Building blocks for planning language-sensitive teacher education

In late May 2022, the “Building blocks” project team were fortunate to be able to travel to Graz for their second expert meeting. Two days of intensive work were devoted to discussing and improving the first drafts of what will become the project outputs. While these will mainly be concerned with the language-related elements that are too often missing in curricula for initial and in-service teacher education, the team members agreed on the importance of also aligning teacher education with the language-related specifications in national or state curricula for learners.

The planned building blocks, which will include texts, graphics, and links to existing projects and resources, will cover a range of sub-topics that are relevant for planning teacher education with a language-specific focus. These topics include references to key European policy recommendations, an accessible definition of language-sensitive education, and tasks to raise the target audiences’ awareness of language-related learner competences in curricula. At the core of the output, there will be practical tasks and recommendations for enriching teacher education curricula and selected modules of pre- and in-service education, as well as observation and teaching practice, with a (greater) focus on language-related issues across subject boundaries. In addition, teacher educators will be offered model profiles of language-related teacher competences for different categories of teachers, containing some dimensions that overlap these categories, and others that are needed for specific kinds of teaching.

The first building blocks will be made available for piloting and feedback after summer, in preparation for the main workshop, which will take place at the ECML on 14-15 February 2023.

Authors: Lukas Bleichenbacher, Nataša Pirih Svetina, Richard Rossner, Anna Schröder-Sura

• ECML project website “Building blocks for planning language-sensitive teacher education” (2022-2023, available in English and German) www.ecml.at/languagesensitiveteachereducation

This new two-year ECML project was launched in January 2022 at an online expert meeting of the project team. The aim of the project is to devise a set of products aimed at teacher educators and curriculum planners, to assist them in the planning of language-sensitive teacher education across all subjects.

At the meeting, the team members drafted a definition of language-sensitive education that will inform the project work and compiled a shortlist of relevant European and national resources that will provide the background for developing the building blocks. The building blocks will include recommendations for reviewing existing teacher education curricula and courses by, for example, adding various modules and activities aimed at developing (future) teachers’ language awareness and language competences. Sample hands-on tasks for initial and in-service teacher education will illustrate these recommendations. The building blocks will also stimulate debate about the language-related competences required by all teachers, and about those which are needed by teachers of specific subjects including foreign languages and the language(s) of schooling.

First drafts of the building blocks will be shared with members of the project network as of early summer 2022 and revised for discussion at a project workshop early in 2023.

Lukas Bleichenbacher, Natasa Pirih Svetina, Richard Rossner, Anna Schröder Sura

Project website available in English and German: www.ecml.at/languagesensitiveteachereducation

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« Matériaux pour une formation des enseignant·e·s sensible à la dimension linguistique » : lancement du projet
Première réunion en ligne de l'équipe de projet (12-13 janvier 2022)

Ce nouveau projet de deux ans du CELV a été lancé en janvier 2022 lors d'une réunion d'experts en ligne de l'équipe de projet. Son objectif est de concevoir un ensemble de produits destinés aux formateurs d'enseignants et aux concepteurs de programmes d'études, afin de les aider à planifier une formation enseignante sensible aux langues dans toutes les matières.

Lors de la réunion, les membres de l'équipe ont rédigé une définition de l'éducation sensible aux langues qui servira de base au travail du projet et ont compilé une liste de ressources européennes et nationales pertinentes sur lesquelles s'appuiera le développement des modules. Les modules comprendront des recommandations pour réviser les programmes et les cours existants pour la formation des enseignants, par exemple en ajoutant divers modules et activités visant à développer la conscience et les compétences linguistiques des (futurs) enseignants. Des exemples de tâches pratiques pour la formation initiale et continue des enseignants illustreront ces recommandations. Les modules stimuleront également le débat sur les compétences relatives aux langues, requises pour tous les enseignants, ainsi que sur celles nécessaires aux enseignants de matières spécifiques, notamment de langues étrangères et de la/des langues de scolarisation.

Les premières versions des modules seront partagées avec les membres du réseau du projet au début de l'été 2022. Elles seront révisées en vue de la discussion prévue dans le cadre de l'atelier du projet qui se tiendra au début de 2023.

Lukas Bleichenbacher, Natasa Pirih Svetina, Richard Rossner, Anna Schröder Sura

Site web du projet disponible en anglais et en allemand : www.ecml.at/languagesensitiveteachereducation

In January 2022 the ECML launched a new 2-year project entitled “Building blocks for planning language-sensitive teacher education”. This project responds to the need in member states to strengthen languages awareness in teacher education programmes.

The purpose of the project is to develop resources in the form of building blocks for teacher educators and curriculum planners working with teachers of different languages and subjects. The building blocks include guidelines to help ensure that a focus on language-sensitive education is built into teacher education curricula and courses. The aim is to enable practising and future teachers to help their students to meet their language and communication needs. 

This project is coordinated by Lukas Bleichenbacher, PH St. Gallen (Switzerland). More information is available on the project website.