Gazette 50 – January-May 2020

Are you a parent struggling to find motivating activities to support your child’s language development at home? Or a language teacher adapting your pedagogy to online delivery? Perhaps you are a student, who would like to use this opportunity to have some fun while working on your language skills? If so, the new ECML treasure chest is for you.

Read the full news item: English – French

With Europe still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, many language teachers are currently obliged to teach fully online. For a lot of them this is a completely new and unfamiliar situation, seemingly with plenty of potential pitfalls. To offer assistance, an online workshop will be offered separately in English (6 May), French (8 May) and German (11 May) (17:00-19:00 CET).

The interactive event will draw on the extensive experience and work of the European Centre for Modern Languages’ project ICT-REV: Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning. It will begin by focusing on teachers’ needs in technology dependent teaching and providing examples of how technology can be used to promote interaction in online language teaching. Participants will then be able to explore the ICT-REV Inventory of ICT tools and to reflect on how specific applications can be used to bring added value to online language teaching and learning.

Please register at the following address at least three days before the session you would like to attend, so that you can take part in a short pre-workshop activity.

ECML member states, experts and wider stakeholders have recognised the occasion of the ECML’s 25th Anniversary as an opportunity to raise awareness of the political importance of quality language education and of its contribution to democratic, peaceful societies. They have agreed this Declaration which highlights the ECML’s key contribution to ensuring that inclusive, plurilingual and intercultural education becomes a reality in member states.

Read the full Declaration: English – French

2020 marks the launch of the ECML’s 6th medium-term programme www.ecml.at/inspiringinnovation. This programme has been developed in direct response to identified language education priorities in ECML member states.

Download the programme flyer: English – French

All nine project teams have held successfully their first meetings and launched their respective project websites. Each site offers an overview of the respective project and details of how to get involved.

Stay tuned to these platforms for ongoing developments:

• CLIL in languages other than English: www.ecml.at/CLILforsuccessfultransitions
• CEFR Companion Volume implementation toolbox: www.ecml.at/companionvolumetoolbox
• Developing teacher competences for pluralistic approaches: www.ecml.at/pluralisticteachercompetences
• Developing transversal competences in language education: www.ecml.at/transversalcompetences
• Digital citizenship through language education: www.ecml.at/elangcitizen
• Enhancing language education in cross-border vocational education: www.ecml.at/crossbordervocationaleducation
• Mediation in teaching, learning and assessment: www.ecml.at/mediation
• Resources for assessing the home language competences of migrant pupils: www.ecml.at/homelanguagecompetences
• Young children's language learning pathways: www.ecml.at/younglearnerpathways

Given the current situation around the Coronavirus, the RELANG and Supporting Multilingual Classrooms workshops under the ECML-EU cooperation initially scheduled for the period March-June 2020 had to be postponed until autumn. The experts and the local coordinators are working together to find new dates for the training workshops. Please visit the ECML website and the online calendar for updates.

The ECML is developing a language challenge app around the European Day of Languages. The 51 challenges contained within the handbook produced in 2019 encourage learners to go a little outside their comfort zone and take advantage of the plentiful opportunities available to practice or learn more about a language beyond a classroom context. The app will be available in 25+ languages.
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Would you be able to recognise Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian, Danish, English, Hungarian, Greek, Irish, Japanese, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Maltese, Occitan, Polish, Romanian, Russian or Serbian when you hear two people talking in one of these languages on a bus, in a café or on the street? The language game “Which language is it?” is one of many activities offered on the EDL website which may help you train this skill!

We are currently looking for the native speakers to volunteer to record a short conversation in an ‘everyday’ environment (in so far as this is possible in the current situation!). If you would be willing to volunteer for this feature, please contact gabija.kiausaite@ecml.at for further details.

The winner of the 2020 EDL T-shirt contest with a very aesthetic design was Catalina María Puebla Coenen from Spain.

The EDL t-shirts for 2020 based on the new design are now available in more than 30 languages, and can be ordered from the following address: https://shop.spreadshirt.at/ECML.

Editors: David Newby, Frank Heyworth, Marisa Cavalli.

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.

