The Centre for Celtic Studies cordially invite everyone to guest lectures by Dr Małgorzata Machowska-Kościak, Dublin City University, Ireland
Multilingual language socialisation practices of Polish immigrant children and their families in Ireland’ - ‘Small Stories’ of integration
Thursday, 6 June, 13.15, room 109A, Collegium Novum
Strengthening Practices of Intercultural Education in Ireland – A Critical Overview and Reflections on Teaching Practices
Wednesday, 5 June 2019, room 013 (Building D), ul. Szamarzewskiego 89A, 15.00
(Organised together with the Institute of Cultural Studies at AMU)
ABSTRACTS
Multilingual language socialisation practices of Polish immigrant children and their families in Ireland’ -‘Small Stories’ of integration
The present paper discusses issues of language socialisation and affect through the subjective experiences of Poles living in Ireland. Poland’s accession to the EU in 2004 resulted in thousands of Polish citizens migrating to the UK and the Republic of Ireland mainly in search for employment opportunities, which required them not only to learn a foreign language (English) but also socialise into new cultures. This longitudinal study followed four Polish teenagers and their families as they expressed their feelings while grappling with issues of conflicting identities and the accommodation of competing goals of integration within new host society and maintenance of their heritage culture and language. This paper provides snapshots from their family and school lives, illuminating complexities of the process of growing up in a new place, new country, albeit multilingual society. The four families were carefully selected to represent a range of school and community experiences. The work, which was largely conducted in Polish in order to facilitate an in-depth investigation of the participants’ lives and experiences, also involved interviews with families and Irish teachers as well as direct observations in the school context. The theoretical and analytical approach combined Ethnography of Communication approach to data collection and analysis along with Discourse Analysis approaches (Duff, 1995; Davis & Harre 1990, Harre & Langenhove, 1999, Ochs & Capps, 2001). A particular focus was placed on epistemic, moral and affective stances taken by the children and their parents in relation to languages they spoke everyday. I illustrate aspects of agency such as variable participation, allegiances with heritage and majority language peer groups, affective and epistemic stances taken with respect to socio-historical norms and values of the Irish and Polish culture by moving from home to school context. I also discuss children’s and their families positions towards Irish and the ways in which they rationalised their choices. The rich data provided by this study illustrate relationships of culture, power, and identity, showing that, even for the youngest speakers, such associations are always indexed in talk and their social behaviour. I conclude by reflecting on position of schools and their response to multilingual practices of the Polish children. There is still relatively little information on how minority immigrant children construct their identities, experience emotions through and towards different languages and cultures, or deal with issues of legitimacy or contesting majority and minority language ideologies. I take on a critical perspective by highlighting that monolingual approach to teaching multilingual students prevails among schools. This, unfortunately might have a damaging effect on children’s multilingualism. This study hopes to facilitate our understanding of the issues involved in integrational practices of immigrants, parental involvement in schooling or heritage language loss and maintenance in an inter-generational context. This research do not only document how multilingual children and their families navigate through these complex and often ‘pervasive’ monolingual norms but also illustrates fascinating ways in which they exercise their own agency, choices they make and plans they have for their futures. These families, children in particular, develop their own unique strategies to cope with the challenges they face. Based on this I see participating families’ ‘multilingual socialisation’, their daily practices and strategies as a driving force for change, in the form of an alternative structure for holistic reflection and potential transformation in Irish society.
Strengthening Practices of Intercultural Education in Ireland – A Critical Overview and Reflections on Teaching Practices
Cultural and linguistic composition of Ireland is becoming more diverse with each new year, offering great potential for even faster and greater human development. Nevertheless, cultural diversity and linguistic enrichment is often portrayed as ‘challenging’, or ‘being in some kind of crises’ (Modood). As many studies report there is still a huge misrecognition of students’ linguistic capabilities by their schools (McGorman and Sugrue, 2007; Nowlan, 2008; Wallen and Kelly-Holmes, 2006) presenting students from ‘deficit’ perspective Devine (2005) and this is likely to have damaging effects on the students (Ortega, 2014). Building on strong intercultural approaches, fostering social justice and global citizenship on the other hand, would have offered greater potential to cherish diversity in Irish schools. This paper takes on a critical perspective by positioning existing national intercultural policy, intercultural guidelines and primary schools practices within the framework of critical multiculturalism. In this perspective, it is claimed that educational context can effectively ‘empower’ or ‘disempower’ its students as some researchers demonstrated (Kirwan, 2019, Machowska-Kociak, 2019). This work builds on Round Table Discussion that took place in March 2019 a part of SPIEPS project.“Strengthening the practice of intercultural education in Primary Schools” is the project promoting and supporting the positive integration of migrants within Irish primary schools, through effective intercultural education for all children, which engages the wider school community, contributes to an alternative narrative on migration and fosters global citizenship. So far, numerous barriers to successful integration of migrants have been identified within the context of Primary schools. This situation might show a limited readiness of the educational system to embrace linguistic and cultural diversity. However, it is within capacity of schools to create policies and practices that can challenge both structural and more local discriminatory practice and create equitable and inclusive school cultures which foreground human/children’s rights, wellbeing, engagement and achievement. The theoretical and analytical approach implemented in this study combines Mixed Methods approaches (Cresswell, 2014) with Critical Discourse Analysis approaches ( Duff, 1995; Davis & Harre 1990, Van Dijk).
Senior Isaac Alfred Ailion Fellowship (IAAF) for Christopher Joby
The Department of the History of English invites everybody to an open talk by 
Pracownia Studiów Celtyckich serdecznie zaprasza wszystkich zainteresowanych twórczością Dylana Thomasa, światowej sławy poety walijskiego tworzącego w języku angielskim, na spotkanie z okazji Międzynarodowego Dnia Dylana Thomasa.
Wieczór autorski z flamandzką poetką Miriam Van hee i jej tłumaczem Jerzym Kochem
Stressed out about your future? Prepare for the challenges ahead by joining Dr. Howland as she presents clear ideas and skills for helping you define who you are and where you want to go in your life. This workshop will explore the topics of setting achievable goals, writing personal essays, presenting yourself in interview situations, and creating a strategic plan for your future. Discover what sets you apart and what your unique mission is in the world.
Studencka Konferencja Małych Filologii (SKoMaFi), 17 maja, godz, 11:30
WA Friday Lunch Talks
Prof. Jerzy Koch w panelu "TŁUMACZENIE KOBIET" w ramach festiwalu Poznań Poetów, 17 maja, godz. 18:00
The Department of the History of English has the pleasure to announce that the next meeting of the Fun with Old English study group this academic year will take place on Tuesday, May the 21st, at 5:45 p.m. in Room C Collegium Martineum.
Warsztaty z umiejętności komunikacyjnych dla studentów filologii niderlandzkiej z Benjaminem Gijzelem, 24-26 maja
Prof. Jerzy Koch członkiem południowoafrykańskiego PEN Afrikaans
Prorektor UAM ds. kształcenia uprzejmie informuje, iż przyjmuje zgłoszenia studentów I i II roku, którzy uzyskali najlepsze wyniki na maturze oraz są laureatami lub finalistami olimpiad przedmiotowych, do wzięcia udziału w Szkole Letniej BESTStudentCAMP.
The Department of Cognitive Linguistics cordially invites you to a lecture by Dr Agata Kochańska (Warsaw University) entitled 
Samorząd Doktorantów UAM organizuje spotkanie informacyjne dla kandydatów do Szkoły Doktorskiej UAM pod nazwą "Szkoła Doktorska UAM - spotkanie informacyjne dla kandydatów".
