Improving Symbolic Language Comprehension

We focus on the goal of “Handling mathematical symbols and formalism” through the methodology of Content and Language Integrated Learning. The use of foreign language highlights, and possibly increases, the difficulties in the point of mathematical competence, but it can also be used to fix them. That is, making explicit the equivalence between formal and verbal language could improve symbolic language comprehension. Multilingual Formulae, an on-line resource at http://mformulae.epsem.upc.edu, is designed to give support in that direction, as equivalence is not found explicitly in textbooks or research papers. It contains sets of formulas with the corresponding written and oral version in several languages. The project, conducted by professors at the UPC Engineering School at Manresa Campus, is addressed to lecturers and students as a support to ensure effective communication when both Symbolic and Foreign language are used. 1. The challenge to enhance multilingualism at EHEA From the Bologna Declaration, the institutions involved in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) are adapting their curricula according to the basic principles of quality, mobility, diversity and competitiveness. In that landscape, it is clear that the full command of at least one other language is a core competence, in order to be internationally competitive and culturally aware. Among the principal recommendations given by the European Commission to enhance multilingual competence, one of the most promising alternatives is teaching curricular subjects in a foreign language (Council of Europe, 1995), in a similar way to what is called Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL or AICLE) at other educational levels. Even different terminology is used, as for example Enseignement d’une Matière par l’Integration d’une Langue Étrangère (EMILE) in French, and there are related but different systems (Immersion, Language in Content Instruction), all of them show contact between language and discipline. This contact works as a good motivation for learning, and the universities in the Vives Network considered it as one of the main ways to achieve linguistic competence. For example the Linguistic Plan of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-Barcelona Tech (UPC), approved in 2010, deals with the third language competence, taking in account the good command of Catalan and Spanish of their members. Check Lasagabaster-Zarobe (2010) and Lasagabaster (2008) for a general overview of CLIL in Spain and Europe. However, maximal quality in the achievement of other competences needs to be guaranteed, so translation of contents is not the only thing to be done. Concretely, in the framework for the Mathematics curricula in Engineering Education, it is important to deal with the implications of the use of foreign language on the development of mathematical competence. We need to make arrangements in order to keep in parallel