Malta: experts involved and ECML activities

The ECML National Support Event “Languages – where best to start from? In the early years! CLIL in languages other than English – Pre-A1 Starters”, held at the Institute for Education in Malta, brought together teachers of Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Spanish working in primary schools. 

In the first part, Petra DARYAI-HANSEN introduced the ECML resource “Inspiring language learning in the early years” (ILLEY) and presented, based on the CLIL LOTE transitions resource, guiding principles for CLIL and recommendations to support CLIL LOTE across educational stages. Additionally, Erica KAWKA ARMENI presented language descriptors for CLIL LOTE transitions based on the CEFR, focusing on Pre-A1 descriptors. 

Building on these presentations, the teachers shared and reflected on their own experiences. Finally, drawing on the Pre-A1 language descriptors for Listening and Speaking, the participants designed sample lesson plans and prepared a three-minute presentation. 

Inspired by the results, participants agreed to share their teaching materials on a common platform. As a next step – as discussed during the training – it is being considered to include an additional objective in the Maltese Foreign Language Learning Programme (FLLP) in primary education. The suggested additional objective is: “to strengthen languages other than English through Content and Language Integrated Learning.”

Petra DARYAI-HANSEN, Denmark

• “CLIL in languages other than English – Successful transitions across educational stages” in English, French and German: www.ecml.at/CLILLOTEtransitions
   

Local organiser: Alice Micallef, Directorate for Learning and Assessment Programmes

ECML experts: Karine Dekeukelaere, Belgium; Jana Beresova, Slovakia

Participants: 25 (language testers and examiners, item writers, teachers and teacher trainers, curriculum developers, language inspectors, policymakers)

"Alternative forms of assessment are key in current teaching, learning and assessment programmes in the language education area. They provide possibility for teachers and learners to work together in the language learning journey as learners become more aware of ways of how to evaluate the process of language learning. School-based assessment has been recently introduced in the Maltese secondary school assessment system and forms part of the final assessment grade. Validity and reliability of school-based assessment is an area that continues to raise a lot of discussion.

The RELANG workshop introduced a new module in its new programme on the area of alternative assessment and specifically addresses the theme of validity and reliability of such assessment. The workshop organised in Malta in October 2023 addressed a number of salient areas related to validity and reliability of alternative forms of assessment and proposed ways of how to organise and plan such practice at classroom level.

A group of 25 stakeholders from the state and non-state sectors were invited to participate in the ECML workshop. Item writers, examiners, teacher trainers and teachers were introduced to various aspects related to alternative forms of assessment practices to be able to critically analyse current assessment practices. The workshop also served to strengthen the area of professional development related to assessment practices in the FL/ L2 classroom at secondary school level."

Alice Micallef, local organiser, January 2023

ECML project website: RELANG – EU-ECML cooperation agreement 2022 "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning"

Local organiser of the ECML training and consultancy event: Christine Borg
ECML experts: Aline Germain-Rutherford, Canada, Martina Emke, Germany, Ursula Stickler, United Kingdom
Participants: 22 foreign language teachers and heads of department for languages in secondary schools from the three sectors in Malta: state, church and independent; teacher trainers; with a wide spectrum of languages taught in Malta: Italian, French, German, Spanish and Arabic.

Language teachers in Malta had the opportunity to participate in a series of online sessions to include more ICT tools in the teaching and learning process. The sessions were spread over five days for a total of 15  hours in which the participants followed tasks to integrate digital tools in the language classroom. Tasks included the use of online resources and how they can be used to motivate students to participate in class and to improve their abilities in the four language skills. They ranged from ice-breaking activities to means of online collaboration in which teachers could help students both in the receptive and productive skills.  A collaborative space was created online where teachers could share ideas and good practices and gain new insights on language teaching and learning. The event was facilitated by ECML language experts who led the workshops during three synchronous sessions who offered practical tips for both face-to-face and distance learning scenarios. Group work among the participants, creation of tasks and sharing of experiences were held during the remaining two asynchronous sessions.

Christine Borg

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy for member States "Use of ICT in support of language learning and teaching - ICT-REV"

Local organiser of the ECML training and consultancy events: Alice Micallef, Malta.

Date of the online events: 18-19 November, 11 December 2020.

Participants: 23 participants; education officers for Maltese, English, Science and Maths and the Early Years who support teachers in schools and provide professional development sessions, amongst other work related to curricula, and assessment; heads of school; curriculum education officers working in schools; teachers.

An ECML workshop and consultancy session was organised in November and December 2020 in the context of the ECML training and consultancy offer for member states : “Supporting the language(s) of schooling: The ROADMAP - a web-based, user-friendly and customised self-assessment tool to foster school development”. A project was initiated with stakeholders in state schools with the aim of raising awareness and to help stakeholders work towards a whole-school strategy to support the development of students’ competences in the language(s) of schooling. Stakeholders were familiarised with the Roadmap tools and discussed the specific linguistic support required for learners in local school contexts. This includes learners with a migrant background as well as other learners who require support in one or both languages of schooling. A consultation meeting was held to discuss and plan the way forward in this regard.

The first phase of the project will address the situation in the Early Years and Primary sector and to initiate discussion across school sectors. The Roadmap tool will be used in schools to evaluate and address requirements related to the languages of schooling. Stakeholders from various schools and sectors are invited to form part of the working group with the aim of discussing and disseminating information on the Roadmap project.

Alice Micallef, local organiser of the ECML training and consultancy event

Related ECML resource website

• A roadmap for schools to support the language(s) of schooling (available in English, French and German)

Local organiser: Lara Sammut Debono, Education Officer, Migrant Learners' Unit - Ministry of Education and Employment (MEDE)

ECML experts: Katja Schnitzer, Germany; Kristin Brogan, Ireland

Participants: 26 (foreign language teachers, teacher educators, teachers of the language of schooling, school administrators and school advisers)

Programme

On the 5^th and 6^th of March 2020, under the auspices of the cooperation partnership with the European Commission, the ECML and the Maltese Ministry of Education and Employment (MEDE) organised a very beneficial training workshop on Supporting Multilingual Classrooms. It focused on developing a whole-school approach to valuing and supporting linguistic and cultural diversity and multiple ways of collaboration among teachers of various levels and subjects. Education professionals representing public entities attended the workshop. These included education officers, members of school management teams, teachers from both the primary and secondary sectors and community liaison workers. This provided a cross-section of stakeholders working at multiple levels, with the aim of exploiting multilingualism as a valuable resource.

The event demonstrated that all learners, both those speaking the majority language and those speaking minority languages, can be empowered by their own plurilingual identity in a multilingual society. Teachers were encouraged to develop positive attitudes towards linguistic and cultural diversity. The strong point of the training was the practical approach to supporting plurilingual learners in mainstream classrooms. Ideas were shared on how learning can be scaffolded and on how to develop strategies for differentiated learning. The moderators guided participants during workshops on how to apply these principles to their existing school context. The experts referred to existing ECML resources and participants discussed how these could be adapted to their learners’ needs. Formative assessment was addressed and in particular its supportive role in language development in different subjects with the help of a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach. The experts’ delivery was greatly appreciated by the participants attending the workshop.

 Lara Sammut Debono, local organiser, 14 March 2020

ECML project website: Supporting multilingual classrooms – EU-ECML cooperation agreement 2019-2020 "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning"