 at the conferenceTranslanguaging, practices, skills and pedagogy, Falun, Sweden.
- ‘Storytelling at home and at school on iTEO: languaging experiences and expectations’– paper presented by Claudine Kirsch on 8.5.2014 at the conference Bilingual myths, monolingual ideologies and (trans)languaging, University of Luxembourg, Walferdange, Luxembourg.
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