Young migrants
Supporting multilingual classrooms

Local coordinators from 16 countries (Albania, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain) met with project teams at the ECML on 30-31 October to  advance preparations for  national workshops to be hosted  on the themes  of  Relating language curricula, tests and examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference (RELANG) and Supporting Multilingual Classrooms.  The  series of events targeting practitioners, multipliers and administrators at national level will take place between January and August 2019.

The RELANG and Supporting Multilingual Classrooms initiatives, providing training to Member States of the European Union and the European Centre for Modern Languages, are organised through a joint cooperation action with the European Commission - first launched in 2013. www.ecml.at/ec-cooperation. The action which is based on  two key language education concerns within the targeted states will offer training and consultancy over the next year  to around 500 language professionals within national systems.

Further details on the events and how to participate will be made available on the initiatives’ respective websites

Dedicated websites:

• RELANG
• Supporting Multilingual Classrooms

RELANG network

'Supporting Multilingual Classes' Network

Are you looking for input for an in-service training to develop the professional skills of language educators? Or are you in need of consultancy to advance local, regional or national reform processes and to meet international standards? Then take a closer look at what the ECML has on offer.

ECML experts in language education work with national authorities and local experts to devise and implement in-country activities, tailored to the particular context and target audience.

Information on offers and the 2019 request form are available online: http://www.ecml.at/TrainingandConsultancy

Requests for a training and consultancy activity must be submitted until 4 November 2018 via the national ECML representative in the Governing Board.
Educational professionals interested in organising a particular activity should therefore contact their national representative.

Local organiser: Louise Glen, Education Scotland
ECML experts: Chantal Muller, Belgium; Katja Schnitzer, Germany
Participants: 45; teachers, teacher educators, school administrators, policymakers, parents 

That the ECML experts were willing and able to adapt the type of workshop and inputs they led at the events in Scotland made a huge difference in terms of encouraging teachers to attend, as we currently have a national shortage of teachers and difficulty in finding supply teachers.  In order that as many teachers as possible could attend, the experts tailored their inputs into two x 1 day events, the second day a repeat of the first.

Despite the challenge of truncating a two-day workshop, the team put together a highly effective, engaging and impressive event which received 100% positive feedback from the participants.

As an observer of each day’s proceedings, I saw how engaged the teachers were throughout each day; they appreciated the opportunity to share practice , as well as learn about  methodologies to enhance their own pedagogy. There is possibly a gap in provision in Scotland of relevant, up-to-date training for teachers who are tasked with integrating learners with limited or no English into their classrooms, as well as training which equips teachers with approaches on how to ensure that migrant children’s home language(s) are recognised and respected. This ECML workshop has helped to open up a debate on how we provide support for our school-age ‘New Scots’.

The ECML experts were knowledgeable, approachable and highly professional - they thoroughly deserve the very positive feedback they have received from the Scottish participants!

Louise Glen, local organiser, 12 July 2018

ECML project website: Supporting multilingual classrooms – EU-ECML cooperation agreement 2017-2018 "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning"