Equipping Teachers with Pedagogical Competences to Handle and Harness Linguistic Diversity

Abstract

Linguistic diversity is often addressed within wider abstract educational frameworks, making it difficult to concretize in teacher training. In this article we explore how linguistic diversity is connected to such frameworks as sustainable development (United Nations, 2015), inclusive education (UNESCO, 1994), and (global) citizenship education (UNESCO, 2022a). Drawing on rich data from recent research projects related to linguistic and cultural diversity and teacher training in two multilingual educational contexts, Finland, and Spain, we deepen the understanding of how different educational actors navigate the policy intentions and the practical implementation of educational policies. This novel approach of scrutinizing multiple educational frameworks, contexts and research projects together helped us to show that teachers need to be equipped with pedagogical multilingual competences to both handle and harness diversity if we intend to turn abstract awareness of languages into concrete pedagogical actions.