We’re all more or less multilingual, aren’t we? – considerations from a neurodidactic perspective
Prof. Dr. Michaela Sambanis
Freie Universität Berlin
Thursday, 03 March 2022
9 am to 10 am
The talk examines “multilingualism” from a combined perspective: Firstly, it offers an interdisciplinary approach by taking into consideration findings from different scientific disciplines, namely foreign language didactics and neuroscience. Secondly, it sets out to link research to practice by offering some practical examples aiming at a more plurilingual approach to language teaching. In this regard, English as a foreign language (EFL) is taken as a point of reference. For many learners, English is the first foreign language, thus playing a key role as a gateway to further foreign languages as well as in linking them. The talk also refers to two recent surveys shedding light on teachers’ attitudes towards integrating students’ home languages in English language teaching.
Prof. Dr. Michaela Sambanis
is Professor and Chair of English Didactics in the Institute for English Language and Literature at the Freie Universität Berlin (Germany). In her work, she combines evidence from didactics, neuroscience and psychology and encourages the dialogue between researchers and practitioners.