• To buy the print version at the Council of Europe online bookshop: English – French
• To download the book for free on the ECML website: English – French

E-lang provides language teachers with resources which promote the use of “realworld tasks” in a pedagogical approach that fully integrates social interactions. E-lang ultimately supports learners to become competent and autonomous language users as well as digital citizens.

Access download page: English – French

Braddell Alexander, Grünhage-Monetti Matilde, Portefin Christophe, Sjösvard Kerstin (2019), "Aus der Praxis: Deutsch für die Arbeit – Ein Wegweiser mit praktischen Tipps, um erwachsene Zugewanderte beim Lernen der deutschen Sprache für die Arbeit zu unterstützen", in Stein Margit, Steenkamp Daniela, Weingraber Sophie, Zimmer Veronika (eds.), Flucht.Migration.Pädagogik – Willkommen? Aktuelle Kontroversen und Vorhaben, Bad Heilbrunn: Verlag Julius Klinkhardt, pp. 412-426.
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Institut de recherche et de documentation pédagogique (IRDP) (2019), "EOLE (Éducation et ouverture aux langues à l’école), Éveil aux langues, Approches plurielles des langues et des cultures, Projet CARAP (Cadre de référence pour les approches plurielles des langues et des cultures)", in Rapport annuel IRDP 2018, IRDP, Neuchâtel, (19.1), p. 12.
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The Professional Network Forum of the ECML is comprised of international associations and institutions that share common values and have overlapping expertise in the field of language education and assessment. Under the auspices of the ECML, the members of the Forum share their know-how and work together on areas of common interest in the service of language education.

Members of the Forum: ACTFL, AILA, ALTE, CEL/ELC, CercleS, EALTA, EAQUALS, ECSPM, ECML/Council of Europe, EDiLiC, EFNIL, EPA, EUNIC, FIPLV, IAM, ICC, OLBI.

• Upcoming events of the network members
• Dedicated ECML web pages: English – French

The Work Programme of the new Styrian Provincial Government for the XVIII. legislative period highlights the fact that the seat of the European Centre for Modern Languages is located in Graz, and that Styria, in cooperation with the City of Graz and the Federal Government of Austria, are committed to sustaining and supporting the Centre.

• Arbeitsprogramm der Steiermärkischen Landesregierung für die XVIII. Gesetzgebungsperiode (December 2019, see page 54 – available in German only)

Latest newsletter from the Austrian Language Competence Centre

• Sprachbox no. 1/2020 (available in German)
• Web section dedicated to the cooperation with the ECML (available in German)

Recent publication: Les clés du Cadre

Adopted in 2001 by the Council of Europe, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) has profoundly changed modern language teaching and assessment in France and many other European countries. In this publication (2019), Francis Goullier lists and explains the key components of this language policy document.

Latest newsletters edited by France Éducation International, the national contact point for the ECML

Courriel européen des langues

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the ECML and the completion of its "Languages at the heart of learning" programme, Issue no. 42 of the Courriel européen des langues gives the floor to Sarah Breslin, ECML Executive Director (review and conference on 5-6 December 2019), and Claire Extramiana, ECML Governing Board member for France, who offers an overview of the French projects in the 2016-2019 programme and presents the French representation within the new project teams for the period 2020-2023. Four ECML project coordinators present the outcomes and achievements of their projects. Bronka Straus, ECML Governing Board member for Slovenia, has been interviewed about language teaching in her country.

"La Lettre de France Éducation International": April 2020

Infolettre "Veille et ressources documentaires": January 2020 – February 2020 – Mars 2020

The updated bibliography “Découvrir le système éducatif français : sélection de ressources” (Discovering the French education system: selection of resources) (March 2020) offers a selection of resources (websites and publications in French and English) relating to the organisation, the functioning and the main institutions of the French education system.

Language teaching: at least two modern languages by the end of secondary education

On 26 November 2017 at the Sorbonne, in a speech entitled Initiative for Europe, the President of the Republic expressed the wish that all students should master two modern languages by the end of high school. Improving French students' proficiency in modern languages is a priority for the Ministry, as can be seen in the section devoted to foreign and regional modern languages on the website of the Ministry of Education and Youth. Every pupil must be able to communicate in at least two modern languages by the end of secondary education. To achieve this objective, language teaching is part of a strong common European perspective. Pupils have contact with a foreign language from the first grade and oral practice is a priority at all levels of schooling from primary onwards.

