Discursive Practice in the context of the multilingual school

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explain how Discursive Practice (hereinafter DP) could be used to promote plurilingualism and to improve the learning of the second language (L2) in a multilingual context. Most teachers are not familiar with the DP, therefore, we explain and illustrate this technique in an understandable way for educators. First we present data on Madrid (Spain) multilingual schools. Then, we briefl y mention European education policies that attempt to regulate plurilingualism, following with a refl ection on how Madrid multilingual schools manage this reality. Finally, we focus on the challenges and opportunities that multilingual schools face, suggesting the DP as a valuable resource for the promotion of plurilingualism and for the learning of the second language. Through descriptive and heuristic analysis, our aim is to provide teachers with useful resources for their classes, to raise awareness on linguistic diversity, and to facilitate language learning of the host country.

Keywords: plurilingualism, multilingualism, discursive practice.