ECML webinars

ECML webinar for potential proposal writers: Call for proposals for the “Language education at the heart of democracy” programme (2024-27)

Are you interested in submitting a project proposal for the European Centre for Modern Languages’ (ECML) next programme? 

Following the ECML’s recent launch of  the Call for project proposals for its 2024-2027 programme, entitled “Language education at the heart of democracy”, the Centre is offering a practical  2-hour webinar targeted directly at language professionals interested in submitting a project proposal. 

The webinar will address topics such as:

• Key elements of an ECML project
• What makes a successful project proposal
• How I prepared my project (the experiences of a current project coordinator)
• Finding relevant Council of Europe resources and how to build on these
• How to find team members
• Completing the project submission form (explanations and tips)

The webinar will include a 45-minute group-work session to enable participants to ask questions about the Call and the submission procedure.

It will also address, in greater depth, issues presented in the initial launch webinar on 15 May and in the Call document. Participants should take note of these resources in preparation for the event, as well as familiarising themselves with the Call website which contains the submission form and the project selection criteria.

As only a limited amount of places are available for the Zoom webinar, registration will be based on a first come, first served basis  - participants will be asked to indicate their preferred working language for the  breakout room discussions. Participants will also be expected to think about possible questions and proposal topics to discuss in the group work.

A recording (of the presentations only)  will be made available via the Call website shortly after the event. For this reason, participants will be asked at registration to agree to the recording.

Recorded 12 June 2023

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN9SpGE7GcQ
Webinar in French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsxcox7Dmh4
Download: Powerpoint presentation

Launch event for the ECML Call for proposals for its 2024-27 programme: Language education at the heart of democracy

Are you interested in addressing key challenges in language education working within a unique European platform? The European Centre for Modern Languages is launching the Call for project proposals for its next programme, “Language education at the heart of democracy”, starting in January 2024, and based on identified priorities in language education of the Centre’s member states.  

This one-hour webinar:

• introduces the focus of the Call for proposals and the rationale behind the new programme;
• highlights the most pressing challenges in language education elicited from a recent survey covering policy makers and language education professionals in the 35 member states of the ECML;
• provides information on how to become involved in the Centre’s next programme and explains the different possibilities for engagement;
• outlines both the benefits and challenges of coordinating/being involved in an ECML project.

The event is aimed at language professionals with an interest in the international context of language education, ECML national contacts and networks cooperating with the Centre. The ECML is also particularly keen to reach out to newcomers and to encourage the next generation of language professionals to engage in its work.

This introductory webinar will be followed up by a 2nd event on 12 June focusing specifically on potential project proposal writers.

Recorded 15 May 2023

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOtYEY64vqo
Webinar in French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unRF9JIPwS0
Download: powerpoint presentation

Webinar "A new Council of Europe Recommendation on language education: the importance of teacher education"

In June 2022, the ECML launched a series of 4 webinars on Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)1 on the importance of plurilingual and intercultural education for a culture of democracy, which was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in February 2022. 

The first webinar focused on the main messages for decision-makers and first steps for implementation. In the second webinar, Professor David Little provided an analysis of the definition of plurilingual and intercultural education that forms the basis of the Recommendation, while examining the educational and societal challenges that the Recommendation aims to address. 

In this third webinar in the series, Professor Mirjam Egli Cuenat, will focus on the importance that Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)1 places on teacher education: what are the specific recommendations with regard to initial and in-service teacher education? What are their implications for training programmes? How can they be implemented in practice? These questions will be addressed using concrete examples from teacher education for different target levels.

The final webinar in the series will then focus on societal engagement for successful implementation of the Recommendation.

Recorded 29 March 2023

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPia_5wiDHA
Webinar in French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx3lxsMDOYU
Download: Powerpoint presentation (in French)

Webinar “Supporting the linguistic integration of young refugees from Ukraine”

Has your school opened its doors to refugees from Ukraine? What impact has this had on learning and teaching?  Do you feel confident in supporting learners who struggle to understand you or to make themselves understood?  Do you have access to appropriate resources?  

This webinar will provide you with guidance and teaching resources to address these new challenges and ensure a welcoming atmosphere, conducive to learning. You will discover how best to value this linguistic diversity in your classroom in ways that also foster the development of the language of schooling. 

Target group: pre-primary, primary and secondary teachers (of languages and other subjects)

Recorded 12 May 2022

Webinar in English: www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Wa1lU2PWY
Download: powerpoint presentation

Webinar “Roadmap for supporting the language(s) of schooling”

We know that language lies at the heart of all learning; we know that highly developed competences in the language of schooling are key to learner achievement. But do we understand the importance of adopting a whole-school approach for identifying and addressing learners’ linguistic needs?

If you would like to find out about the benefits of a whole-school approach when it comes to the language of schooling, as well as tips on how to engage all stakeholders in your school community, then this webinar is for you. 

Roadmap is a web-based, user-friendly resource for creating a strategic whole-school development plan which will foster inclusion by raising awareness of all languages present in the school community and provide concrete guidance on how to advance learners’ competences in the language(s) of schooling. 

