Spanish in the school and for the school: experiences and proposals

Abstract

Spanish as a Second Language for Inclusion is an area of the Direction of Languages in Education of the Ministry of Education of the City of Buenos Aires that provides guidance and support to principals and teachers of schools that have students who speak languages other than Spanish in their classrooms. Although the coexistence of multiple languages in Argentina in general, and in the school realm in particular, is not a new phenomenon, we should note that the debate on the recognition, representation, functions and usage (to mention just a few aspects) of the different languages spoken in our country is relatively recent. The diversity that permeates the dynamic of school classes includes also the linguistic and cultural diversity of the participants; to pay attention to this reality implies to make decisions on the planning, teaching and evaluation of the curricular contents for each level of the educational system. In our article, we address some of the issues related to the learning of a second language for school, present the work that is carried out by the Spanish as a Second Language for Inclusion area, and reflect upon the experiences accrued up to the present, which serve as an orientation for future actions.