European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe

Take part in the webinar “Fostering digital citizenship through language education”

The e-lang citizen project will offer a free bilingual (English and French) webinar on Tuesday 22 June 2021, from 17:00 – 18.15 (CEST).

• What is a digital citizen?
• How does digital citizenship education link up with language education? 
• What type of digital language tasks can support learners to become digital citizens?

If you have ever asked or tried to answer any of these questions, this webinar, which takes place within the activities of the current European Centre for Modern Languages’ project “Digital citizenship through language education” (e-lang citizen), will be of interest to you.

Primarily targeted at language teachers and teacher trainers, the webinar will propose a profile of a digital citizen as a user of languages and digital technology, based on the analysis of around one hundred recently published texts containing a definition of the “digital citizen” or identifying elements constituting digital citizenship.

The links between digital citizenship education and language education – social interaction and communication skills, plurilingual competences and mediation– will be explored during the event.

Within the project, the coordinating team, from 5 different countries, aims to establish a database, providing concrete and practical learning activities and tasks for developing digital citizenship in the language classroom. The webinar will offer a look into the initial materials created. Participants will find also out how they can further engage with the project.

Please register here by 21 June 2021.

The place of home languages at school: participate in a European survey!

The RECOLANG team (Resources for assessing the home language competences of migrant pupils) is carrying out a European survey on the place of home languages at school, particularly within different education programmes or curricula involving migrant adolescents aged 11-18.

This survey focuses on the practices of assessing home language skills and their role in different European education systems. 

The survey is made up of two complementary sections aimed at two different target audiences:

• A section aimed at pupils aged between 11 and 18 (or their families), who are from a migrant background and one or more home languages other than the language(s) of the school. This section is available in Arabic, English, French, German, Persian (Dari/Farsi), Portuguese and Turkish: https://surveyforlearners.questionpro.com
• A section for schools and educational institutions, teaching and supervisory staff in schools, reception centres and organisations involved in initial and further professional development of teachers working with this age group (11-18 years). This section is available in English, French, German, Hungarian and Portuguese: https://enqueteinstitutionseducatives.questionpro.com

The survey will be online until the end of 2021. We would be very grateful if you could participate in this survey and disseminate it as widely as possible through your professional networks to anyone who might be interested in this project.

The Recolang project team

More information

25th Anniversary publication

Changing contexts, evolving competences: 25 years of inspiring innovation in language education

This publication celebrates a momentous stage in the history of the European Centre for Modern Languages: its 25th anniversary. Its central aims are to review and showcase the achievements of the ECML, as reflected in its many projects and publications, and to put its achievements in the context of the broader work of the Council of Europe.

This publication offers a fascinating journey through the world of international language education over a quarter of a century, seen from the perspective of one of its main actors, the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe.

Demographic, political and technological changes in society combined with globalisation have dramatically reshaped the educational landscape in Europe in the past 25 years. As a result, the language-related expectations and challenges within national education systems have significantly evolved.

The publication which focuses on the role and achievements of the ECML in this context, includes contributions from international experts working at the cutting edge of language education as well as testimonials from stakeholders responsible for supporting and implementing innovative approaches to language education around Europe.

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