CONFERENCE ON MULTILINGUALISM

On 9 and 10 November 2023, the conference on "Multilingualism from a scientific, school and political perspective" will take place in Davos. Research projects and current findings will be presented and their relevance for schools, education policy and society as a whole will be discussed. The conference is organised by the the University of Teacher Education of Grisons in cooperation with the Federal Office of Culture (FOC).

(Photo: Davos Destinations Organisation / Alice das Neves)

Date

9 – 10 November 2023

Location

Davos Congress Centre

Registration deadline

31 August 2023

Organiser

University of Teacher Education of Grisons

What you need to know about the conference

Background information

Multilingualism shapes our daily life experiences. We encounter it in different ways and in different forms. For example, when we come across new or foreign languages, or, depending on our situation, make use of foreign languages or live alongside with them. These are multilingual encounters in which people of different languages of origin form relationships with each other. Seen from this perspective, multilingualism in its omnipresence is part of all social life and thus probably shapes questions and discourses that may have educational as well as socio-cultural or economic connotations. These contexts, each in its own right, but also in their possible interconnections, form the cornerstones enabling people to live adaptively in multilingual worlds. This might and is even likely to broaden their multilingual awareness and their language-related cultural view and lead them to see and understand global contexts in a new way.

Such and similar assessments may have been the starting point for some European countries to sign the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, thereby committing themselves to the Council of Europe to protect and promote their linguistic diversity and Europe's cultural wealth associated with it. Obviously, this is not easy to put in practice because the linguistic and socio-political situations within individual countries or national territories are often very complex. But precisely because in the context of multilingualism a wide gap  between legal requirements and lived reality might open up, target-oriented knowledge that is constantly kept up to date is a necessary guideline for development processes. In this way, existing approaches can be differentiated, new perspectives can be perceived and perhaps bridges to other disciplines can be built. It is in this area that the research on multilingualism that in recent years and decades has been advanced in Switzerland as well as in other countries can be located.

For example, there has been interest in how newer concepts or principles of the didactics of multilingualism are implemented in multilingual contexts in schools, how so-called good foreign language teaching ought to be structured, or how multilingualism is generally approached from a linguistic and socio-political perspective.

Objectives of the conference

The conference pursues the following goals:

  • To highlight and discuss the topic of multilingualism in schools and the related knowledge gained from various research projects with experts representing education and politics from all the cantons;
  • To present individual lighthouse projects on the subject of multilingualism and schools;
  • To integrate the traditional Convegno of the three Alpine Universities of Teacher Education (the University of Teacher Education of Grisons, the University of Teacher Education in the Canton of Valais and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland/ Department of Education and Learning) into the conference;
  • To distribute the findings from the conference in a suitable form.

Target audience

  • Researchers from national and/or international universities and relevant research institutions; 
  • Young researchers are also explicitly addressed;
  • Interested parties from the education sector, politics and business.


The participation of different stakeholders allows a broad discussion of the research findings. Thus, multilingualism as a discipline and, beyond that, in its socio-cultural significance, can be newly assessed.

Call for Papers

Researchers from national and/or international universities or from relevant research institutions are invited to present their work. Young researchers are also explicitly addressed.

Interested parties can submit their work as individual contributions, symposia or posters.

Individual contributions address selected problems and issues from ongoing or recently completed research projects. They are situated in the context of the conference theme and last a total of 25 minutes (20 minutes presentation, 5 minutes short follow-up discussion). At the end of each session, in which individual contributions are presented, 10 minutes will be left so that the papers compiled in the session can be discussed as a whole. The presentations can be held in German, French, Italian, Romansh or English.

Symposia bring together three contributions that examine a superordinate topic from different perspectives. The contributions are not to originate from the same research project, so it is advantageous to bring together different projects that are (re)discussed in disciplinary, theoretical or empirical terms with regard to the conference topic. In addition to the individual contributions, a fourth contribution by a discussant is to be planned and scheduled. A symposium lasts 90 minutes. In addition to the submission of the three individual contributions, a cover text which places the three contributions in context of the conference theme is also required. The symposium is chaired by the person organising it. The symposia can be held in German, French, Italian, Romansh or English.

Research papers can also be submitted as posters. The papers presented in this way contain a research question and then, depending on the state of research, initial results or further questions situated in the context of the conference topic. This format is particularly suitable for research projects that are rather at the beginning or that offer starting points for further studies. The format is DIN A0 (portrait). Posters are presented by means of a short 10-minute talk. Posters can be prepared and presented in German, French, Italian, Romansh or English.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Registration deadline: 14 May 2023

Programme

The conference starts on Thursday, 9 November at 12 noon (registration from 9 am) and ends on Friday, 10 November at 3 pm. 

A Conference Dinner will be held on 9 November.

 

Thursday, 9 November 2023

from 9 am:
Registration

12 noon:
Welcome and official opening

12.45 to 13.45 pm:
Keynote 1

14.00 to 15.30 pm:
Parallel sessions and symposia

15.30 to 16.00 pm:
Break

16.00 to 17.30 pm:
Poster session

17.30 to 18.30 pm:
Time at leisure (possibility to check into your room)

18.30 to 19.30 pm:
Panel discussion

19.30 pm:
Dinner with programme



Friday, 10 November 2023

08.30 to 09.30 am:
Keynote 2

10.00 to 11.30 am:
Parallel sessions and symposia

11.30 am to 12.30 pm:
Lunch

12.30 to 14.00 pm:
Parallel sessions and symposia

14.00 to 14.30 pm:
Conference observations

14.30 to 15.00 pm:
Event closes

Conference venue: Davos

The conference will be held at the Davos Congress Centre.


