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17.10.2023
Work-related language development for fair migration and sustainable integration and participation — „Deutschkenntnisse dort fördern, wo sie dringend gebraucht werden: am Arbeitsplatz!“
Date: 8 September 2022 and 9 May 2023, Germany
ECML experts: Matilde Grünhage-Monetti, Alexander Braddell and Christophe Portefin, Language for Work website, network and insights
Local organiser: Matthias von Gehlen, Goethe-Institut
Participants: 24 (8 September 2022) and 49 (9 May 2023)
“Developing the language of the immigration country (L2) for adult migrants for and at work is teamwork.” This could be the motto of the Language for Work (LfW) National Support for Germany 2022/23. This was split into two events: a face-to-face round table, during the 25th Metropolis Conference, Berlin on 8 September 2022 and an online Workshop on 9 May 2023.
The round table (Fair Migration section) presented the point of view of L2 practitioners, researchers and providers, as well of employers and trade unions, stressing the need for partnership and joint action. The audience welcomed this systemic approach. The Clavis magazine for Labour Market and Integration reported on it along with other nine workshops in a special edition dedicated to the conference (www.bmas.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/EN/Topics/Labour-Market/imcb-2022-voices-and-insights.pdf? __blob=publicationFile&v=2).
The second event brought together L2 research and practice, business, trade unions, workers’ councils, labour administration and BAMF (Federal Office for Migration and Refugees). They discussed structures and conditions for fair, effective and sustainable ways to support migrant workers learning German for and at work.
In both events language was discussed as instrument for action in the context of work, constructing and giving meaning to ones’ own activities and enabling the speakers to act upon their world. Such an understanding requires approaches embedding language learning in the context in which it is used and gets its meaning: the workplace.
Matilde Grünhage-Monetti
17.10.2023
National training workshop "Supporting Multilingual Classrooms" (4 – 5 October 2023, Brussels, Belgium)
Local organisers: Karine Dekeukelaere, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles
ECML experts: Catherine Carré-Karlinger, Austria; Françoise Hänggi, Switzerland
Participants: 27 (foreign language teachers/teachers of other subjects/teacher educators, teachers of the language of schooling, school administrators / leaders / school advisers)
“Our regions are welcoming more and more migrant populations. This situation is a source of enrichment, but it is also a destabilising factor for the society, including in schools. The young people attending these schools need special, high-quality schooling to give them the best possible opportunities and to support them in their efforts to integrate socially and academically. These are the challenges that schools and teachers must overcome by being well equipped.
The workshops offered by the ECML are led by high-quality experts keen to share their knowledge and know-how in this field. The workshops are constructed in such a way as to guarantee a progression in thinking, enabling all participants to transfer the ideas presented to their own school reality. This activity is facilitated by the targeted participation of several members of the same school. This is an asset and contributes to the implementation of a more harmonised and shared policy of welcome and support in the school.
The large number of concrete examples and the group discussions add practical value to the work carried out. By allowing participants to take the time to reflect in a comfortable setting, teaching tools can be developed. We can't afford to miss out on this offer.”
Karine Dekeukelaere, local coordinator, 9 October 2023
ECML project website: Supporting multilingual classrooms – EU-ECML cooperation agreement 2023 "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning"
13.10.2023
Action research in foreign language teaching in Montenegro
Date and venue: Podgorica, Montenegro, 29-30 September 2023
Experts: Christine Lechner (Austria) and Renata Zanin (Italy)
Local organiser: Nataša Perić, Bureau for Education Services
Participants: 21 class teachers, teachers of Montenegrin-Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian language and literature, foreign language teachers (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian)
Quality in foreign language teaching implies teachers who master teaching methods, approaches and procedures that lead to the best results in learning. Foreign language teachers in Montenegro have a good education in foreign language teaching methodology but certain aspects of teaching require constant reassessment and improvement. The workshop Enhancing language learning and teaching through action research communities for language teachers, held on 29 and 30 September 2023 in the Bureau for Education Services, introduced to the language teachers the potentials of Action research and how it can help them reflect on their practice and refine their teaching skills.
During the two very productive days, the team of outstanding trainers, Christine Lechner and Renata Zanin, presented the main principles of Action research to the teachers of five foreign languages, English, Italian, German, French and Russian, and provided them with practical examples as well as tools and resources for reflecting and improving their teaching practice. The participants have found the sessions on focused classroom observation, collaborative learning and reflective teaching very useful, as well as the instructions for planning the action research project. Five action research projects were planned to be implemented until the end of the first term of the school year 2023/2024.
Nataša Perić
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Montenegrin version
Akciono istraživanje u nastavi stranih jezika u Crnoj Gori
Kvalitet u nastavi stranih jezika podrazumijeva nastavnike koji vladaju nastavnim metodama i pristupima koji će dovesti do najboljih rezultata u nastavi i učenju. Nastavnici stranih jezika u Crnoj Gori imaju dobro obrazovanje iz metodike nastave stranih jezika, ali pojedini aspekti nastave zahtijevaju stalno analizaranje i usavršavanje. Radionica Unapređenje učenja i nastave jezika kroz zajednice akciono istraživanje, održana 29. i 30. septembra 2023. godine u Zavodu za školstvo, upoznala je nastavnike jezika sa potencijalima akcionog istraživanja i kako im ono može pomoći da promišljaju o svojoj praksi i unaprijede nastavu.
