University of Prešov, Faculty of Education, The
Department of Communicative and Literary Education, Slovakia
Abstract:
The presentation deals with the change in
curriculum and instruction of the Slovak language in the multicultural and
multilingual Europe. The author proposes a new type of language exercises
that are based on the comparison of elements between the Slovak language as
both the mother tongue and the official language and the foreign language, or
the language of ethnic minorities. In the author’s opinion, a systematic
confrontation of the mother tongue with the foreign language or the official
language can help to develop pupil‘s communicative competences in elementary
schools more effectively. Such an approach also would stimulate the
multicultural education. And in this context the child can build own values in polarity between identity and alterity, then to clarify
personal values (national identity) as well
interest and respect for other‘s
values (tolerance, acceptance).
Key words: children’s identity, communicative
competences, mother tongue education, multilingual integration, identity and
alterity