Latest articles
17.01.2022
Academic seminar “Pluralistic approaches to languages”: a highlight of the French Presidency of the European Union in the Reims Academy (France, 29 November - 1st December 2021)
Venue: INSPE of Reims, France
Local organisers: Frédéric Bablon and Magali Censier, Rectorat de l'Académie de Reims, France
ECML experts: Béatrice Leonforte (Switzerland), Anna Schröder-Sura (Germany), Michel Candelier (France)
Participants: 110 Inspectors, technical advisors, primary and secondary school teachers, educational advisors, trainers
From 29 November to 1 December 2021, an academic seminar was held on pluralistic approaches to languages. This seminar is a continuation of and complementary to a previous one dedicated to the awakening to languages, in 2019.
The large-scale event was organised jointly by the European Centre for Modern Languages in Graz (Austria) and the academic authorities (Ia-Dasen de l'Aube, IA-IPR de langues vivantes, DAREIC) with the support of the Grand Est Region, and benefitted from the national FPEU label (French Presidency of the European Union).
International experts in pluralistic approaches to languages were invited to present their research findings.
The speakers were :
- Michel Candelier, professor emeritus at the University of Le Mans, coordinator of several European projects including the EVLANG project (Awakening to languages in primary schools) and the CARAP/FREPA project (Framework of reference for pluralistic approaches to languages and cultures) developed at the ECML (Council of Europe, Graz, Austria), where he is a prominent collaborator;
- Béatrice Leonforte, trainer at the Haute Ecole Pédagogique of Locarno and scientific advisor to the Working Group for compulsory school programmes in the canton of Ticino (Switzerland), specialist in plurilingualism, in particular for language awareness in primary school and integrated didactics at secondary level;
- Anna Schröder-Sura, teacher and trainer in the didactics of Romance languages, specialist in the didactics of plurilingualism at the University of Rostock (Germany) and working with the ECML in particular on the elaboration and dissemination of CARAP;
- Anne-Marie Voise, trainer in language teaching at the INSPEs of Versailles, Dijon and Créteil and teacher-researcher at the UPEC;
- Véronique Lemoine-Bresson, teacher-researcher at the University of Lorraine, at the ATILF laboratory (CNRS) in the language didactics and sociolinguistics team; she also teaches in the Masters MEEF programme at the INSPE in Lorraine.
A seminar in two parts:
The first half-day was reserved for managers from the academy, inspectors and educational advisors from various disciplines. The action carried out by the Academy of Reims on language awareness and integrated language teaching (1st and 2nd level) was presented, followed by keynotes by Michel Candelier (From languages as learning objects to “language” as a vector for disciplinary learning. Building synergies) and Anna Schröder-Sura (Teacher competences for the use of pluralistic approaches: an overview of an ongoing project at the ECML, Council of Europe. A general discussion on the principles of synergy, their implementation, foreseeable obstacles, objectives, teaching skills.
After the welcome speech by the director of INSPE Reims, the second day was an opportunity for Olivier Brandouy, rector of the academy, in his talk on “the importance of the language dimension for all educational processes, “to affirm his conviction that “the response to the challenges of language can only be global, involving everyone, whether a language specialist or not, in a coordinated manner”, and to reaffirm his “commitment to reinforce the essential position given to the development of language at nursery school”, to “continue the action intended to develop the linguistic awareness of our pupils to prepare them in a more sustainable way for the learning of modern foreign languages” and to understand the importance of developing and cultivating intercultural competence among our pupils”. Finally, he recalled the innovative work accomplished over the last four years in the field of languages within the academy.
The invited experts and 17 academic facilitators (IEN 1er degré, CPD langues, secondary school teachers and school teachers) then offered the large audience an in-depth discussion and workshops on practical application and feedback on experiments which demonstrated and promoted the research actions already in operation within the academy.
These concrete approaches illustrating “what exists” aroused great interest. Many of those present said that they were keen to promote and use them in their professional practice and to disseminate them within their respective schools.