Tokom dva veoma produktivna dana, tim vrhunskih trenera, koji su činile Christine Lechner i Renata Zanin, je predstavio glavne principe akcionog istraživanja nastavnicima pet stranih jezika - engleskog, italijanskog, njemačkog, francuskog i ruskog, i ponudio praktične primjere i resurse za promišljanje i unapređenje nastavne prakse. Učesnicima su bile veoma korisne sesije o fokusiranom posmatranju u učionici, saradničkom učenju i refleksivnoj nastavi, kao i uputstva za planiranje projekta kojim će primijeniti akciono istraživanju u učionici. Planirano je da se realizuje pet projekata tokom prvog polugodišta školske 2023/2024.
Nataša Perić
12.10.2023
National Training Workshop “Using ICT in support of language teaching and learning (ICT-REV)” (21-22 September 2023, Nicosia, Cyprus)
The Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth and the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) jointly organized a two-day workshop entitled ICT-REV: Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning at the Journalists’ House in Nicosia, Cyprus. The workshop took place on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 September 2023 and was attended by 32 academics, inspectors, teacher educators and language teachers of all levels. Participants had the opportunity to develop practical skills in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by actively participating and reflecting on their benefits. The workshop was moderated by a team of three experts from the ECML.
The main objective of the workshop was to present and evaluate a selection of freely available ICT tools and open educational resources supporting language teaching and learning, to train and familiarise teachers, education stakeholders and multipliers in the use of ICT tools, encourage reflection on best practices in task design and sustainable use of ICT on the basis of pedagogical principles, and reinforce synergies among participants.
During the workshop, participants discussed both the opportunities and challenges arising from the use of ICT tools and gained valuable knowledge about different teaching activities based on the use of technology. This two-day online workshop received very favourable comments from the participants.
Greek version:
Επιμορφωτικό σεμινάριο για εκπαιδευτικούς ICT-REV: Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning (21-22 Σεπτεμβρίου, 2023, Λευκωσία)
Το Υπουργείο Παιδείας, Αθλητισμού και Νεολαίας σε συνεργασία με το Ευρωπαϊκό Κέντρο Σύγχρονων Γλωσσών (ΕΚΣΓ) διοργάνωσε διήμερο εργαστήριο με τίτλο ICT-REV: Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning στη δημοσιογραφική Εστία Λευκωσίας με τη συμμετοχή ακαδημαϊκών, επιθεωρητών, καθηγητών ξένων γλωσσών και δασκάλων την Πέμπτη 21 και την Παρασκευή 22 Σεπτεμβρίου 2023. Οι συμμετέχοντες/ουσες είχαν την ευκαιρία να αναπτύξουν τις διδακτικές τους δεξιότητες στον τομέα των Τεχνολογιών Πληροφορικής και Επικοινωνιών (ΤΠΕ/ICT) μετέχοντας ενεργά και αποσπώντας θετικά σχόλια. Το εργαστήριο συντόνισε μια ομάδα τριών εμπειρογνωμόνων του ΕΚΣΓ.
Βασική επιδίωξη του εργαστηρίου ήταν η παρουσίαση και αξιολόγηση μιας επιλογής ελεύθερων διαθέσιμων εργαλείων ΤΠΕ και ανοικτών εκπαιδευτικών πόρων που υποστηρίζουν τη διδασκαλία και εκμάθηση γλωσσών, η κατάρτιση και εξοικείωση των εκπαιδευτικών, φορέων της εκπαίδευσης και πολλαπλασιαστών στη χρήση των εργαλείων ΤΠΕ και τη βιώσιμη αξιοποίηση των ΤΠΕ στη βάση παιδαγωγικών αρχών.
Κατά τη διάρκεια του εργαστηρίου, οι συμμετέχοντες/ουσες συζήτησαν τόσο για τις ευκαιρίες όσο και για τις προκλήσεις που αναδύονται από την αξιοποίηση των ΤΠΕ, και απέκτησαν γνώσεις για διάφορες διδακτικές δραστηριότητες που βασίζονται στη χρήση ψηφιακών εργαλείων, ώστε να τις αξιολογήσουν και να προβληματιστούν σχετικά με τη χρησιμότητά τους.
Maria Iacovidou, local coordinator
11.10.2023
Workshop "Supporting the language(s) of schooling" for teachers of English and senior advisers (Ljubljana, 3-4 October 2023)
Date: 3-4 October 2023
Venue: National Education Institute, Slovenia
Local organisation: Barbara Lesničar, National Education Institute, Ljubljana
ECML experts: Nermina Wikström (Sweden), Selin Öndül (Switzerland)
Participants: teachers of English (primary and secondary schools), senior advisers from the National Education Institute
Two experts from the ECML’s Roadmap project, Nermina Wikström (Sweden) and Selin Öndül (Switzerland) together with the National Education Institute of Slovenia, carried out a two day workshop entitled "Supporting the language(s) of schooling". The content of the workshop was focused around three goals: to get an overview of the ROADMAP project; to build a common understanding of the whole school approach and of language awareness; and to deepen knowledge for using ROADMAP tool and the resources. All three goals are key for the successful learning of learners with different language backgrounds.