It offers an interactive self-assessment tool, practical materials and a large database of promising practices and can be adapted to specific national contexts. One such adaptation has already taken place in Ireland- why and how this was done will be presented at the webinar. 

The webinar is intended for all those working in language education and on language-related themes within school development - teachers, teacher educators, school leaders and administrators.

Recorded 21 October 2021

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGqMab9rdMM 

Webinar "Covid-19 and language education: Two challenges, one response"

ECML WEBINAR FOR LANGUAGE EDUCATION DECISION MAKERS 

No one knows when the world will find a solution to the Covid-19 problem, and no one knows whether we shall ever return to what we think of as normality. In these circumstances, it seems appropriate to start looking for effective responses to the educational challenges posed by Covid-19. Members of the Council of Europe’s Standing Committee for Education Policy and Practice and the ECML’s Governing Board have identified public examinations and distance learning as areas of particular concern in language education. This webinar will briefly discuss these concerns and outline a possible response based on the CEFR and its Companion Volume.

Target group: The webinar is intended for language education decision makers – e.g. those responsible for policy and/or for curricula and assessment who are interested in the issues raised and would like to explore the possibility of working towards a solution in collaboration with other countries under the aegis of the ECML.

With David Little, Trinity College Dublin

Recorded 3 December 2020

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qq4lWCJB8E
Download: powerpoint presentation

Webinar "PALINGUI – Language learning pathways of young children: How to make language learning visible"

Language learning pathways are becoming more and more diverse as a result of linguistic and cultural diversity. This diversity means that young people can grow up with multiple languages and cultures, different practices and customs, as well as different ways of speaking and writing.

The new PALINGUI project of the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe (ECML) will be looking at these diverse linguistic journeys of young learners and how to make these visible.

• How can we show young children’s daily language learning? What are the key stages of their development? How can we evaluate language learning and ensure that it is appreciated and valued?
• How can we support young children’s understanding of their own learning and help them describe their next steps in their own language learning journey? 
• How can we document learning and progress in a well-founded and understandable way?
• How can we do this in the face of our demanding daily school life, without losing sight of the curriculum and without creating extra work

Recorded 5 March 2020.

Webinar in English and French: https://youtu.be/ugoFpSJOaCY
Download: powerpoint presentation

Webinar “Action research communities for language teachers”

moderated by Angela-Gallagher-Brett, Larisa Kasumagic-Kafedzic and Christine Lechner

• How can Action Research support language education?
• What have your experiences with Action Research been?
• What are the tools developed by the Action Research Communities project and how can you use them in your context?

We will address these questions, based on the experiences of the European Centre for Modern Languages’ ARC project with action research - also taking into account the effects of the pandemic.

During the webinar we will introduce the ARC project, which was based upon the conviction that teachers are at the heart of the quality process in the language learning classroom. We set out to support teachers in European classrooms using action research as an essential tool for the development of reflective classroom practice highlighting ways in which teachers can enhance their self-confidence and professionalism.

We will then dip into the ARC Spiral as a basis for discussions, as well as showing tools that the ARC-Community has built for teacher education and telling you about some of the amazing action research projects that participants of the original project and the ECML training and consultancy workshops from 2020 and 2021 have been engaged in and how you can get involved in the future.

Target audience:  all language teachers from primary to university level and also to action researchers from other fields who would like to learn more about language education.

Recorded 8 March 2022

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH1qAN_xeUI 
Webinar in German: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFRM1NuCUTI 

Webinar "A new Council of Europe Recommendation on language education: defining plurilingual and intercultural education"

In June this year the ECML launched a series of webinars on Recommendation R(2022)1 on the importance of plurilingual and intercultural education for democratic culture, adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in February 2022. The first webinar, which can be viewed here, explained the background to the Recommendation, focused on key messages for decision-makers and offered suggestions for awareness-raising activities and for first steps towards implementation. 

In this second webinar, Professor David Little will analyse the definition of plurilingual and intercultural education on which the Recommendation is based. He will consider the educational and societal challenges the Recommendation is designed to address, and outline what he believes to be its principal implications for curricula and pedagogy.

Subsequent webinars in the series will focus on the importance of both teacher education and societal engagement for successful implementation of the Recommendation. 

Target group: curriculum planners; school leaders; teachers of all subjects

Recorded 23 September 2022 

Video in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW-Dp470joM 
Video in French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyBcuQdnUgs
Download: Powerpoint presentation

Webinar “Language learners’ voices – lessons learned from Covid”

Would you like to find out more about our initiative - "The future of language education in the light of Covid"?  Would you be interested in helping us understand how learners’ experienced language learning and teaching during the pandemic so that together we can build a more promising future for language education? 

This webinar will provide an overview of the initiative, present the initial findings from a pilot project based on classroom activities to elicit learners’ voices and invite participating teachers to take part in the next stage.

Target group: language teachers (all levels)

The initiative is coordinated by the ECML’s Professional Network Forum and takes place in cooperation with the European Commission.

Recorded 17 May 2022

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SswVU_3liBs
Download: powerpoint presentation