Address:
Talstrasse 49a, CH-7270 Davos Platz

Further information:
davoscongress.ch

Parking spaces:
A certain number of parking spaces is available in front of the Congress Centre.

 

Registration for the Conference and the Conference Dinner

With the button below you can register for the conference.

Conference fee and payment conditions
The conference fee will be invoiced to conference participants in advance of the conference or can be paid by credit card. Credit card payment will be possible from the end of April.

• Registrations made by the end of April 2023 will receive an invoice.
• For registrations made after the end of April 2023 payment by credit card is possible.

Cancellations
After the registration deadline, registrations are binding, entitle the participant to attend the conference and obligate him/her to pay the full conference fee.

Costs

Conference fee incl. catering and conference dinner

CHF 200.-
CHF 140.- (for junior researchers)

 

Conference fee incl. meals, without conference dinner

CHF 125.-
CHF   90.- (for junior researchers)

 

Accommodation

Rooms:
For the overnight stays from 9 to 10 November 2023, rooms are available in the following hotels:

Congress Hotel Davos ****
Promenade 94, CH-7270 Davos
hotelkongress.ch

Standard room at a special price of CHF 110.-
incl. breakfast, excl. visitor's tax.
(Offer valid from 8 till 10 November 2023)


Hotel Grischa****
Talstrasse 3, 7270 Davos
www.hotelgrischa.ch

Standard room at special price of CHF 110.-
incl. breakfast, excl. visitor's tax. This special price is valid at Hotel Grischa for both nights.
(Offer valid from 8 till 10 November 2023)

 

Reservation
You can reserve your room at info@hotelkongress.ch/info@hotelgrischa.ch and benefit from special rates with the code "Tagung Mehrsprachigkeit".

We recommend that you make your room reservation well in advance.

 

Private accommodation
Airbnb

 

For further accommodation options please refer to the Davos Klosters Tourism website
davos.ch

How to get there

The Davos Congress Centre is located in the centre of Davos and is easily accessible by public transport as well as by car.

All the information on how to get there by public transport or by car can be found here: davoscongress.ch


Parking spaces:
A certain number of parking spaces is available in front of the Congress Centre.

Organisation

The Conference on Multilingualism is jointly organised by the University of Teacher Education of Grisons with the cooperation of various partner institutes.

Overall management:

  • Dr. Gian-Paolo Curcio, Rector of the University of Teacher Education of Grisons

Scientific content:

  • Dr. Albert Düggeli, Vice-Rector Research and Development

Administration and Finances:

  • Dinesh Rajakaruna, Administrative Director of the University of Teacher Education of Grisons

Organisation

  • Lilian Ladner, Project Manager Rectorate Staff

Support Group:

  • Federal Office of Culture (FOC)
  • University of Teacher Education in the Canton of Valais (HEPVS)
  • The University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland/ Department of Education and Learning (SUPSI/DFA)
  • Foreign Languages Working Group at the Chamber of Universities of Teacher Education of swissuniversities (AG Fremdsprachen)
  • Representation of the Chamber of Universities of Teacher Education of swissuniversities
  • EDK General Secretariat (Representation of the Swiss Conference of the Cantonal Directorates of Education)
  • Institute of Multilingualism (IfM)

Supported by renowned partner organisations

Supporting organisations


The University of Teacher Education of Grisons

The University of Teacher Education of Grisons has been entrusted with the organisation and management of the conference.
phgr.ch

 

Federal Office of Culture

The Federal Office of Culture (FOC), together with the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) and the Institute of Multilingualism (IfM) in Fribourg, is responsible for the organisation of the conference and provides financial support.

The Ordinance on the National Languages and Understanding between the Linguistic Communities (Languages Ordinance, LangO, d | f) provides in Art. 10 for the promotion of national languages in the classroom and in Art. 11 for the promotion of the knowledge of their first language among speakers of other languages. In recent years, the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) has funded a large number of projects under these articles, including projects by universities of teacher education. In June 2022, the FOC approached the executive director of the Chamber of Universities of Teacher Education with the idea of organising a conference to present the projects that have been funded over the last ten years in connection with the articles mentioned. The Board of the Chamber of Univiersities of Teacher Education discussed the request at its meeting of 29 June 2022 and decided that this conference should be held in 2023 as the next of the biennial multilingualism conferences of the three "Alpine Universities of Teacher Education" (SUPSI-DFA, PHGR, HEP-VS / PH-VS).
www.bak.admin.ch

Partner institutions and partner organisations

The FOC has entrusted the professional expertise to the universities of teacher education. The Chamber of Universities of Teacher Education has commissioned the three "Alpine Universities of Teacher Education" (SUPSI-DFA, PH Graubünden, HEP-VS / PH-VS) to organise the Multilingualism 2023 conference as part of their biennial meetings ("Convegno").

The Alpine Universities of Teacher Education - Universities of Teacher Education of the canton of Grisons, Ticino and Valais




The University of Teacher Education of Grisons
phgr.ch

The University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland/ Department of Education and Learning (SUPSI/DFA)
supsi.ch

The University of Teacher Education in the canton of Valais (HEP-VS/PH VS)
phvs.ch

Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK)
edk.ch

Foreign Languages Working Group of the Chamber of Universities of Teacher Education of swissuniversities
swissuniversities.ch

Contact us

If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.

Lilian Ladner
Project Manager Rectorate Staff

+41 81 354 03 30multilingualism@phgr.ch

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