The day ended with a plenary lecture by Béatrice Leonforte who presented the different aspects of the implementation of pluralistic approaches (integrated in the school curriculum) in the canton of Ticino.
This seminar was therefore rich in theoretical insights, and provided exchanges opening up new perspectives for consideration – which have already prove effective in the academy - of the pluralistic approach to languages and the beginning of a more transversal and global reflection on French as an academic language.
Thank you to our partners, the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe, the Inspé de Reims and the Région Grand Est!
Frédéric Bablon, Michel Candelier, Magali Censier, Yvan Jacquemin
07.12.2020
Romania, Iasi: pluralistic approaches to languages and cultures in the teaching of French as a foreign language and non-linguistic subject classrooms
Dates: 14 and 21 November 2020
Format: online event
Local organisation: Doina SPITA, Vice-President of the International Federation of Teachers of French (Fédération internationale des professeurs de français, FIPF), Iasi, Romania
ECML experts: Ildikó Lőrincz (Hungary), Jean-François de Pietro (Switzerland)
23 participants: 14 secondary school teachers of French as a foreign language, 3 subject teachers teaching in French, 3 students - future teachers of French as a foreign language, 3 university professors (Romania)
Language teachers in the 21st century need the knowledge and know-how to set up working arrangements that help learners to become aware of their plurilingual potential and then to develop it in multilingual communication situations, which are so frequent in both the real and virtual world.
However, it must be acknowledged that such an innovative methodology, adapted to the new challenges of language teaching and learning in the context of plurilingualism, occupies a very modest place in the initial and in-service training programmes of most countries. This is why it is a priority to involve the various teachers and future teachers of and in French in such a training module.
The workshop « Pluralistic approaches to languages and cultures in French as a foreign language and non-linguistic subjects in the French classroom (« Les approches plurielles des langues et des cultures en classe de français langue étrangère (FLE) et de disciplines non linguistiques (DNL) en français ») perfectly met these objectives. At the end of the event, the participants showed that they had understood the challenges of the new methodology, had integrated the opportunities of the Framework of reference for pluralistic approaches to languages and cultures (FREPA) and were even able to design specific autonomous modules and thus to enhance the value of pluralistic approaches and digital technology as a vector of learning motivation.
Doina SPITA, coordinatrice locale de la formation
Romanian version
Ca profesori de limbi ai secolului XXI, avem nevoie să știm să concepem dispozitive de lucru care să-i ajute pe elevi/studenți să-și descopere și conștientizeze potențialul plurilingv pentru a-l putea mai apoi valorifica în situațiile de comunicare multilingvă, atât de frecvente în lumea reală ca și în cea virtuală.
Trebuie să recunoaștem că o asemenea metodologie inovatoare, adaptată noilor provocări ale predării-învățării limbilor în contextul plurilingvismului, ocupă un loc foarte modest în programele de formare inițială și continuă din majoritatea țărilor. Acesta este motivul pentru care considerăm că a-i antrena pe profesorii sau viitorii profesori de franceză sau de DNL în franceză să participe la o asemenea formare reprezintă o prioritate.
Atelierul Les approches plurielles des langues et des cultures en classe de FLE et de DNL en français a răspuns perfect acestor deziderate. La terminarea sa, participanții au putut dovedi că au înțeles provocările noii metodologii, că au integrat oportunitățile CARAP-ului și că sunt capabili să conceapă module specifice autonome valorificând astfel beneficiile abordărilor pluraliste și ale digitalizării ca vectori de motivare a învățării.


02.12.2019
ECML academic seminar "Awakening to languages" (Reims, France, 7-8 October 2019)
Date: 7 and 8 October 2019
Venue: Canopé de la Marne, Reims, France
Organisation: Rectorate of the Academy of Reims, France
ECML experts: Michel Candelier, France; Jean François de Pietro, Switzerland
Participants: the academy's education executives and decision-makers (7 October); teachers and trainers involved in language awareness projects in their schools (8 October)
Pluralistic approaches - in particular language awareness and integrated language didactics - are included in the new curricula in France (2015 and 2016). At the instigation of the Rector of the Academy of Reims, a project aimed at the progressive integration of these approaches in the classroom has been developed and has benefited from the assistance of Michel Candelier and Francis Goullier in its definition.
