Four Guiding Principles to Exploring the World Through Language and Culture

Language Unpacked aims to enthuse young people for a lifetime of language learning - so what's the approach and why does it work?

Feb 07, 2024

There has always been much debate about how best to teach another language. Should we only speak in the target language? Should we teach phonics and linguistics? What role should culture play in an increasingly squeezed timetable?

It can be hard to know the right answer and, when the number of young people taking international languages continues to dwindle, it can feel like none of the current methods are working.

The world presents us with so many fantastic languages and cultures to discover.

My goal with Language Unpacked is to cut through some of that noise and focus on enthusing learners, encouraging them to play and explore. We are all naturally inquisitive and the world presents us with so many fantastic languages and cultures to discover. I want to harness that desire within young learners and demonstrate that language learning has much to offer us all.

With all this in mind, there are four guiding principles that shape the way Language Unpacked operates.

1. Multilingual Literacy

The most common languages taught in schools in the UK are French, Spanish and German, the latter having decreased significantly in the last decade. That leaves roughly 7,000 languages rarely taught within curriculum time. We need more diversity in the types of languages being taught, not only for the linguistic insights they bring but also the understanding they enable between the associated cultures.

My approach is to draw on every language I can find in order to highlight the similarities and differences between each. I’m very intentional about representing every continent, providing equal footing for minority languages and seeking out the languages of the past. This helps to break down barriers of ‘foreignness’, create space for curiosity and expand perspectives.

We need more diversity in the types of languages being taught.

2. Metalinguistic Awareness

Delving into the how and why of a subject helps us to analyse it and use those skills in another learning context. The same goes for languages. Teaching metalinguistics, the how and why of language, through the use of multiple languages improves our literacy skills in our own language and gives us the tools we need for learning another.

Think of it like this. You can learn to play an instrument without knowing music theory but if you have both, you can not only learn faster, but also know how to bend the rules and play with expectations for creative effect. Strong literacy skills need that same combination; the how and why of language is important.

My approach is to embed literacy and linguistics throughout, making explicit the amazing language skills we have from a young age and applying them to different linguistic contexts. This helps to build confidence, encourage critical thinking and promote creativity and playfulness in how we use language.

3. Intercultural Competency

Culture and language are inextricably linked. And so, teaching language without culture leaves learners poorly equipped to operate in a cultural setting that is different from their own. Intercultural competency is a combination of the knowledge, skills and behaviours that enable us to communicate effectively with others and act in an appropriate and respectful manner. It’s not enough to simply know the words, we need to be able to understand and love one another well. Culture is key to that.

My approach is to put culture at the forefront and use it to provide context for language learning, rather than the other way around. This includes an examination of the visible aspects, such as food, festivals and fashion, as well as the invisible, even unconscious, aspects of culture, such as social mores, politics and worldviews. This helps to connect a language to the people who speak it, empower young learners to be global citizens and promote empathy and equality.

Teaching language without culture leaves learners poorly equipped to operate in a cultural setting that is different from their own.

4. Interdisciplinary Learning

Every subject sits at the nexus of the learning landscape if you look at it from the right angle. Language is no different. It connects to every subject and disciplinary area when you learn where and how to look. Building connections between subjects demonstrates their value and enables us to use different methods of investigation and to think creatively.

My approach is to refract both SHAPE and STEM subjects through the prism of language learning. Sometimes interdisciplinarity is the topic itself. Sometimes it’s threaded through another topic. Either way, this helps to contextualise language within the wider curriculum, highlight the relevance of learning international languages and empower learners to make informed choices about the subjects they choose.