Digital technologies & linguistically and culturally relevant pedagogies: where do we stand?

ABSTRACT

This special issue highlights research mainly conducted from 2020 to 2023 in Canada, France, Germany, the UK and Finland. Each of these studies presents the affordances and constraints of using multilingual digital tools to address the deficit orientation to the education of newcomer students that still exists in many contexts. This includes the underestimation of the potential of multilingual students as well as the exclusive focus on using the language of the school for teaching and learning. It highlights the crucial role of teachers in supporting newcomer students and emphasises the innovative nature of using digital technology in STEM education. The six articles that make up this special issue focus on linguistically and culturally relevant online learning resources and curricula designed to support inclusive learning in STEM subjects. Focusing on teachers and their ideologies as well as teacher training, the articles highlight the varying degrees of effectiveness of multilingual technology in providing new ways of integrating newcomer student perspectives into curricula and promoting inclusive STEM education.

KEYWORDS:

• Multilingual learner
• digital technologies
• linguistically and culturally relevant pedagogies
• STEM education
• English as a second language
• teacher training

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 https://www.eqao.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/highlights-provincial-results-2023-g3.pdf