The seminar supported by the ECML made it possible to draw up a progress report with a view to gradually extending the experiment. This seminar contributed to :
- offering additional training for people who had taken part in the experiments, including practical presentations, cross presentations of the work carried out, giving rise to a critical review (progress made and problems encountered) (one day, plenary sessions and workshops);
- to offer guidance and advice, with the participation of the educational managers who followed up the experiments, in the presence of the Rector;
- to sensitize new staff to these issues;
- to promote the Academy's action among its partners (local authorities);
- to bring together European actors involved in this same dynamic.
All the resources are available on the Padlet « Éveil à la diversité linguistique » ("Awakening to linguistic diversity"), accessible at: https://fr.padlet.com/eric_hornewer/zu1x174rdxbp.
Related links
07.10.2019
"Plurilingual and intercultural competences: descriptors and teaching materials" focusing on curricula: turning intended learning outcomes into achievable targets
Date and venue: 27-28 September 2019, French University in Armenia
Local organiser: Zaruhi Soghomonyan, French University in Armenia
ECML training team: Brigitte Gerber (Switzerland) and Petra Daryai-Hansen (Denmark)
Participants: 25; university teachers, lecturers and one school teacher
As teachers we sometimes find it so difficult to come up with intended learning outcomes per lesson especially when it comes to targeting soft and/or transferrable skills, competences, and attitudes. We often claim that assessing knowledge is easy, since we deal with factual information, yet skills and competences sometimes turn into a nightmare. FREPA(*) descriptors provide an excellent opportunity for teachers to opt for an array of skills and attitudes they will find appropriate for their own curriculum and in line with the National Qualifications Framework of Armenia. The training guided the participants and provided hands-up tool to integrate FREPA into the curriculum thus turning their intended learning outcomes into achievable targets.
Zaruhi Soghomonyan, local organiser
Armenian version:
Որպես դասավանդողներ, հաճախ դժվարանում ենք յուրաքանչյուր դասի շրջանակներում ակնկալվող վերջնարդյունքներ առանձնացնել՝ հատկապես, երբ դրանք վերաբերում են փափուկ եւ/կամ փոխանցելի հմտություններին, կարողություններին: Հաճախ պնդում ենք, որ հեշտ է գնահատել գիտելիքը, քանզի այստեղ հիմնականում գործ ունենք փաստացի տեղեկատվության հետ, մինչդեռ հմտությունների եւ կարողությունների գնահատումը հաճախ կարող է իրական մղձավանջի վերածվել: FREPA նկարագրիչները հիսաքանչ հնարավորություն են տալիս դասավանդողներին ընտրություն կատարել այն հմտություների եւ կարողությունների մեջ, որ նրանք ցանկանում են զարգացնել այս կամ այն դասի շրջանակներում: Նկարագրիչները հեշտությամբ կարելի է համապատասախանեցնել հաստատության ծրագրին, ինչպես նաեւ որակավորումների ազգային շրջանակի պահանջներին: Վերապատրաստման շրջանակներում մասնակիցներին ուղղորդում եւ պրակտիկ գոծիքակազմ տրամադրվեց առ այն, թե ինչպես է կարելի նկարագրիչները վերածել ակնկալվող վերջնարդյունքների՝ հասանելի թիրախներ ամրագրելու համար:
15.11.2018
ECML national training event in Armenia: "Plurilingual and intercultural competences: Descriptors and teaching materials (FREPA)" (Yerevan, 25-26 October 2018)
Date: 25-26 October 2018
Venue: French University in Armenia, Yerevan
Local organiser: Zaruhi Soghomonyan
ECML experts: Petra Daryai-Hansen and Brigitte Gerber
Participants: 36;
- Higher education institution representatives: teachers, chairs heads
- School representatives: teachers of English;
- Instructors from languages centres;
- AELTA (Association of English Language Teachers of Armenia) representatives;
- Cambridge Assessment English representative
As has been very precisely highlighted by one of the participants of the workshop-training, we have witnessed a number of turbulent periods; we have been school children during the Soviet Union, when we were taught mostly by grammar-translation method, with very small accent on production, then after the independence, when undertaking our higher education, we were taught that it is no good to compare languages while teaching those, because of negative interference, and after graduation, when participating in an array of training, workshops and seminars we have been exposed to the conviction that no languages should be taught in isolation, since nothing in this world can exist if it does not coexist with other things.