Ministry of National Education and Youth, DGESCO (General Directorate for School Education) – Modern Languages: National resource portal - SchoolNet

Dedicated to education professionals, this portal of modern language resources is made available online by Éduscol. It provides all modern language teachers with a single point of entry to resources and information they need in their profession or to prepare for it. Teachers can find free teaching resources (by level and programme, by device, for assessments and examinations, digital resources and resources for the common base) and institutional information (official texts and curricula). In addition to the “headline” (à la une) and "zoom in" (zoom sur) sections, there are four main headings: Teaching, Information, Training and News.

IRDP podcasts

IRDP is launching a series of podcasts on educational research. The first episodes are devoted to the theme of diversity at school, the subject of the Institute's 50th anniversary celebrations. In an interview with Sylviane Tinembart, a specialist teacher in the history of education at HEP Vaud, she discusses the theme of diversity in schools in the past. Listen to this first podcast!

IRDP Focus

Report "Suivi de l'implantation de la rénovation du cycle 3 dans le canton de Neuchâtel" (Monitoring the implementation of the Cycle 3 renovation in the canton of Neuchâtel), under the coordination of Franca Armi.

Renewing our partnership

In December, Jérémie Séror, Director of OLBI and Nikolay Slavkov, Director, Canadian Centre for Studies and Research on Bilingualism and Language Planning (CCERBAL) travelled to Austria for the 25th anniversary conference of the ECML. During the event, Sarah Breslin, the Centre's Executive Director, signed the renewal of the Memorandum of Cooperation and Liaison between ECML and OLBI. Established in 2008, this memorandum ensures cooperation between the two institutions. As per the agreement, OLBI disseminates ECML content and proposes Canadian experts to participate in various projects, making OLBI the National Nominating Authority for Canada.

In regards to OLBI’s achievements

OLBI invites you to read its 2017-2019 Annual Report, which presents key achievements from the last two years. The report outlines the progress and impact of OLBI’s programmes, its teaching practices, its research projects, all of which are enriched by valuable collaborations and partnerships, among others with the ECML (see pp. 12 and 23).

OLBI Working Papers on translanguaging

The newest edition of OLBI Working Papers, Volume 10, dubbed Translanguaging: opportunities and challenges in a global world, is available in digital format. A hard copy can be requested from olbi@uOttawa.ca.

The ECML is pleased to welcome

• Ms Tatjana Kunda (Latvia), as National Nominating Authority and National Contact Point (November 2019); and
• Ms Simona Dzikauskaitė (Lithuania), as National nominating authority (March 2020).

We would like to offer our thanks to Ms Rita Kursite (Latvia) and Ms Vilma Bačkiūtė (Lithuania) with whom the ECML has cooperated closely in the past. It really has been a great pleasure to work with them!

ECML web pages dedicated to Latvia and Lithuania

The Education Department is adapting to the current situation. The web section “COVID-19 Response” presents the actions taken to address the challenges faced. You will find here relevant information including good practices from the member states, Council of Europe education standards and new and existing education resources addressing the current challenges that can be used by teachers, other education professionals and the general public.

This new report presents the results of the Council of Europe 2018 survey conducted in co-operation with the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) on language and knowledge of society policies (KoS) for migrants.

• Full news item
• Read the report
• Access the LIAM web page

Member states are also encouraged to recognise Romani as a minority language under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages as a clear commitment to cultural and linguistic diversity in Europe.
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The Council of Europe supports the promotion and teaching of the Romani language and has developed a Curriculum Framework for Romani (CFR). To promote quality education in Romani the ECML also provides training on the use of QualiRom materials and consultancy on the CFR.

The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is the European convention for the protection and promotion of languages used by traditional minorities. Together with the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities it constitutes the Council of Europe's commitment to the protection of national minorities.

Latest national developments: reports and recommendations