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    Newsletter 21


 

Newsletter of the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe
Edition no. 21 - March 2014

Dear Readers,

As I was unable to contribute to the December Gazette, this is my first editorial since taking up post as Executive Director in October last year. It’s hard to believe that this was only four and half months ago, given the extensive, varied and enriching activities I’ve already been involved in. 2013 marked the halfway point in our current programme: Learning through Languages” as well as the end of four of our projects: Language Descriptors; Languages in corporate quality; CARAP National Networks and MoreDots. But of course, with ECML projects there’s no such a thing as an end” because they live on through the outputs which are widely disseminated and used and some projects become part of our Training and Consultancy offer to member states or our cooperation with the European Commission.

2014 certainly augers well for the ECML, given the range of events outlined in this Gazette. Not least of these is our forthcoming conference under the Austrian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. This is an exciting opportunity to showcase all that we do to deliver on the promise of our strapline promoting excellence in language education”. Of course we don’t do this by ourselves, but rather together with colleagues in Strasbourg within the Council of Europe Language Policy Unit, Pestalozzi Unit and European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, with the Austrian Association of the ECML, with our member states and our project teams, with the language organisations in our Professional Network Forum, the European Commission and many other cooperation partners who so generously share their expertise and help spread the word. I’m gradually getting to know you all and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all for your support and commitment.

I hope 2014 has got off to a promising start for you too. Read on and enjoy!

Sarah Breslin
Executive Director of the ECML


Conference of the Committee of Ministers under the Austrian Chairmanship of the Council of Europe: registration open until 7 March

On 20-21 March 2014 the Austrian Ministry for Education, Art and Culture, in co-operation with the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe, is organising a high-level educational conference on the theme Quality Education and language competencies for 21st century society: traditions, challenges ,visions”. This conference will provide a platform for debate and discussion not only on the value of quality language education and the contribution it makes to wider educational goals, but also on how the challenges and burning issues confronting countries across Europe and beyond are being addressed.

Share your ideas and views on Quality education: conference and blog

In preparation for the conference the ECML has launched a blog to get your views as language professionals on 3 topical issues in education:

  • Learning spaces and learner autonomy - what role can the physical structure of the classroom play in influencing and motivating learning? Does it play a role in fostering learner autonomy? What are the key factors contribute to the development of learner autonomy?
  • Using technology in the classroom - how is the fast-moving world of technology changing the learning environment and to what extent can the teaching profession harness it as a force for improving language competences?
  • Plurilingual education - with recent demographic changes dramatically altering the composition of schools – how can we best adapt our approaches to meet the needs of today’s linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms?

We would greatly value your ideas and comments on these themes where opinions among the different stakeholders in education can vary widely. The input from the blog (//www.ecml.at/conferenceblog) will feed into this major conference. The event offers a unique opportunity for dialogue at an international level between language professionals, representatives of national educational administrations, civil society and international organisations and policy-makers.

You are very welcome to participate in the event in Graz- either physically (by registering on a self-financing basis) or virtually, as the whole programme will be video streamed live via the ECML website.

For further details on the event and how to get involved, please visit our website: //www.ecml.at/conference. We look forward to you joining us!

Registration will be open until 7 March 2014. Should you be interested in this conference please register by using the official registration form


International Conference "Crossing continents: EPOSTL around the world" (ECML, Graz, Austria, 18-19 February 2014)


 

The European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (EPOSTL) is a catalogue of didactic competences which encourages both students undergoing their initial teacher education and practising teachers to reflect on the didactic knowledge and skills necessary to teach languages.

From 18 – 19 February, 2014 the conference Crossing continents: The European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (EPOSTL) around the world took place at the ECML. It was attended by 50 participants from 18 different countries and three continents. Amongst the participants were 15 members of the Japanese Association of College English Teachers (JACET), for whom a special workshop had taken place on the previous day. The conference was sponsored by the Austrian Association of the ECML and the Austrian Association of Language Didactics (ÖGSD).


Upcoming workshops



ECML publications for plurilingual and intercultural education in use

(PIU) (Graz, 26-28 March 2014)

Involving parents in plurilingual and intercultural education
(CARAP for parents) (Graz, 28-30 April 2014)



ECML-EU cooperation agreement 2013-2014 on innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning


Two initiatives are carried out within the framework of a cooperation agreement between the European Centre for Modern Languages and the European Commission, entitled "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning".

... read more


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Council of Europe Language Policy Unit 
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The European Wergeland Centre

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European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe
Promoting excellence in language education
Centre européen pour les langues vivantes du Conseil de l´Europe
Pour l’excellence dans l’éducation aux langues

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