Untitled

Dace Dalbina, Vineta Vaivade
Latvian State Agency, Latvia
saxelmwifo enis swavlebis sakiTxebi:
problemebi da gamowvevebi
Issues of State Language Teaching;
Problems and Challenges
Minority students in the Latvian schools: some problems and solutions
ABSTRACT
The topicality of the research is connected with the problem that in the last fifteen years approximately
6% of minority children start their studies in a Latvian language school. The number of minority students
in the secondary school classes is much higher. Together with students coming from monolingual
families there are studying both harmonic bilinguals and students who are just gradually becoming
strong bilinguals. Between them there are also asymmetric bilinguals. Teachers need to acquire a new
professional competence – how to work with ethnically and linguistically heterogenic classes.
INTRODUCTION
Education plays a central role in promoting social development, stability, integration, and equity in a linguistically
diverse world. The school is the environment for the successful development of personality corresponding
to the needs of the students; therefore, new demands are created for education. The learning/
teaching process can be broadly described as the development of intellectual, social, physical, emotional, linguistic
and moral capabilities to function effectively both individually and as a part of wider society.
In the last fifteen years the number of students in Latvian language schools is rising and it is not connected
with the rise in the overall proportion of Latvians. Since 2001 approximately 6% of minority students start
their studies in a Latvian language school. The classes in Latvian language schools are becoming more and
more ethnically and linguistically heterogenic. According to the research by Society Politic Centre
PROVIDUS 19.3 % of pupils in the secondary school classes are considered to have the Latvian language as
a second language. The most important parent arguments for sending their children to a Latvian language
school are the following: an easier integration in the society of Latvia is achieved based on the usage of the
Latvian language, it is easier to study in the state higher education facilities in state financed programs whose
basic studies are only in the state language, and it is easier to take part in the Latvian labor market and there
are more career opportunities etc. (Austers, Golubeva, Kovaļenko, Strode, 2006).
The more changeable social circumstances are, the more important is the responsibility of the teacher to help
each student understand his/her specific identity and to acquire different education content.
The aim of the study is to draw attention to problems of psychological, linguistic and pedagogical nature in
working with ethnic minority students in Latvian language schools and to analyze experience on how they are
being resolved.
Methods and materials are different theories about language and culture interaction, theories about communicative
approach, task-based learning and some empirical observations have shown the necessity to improve
the teacher’s professional competence in a multicultural environment.
Results and discussion
The purpose of multicultural education is to help a student develop his identities, solidarity with others, critical
thinking, liberatory action. Multicultural education contains culture oriented content. Culture oriented content
helps a minority student to integrate in the majority society, to express themselves in the intercultural dialog
and better understand not only majority culture, but own ethnic cultural traditions and values, to see cultural
similarities and differences between people with different cultural background. The individual culture of
each person is associated with stable knowledge, proper skills and sound attitude to the environment. Each
culture reveals its peculiarities and develops as a result of social interchange (Bank, 2005; Giddens, 2003;
Harmer, Blanc, 2000).
250