Additive Language Pedagogy: Aligning a Learner-Centered Approach with Student Diversity

One of the strongholds of the philosophy of education in Danish primary schools is to build learning activities on students´ resources and knowledge base. This calls for a differentiated approach to learning in classrooms characterized by increased linguistic and cultural diversity. However, for students with language minority background this general principle is often superseded by a focus on homogenization and silencing of diversity. This article is based on Cummins´ distinction between additive and subtractive bilingualism, and it introduces the concept of additive language pedagogy and discusses how this can be developed as part of the teachers´ instructional practices in plurilingual settings.