This particular training came to ascertain our conviction that being aware of differences helps to avoid interference. Among other important and key ideas the participants have harvested, the one that will definitely turn into a slogan states that “Every opportunity should be grasped in order to encourage pupils to use knowledge and competences acquired in languages they are taught or know, in order to highlight points of convergence, and to help them to understand how languages work, and to develop their plurilingual repertoires in an optimal way”.
This workshop is unique in its kind, since it is thoroughly tailored in line with the needs of the target audience, it is not a mass event, where the only thing the participants get is networking, spending their time, and if fortunate enough, learning something new.
Zaruhi Soghomonyan
ARMENIAN VERSION
Ինչպես իրավացիորեն նշվեց աշխատաժողովի մասնակիցներից մեկի կողմից, մենք ականատես ենք եղել մի շարք վայրիվերումների. մասնավորապես՝ դպրոցական տարիներին սովորել ենք հիմնականում քերականական-թարգմանական մեթոդով, Սովետական Միության փլուզումից հետո մեզ հավաստիացնում էին, որ չի կարելի լեզու դասավանդել այլ լեզուների հետ համեմատությամբ, քանզի առկա տարբերությունները կարող են շփոթի առարկա դառնալ, բուհն ավարտելուց հետո այն աշխատաժողովները, սեմինարներն ու վերապատրաստումները, որոնց մասնակցում էինք «աղաղակում» էին, որ ոչ մի լեզու չի կարող մեկուսացված դասավանդվել, թեկուզ և այն պարզ պատճառով, որ բնության մեջ ոչինչ մեկուսի չէ և չի կարող գոյություն ունենալ, եթե չգոյակցի այլ երևույթների կամ իրերի հետ: Սույն աշխատաժողովը եկավ արմատավորելու մեր այն համոզմունքը, որ անհրաժեշտ է ի ցույց դնել լեզուների միջև գոյություն ունեցող տարբերությունները՝ բացասական 4 միջամտությունից խուսափելու համար: Աշխատաժողովի ընթացքում ստացված գաղափարներից թերևս ամենաթևավորը, որը կարգախոսի էր վերածվել բոլոր մասնակիցների համար այն է, որ յուրաքանչյուր հնարավորություն պետք է օգտագործվի, որպեսզի սովորողներին խրախուսվի օգտագործել այն գիտելիքները և հմտությունները, որ ստացել են լեզուների ուսուցման ընթացքում, որպեսզի օգնենք նրանց հասկանալ, թե ինչպես են լեզուներն աշխատում, ինչպես նաև օպտիմալ կերպով զարգացնենք սովորողների բազմալեզվական ռեպերտուարը: Սույն աշխատաժողովը յուրօրինակ է իր տեսակի մեջ, քանզի այն լիովին թիրախահեն է. լիովին արտացոլում է մասնակիցների կարիքները և այն չի կարելի դասել այնպիսի աշխատաժողովների շարքին, որոնք մասսայական բնույթ են կրում, և դրանց միակ ավելացված արժեքն այն է, որ հնարավորություն են ընձեռում կապեր հաստատել, ժամանակ անցկացնել, և, լավագույն դեպքում՝ ինչ-ինչ բաներ սովորել: