With regard to foreign languages

4.3. With regard to foreign languages

4.3.2. This is perhaps to be especially considered for nordic and romance languages as well as for neighbouring languages other than Russian. The national resources in languages are already significant, but could be extended. For the moment however, a survey of the actual uses and potential needs of foreign languages in the economical, industrial, administrative and cultural sectors of society is lacking.

4.3.3. Considering the emphasis given to the development of a society of knowledge and the importance in this respect of languages for the access to information and to scientific resources, experiments and innovations in bilingual teaching could be somewhat extended quantatively and involve more languages than is currently the situation.

4.3.4. The first foreign language is compulsory as of grade 4 but can be introduced in grade 2. This probably presents some problems for continuity in basic school and beyond, since not all learners have started at the same age. A more uniform choice might be preferable, depending on the means and human resources available. It would be useful to assess quantitatively and qualitatively results attained at the end of grade 3 when an earlier start has been possible.

4.3.5. The second foreign language finds itself in an ambiguous position; it is compulsory for four years and not assessed, then it becomes optional for most students for the last two years before final exams, but again not assessed systematically. Would it be possible to acknowledge positively the results attained by students at the end of the 10^th grade (but this approach should also apply to students leaving school at that age for their first foreign language)? Might all students be required to take a second foreign language in grades 11-12 ? Should there be a form of validation or certification of level attained that could be different from the final school or State exam and would somehow be explicitly related to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ?

4.3.6. Might one consider the possibility of an optional “extra” exam for the second foreign language which would give “extra” points to the students who would choose to take it ? And could a possibility of this kind also be taken into consideration for the minority language of the minority schools’ students? The motivation of students and the public image of the languages concerned would certainly benefit from such dispositions.

4.3.7. Introduction of the European Language Portfolio would be a useful first step. This instrument concerns all the languages of which the students have some knowledge and experience and not only of the languages from their school program. Besides, the ELP is directly connected to the levels of the Framework and contributes to develop the students’ language and cultural awareness as well as to enhance their learning strategies and self-evaluation capacities.

4.3.8. As in most European countries today, a large part of the foreign language scene is strongly influenced by the type of final examination which the students have to take for their first foreign language. As previously mentioned, it would be useful to ensure that the yearly variation in the level required for success be reduced to a minimum and that some constant reference like the one proposed by the Common European Framework be introduced. In many countries, communicative proficiency objectives for language learning are specified with explicit reference to the levels of that framework; for instance, B 1 at the end of basic school, B 2 at the end of grade 12, with possible differentiation among the different skills depending on the language and on the “profile” chosen. Such an approach to quality improvement would require the alignment of a standard-based curriculum with the assessment and exam systems as well as the qualification of teachers to make use of feedback data on achievement for devising and evaluating strategies of classroom development.

4.3.9. Whatever the changes and innovations may be with respect to one or several of the previous points, there are always consequences for initial and/or in-service teacher training. For Lithuania, this has been a priority in the last few years and it might be a good moment to pursue what has already been engaged (cf. 3.5.1). It matters for languages as a whole, not just for foreign languages, given the relation between languages, in school as well as in the society at large.

4.4. With regard to an integrated language policy

4.4.2. As stated in the Guide for the development of language education policies in Europe⁵⁷, which strongly advocates an integration of plurilingualism in the educational project:

“Plurilingualism needs to be actively promoted to counter-balance the market forces which tend to lead to linguistic homogenisation, and which limit the potential of the individual. Plurilingualism provides the necessary conditions for mobility within Europe for leisure and work purposes, but is above all crucial for social and political inclusion of all Europeans whatever their linguistic competences, and for the creation of a sense of European identity. Language education policies in Europe should therefore enable individuals to be plurilingual either by maintaining and developing their existing plurilingualism or by helping them to develop from quasi monolingualism (or bilingualism) into plurilingualism.”

4.4.3. The justifications and principles for this position are summarised in the Guide as follows :

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  language rights are part of human rights: education policies should facilitate the use of all varieties of languages spoken by the citizens of Europe, and the recognition of other people's language rights by all; the resolution of social conflicts is in part dependent on recognition of language rights;
  

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  the exercise of democracy and social inclusion depends on language education policy: the capacity and opportunity to use one's full linguistic repertoire is crucial to participation in democratic and social processes and therefore to policies of social inclusion;
  
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  economic or employment opportunities for the individual and the development of human capital in a society depend in part on language education policy: individual mobility for economic purposes is facilitated by plurilingualism; the plurilingualism of a workforce is a crucial part of human capital in a multilingual marketplace, and a condition for the free circulation of goods, information and knowledge;
  

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  individual plurilingualism is a significant influence on the evolution of a European identity: since Europe is a multilingual area in its entirety and in any given part, the sense of belonging to Europe and the acceptance of.a European identity is dependent on the ability to interact and communicate with other Europeans using the full range of one's linguistic repertoire;
  

4.4.4. This also implies that within the education system, all languages be fully taken into consideration:

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  as means of communication, expression, information, construction and transmission of knowledge, aesthetic creation and appreciation;
  
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  and as all contributing to the development and growth of diverse individual identities and to the affirmation of collective loyalties within a society.
  

4.4.6. Given the constitution of the Lithuanian population, the language scene comprises a diversity of individual plurilingual repertoires, of which the State language is more and more a common denominator. This constitutes an asset for the country as well as for its inhabitants. Diversification can certainly still be enhanced, but the first step is probably to acknowledge, promote and value the existing plurality.

4.4.7. Teaching traditions and the historical development of curricula where different languages become different “subjects” have in most countries had the consequence of introducing separations between languages. This occurs in two ways:

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  a strict division between the “mother” tongue or main language of instruction (generally the national or state language) and modern foreign languages;
  
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  similar objectives, syllabi and teaching methods for different foreign languages in parallel and without reference or movement from one to the other in the teaching process.
  

4.4.8. To sum up: an integrated language policy is first and foremost a policy where languages are fully integrated as an explicit component of the educational process; but it is as well, beyond that, a policy which offers forms of integration between and across languages, while differentiating between them⁵⁸.