The participants had an opportunity to try out web-based materials and activities (such as the ROADMAP tool’s coordinators’ package, self-assessment tool, promising practices). These were all based on the whole-school approach which helped them to understand the various dimensions connected to the language development of all learners. The aim was both, to demonstrate and raise awareness of how important the support in academic development in all school subjects for learners with an L1 other than the language of schooling is on one hand and on the other hand to set up a school development plan.
Day 2 of the workshop was dedicated to the customized report which was generated through the self-assessment tool the participants tried out during day 1. The customized report has many benefits for the whole school approach. It reduces the work done by the coordinator, gives systematic feedback, is neutral, uses real data, and connects the levers of progression directly with the promising practices.
This event has allowed participants to familiarize themselves with the basic concepts of whole school approach for learners whose L1 is not the same as the language of schooling and to set up a whole school development plan.
Barbara Lesničar, local organiser
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Slovenian version
ECMJ in dve strokovnjakinji iz projekta Roadmap, Nermina Wikström (Švedska) in Selin Öndül (Švica), so skupaj z Zavodom RS za šolstvo izvedli dvodnevno delavnico Supporting the language(s) of Schooling. Vsebina delavnice je bila osredotočena na tri cilje in sicer seznaniti se s projektom Roadmap, zgraditi razumevanje celostnega pristopa šole in jezikovne zavesti ter poglobiti znanje za uporabo orodja ROADMAP in virov. Vsi trije cilji so ključni za uspešno učenje učencev z različnimi jezikovnimi ozadji.
Udeleženci so imeli priložnost preizkusiti spletna gradiva in dejavnosti (paket za koordinatorje, orodje za samoocenjevanje, obetavne prakse), ki temeljijo na celostnem pristopu, kar jim je pomagalo razumeti različne razsežnosti, povezane z jezikovnim razvojem vseh učencev. Namen je bil po eni strani prikazati in ozaveščati o tem, kako pomembna je podpora pri akademskem razvoju pri vseh šolskih predmetih za učence katerih prvi jezik se razlikuje od učnega jezika, po drugi strani pa vzpostaviti šolski razvojni načrt.
Drugi dan delavnice je bil posvečen poročilu, ki je temeljilo na orodju za samoocenjevanje, ki so ga udeleženci preizkusili prvi dan delavnice. Takšno prilagojeno poročilo ima številne prednosti pri uveljavljanju pristopa na ravni šole. Zmanjša delo, ki ga opravi koordinator, daje sistematične povratne informacije, je nevtraleno, uporablja resnične podatke in vzvode napredovanja povezuje z obetavnimi praksami.
Ta dogodek je udeležencem omogočil, da so se seznanili z osnovnimi koncepti celostnega pristopa za učence, katerih prvi jezik ni enak učnemu jeziku in oblikovali celosten razvojni načrt šole.
Barbara Lesničar, local organiser
28.09.2023
National training workshop "Using ICT in support of language teaching and learning (ICT-REV)" (6 – 7 July 2023, Zagreb, Croatia)
Local organiser: Darko Matovac, Croaticum
Experts: Joe Hopkins, Spain; Sarah Heiser, United Kingdom; Ursula Stickler, United Kingdom
“The two-day workshop “Using ICT in Support of Language Teaching and Learning (ICT-REV)” was extremely useful to everyone involved, as it provided not only information on language teaching pedagogy and its relationship to ICT, but also numerous useful real-life examples of the implementation of ICT tools in teaching and learning languages. It was dynamic, useful, and fun. The workshop was tailored especially to the needs of Croatian language teachers, but all that was presented can be used by any language teacher. The workshop is an excellent place where all language teachers can participate and learn something new, regardless of how skilfully they use ICT tools to prepare teaching materials or how skilfully they use ICT tools in the language classroom. During the workshop, a language teacher can meet other language teachers and exchange ideas, try new ICT tools, hear some tips and tricks, learn about new useful ICT tools, and find other teachers willing to exchange digital teaching materials.”
Darko Matovac, local coordinator, 17 July 2023
Croatian version
Dvodnevna radionica “Using ICT in Support of Language Teaching and Learning (ICT-REV)” bila je iznimno korisna svima koji su sudjelovali. Radionica jer pružila informacije ne samo o odnosu pedagogije poučavanja jezika i informacijsko-komunikacijskih tehnologija nego i mnogobrojne primjere upotrebe digitalnih alata u poučavanju i učenju jezika. Radionica je bila dinamična, korisna i zabavna. Bila je posebno prilagođena potrebama sveučilišnih nastavnika hrvatskog kao drugog i stranog jezika, no sve što je predstavljeno može biti od koristi svim poučavateljima jezika. Radionica je bila otvorena svim poučavateljima jezika, neovisno o tome koliko su vješti u upotrebi digitalnih alata pri izradi nastavnih materijala i neovisno o tome koliko su vješti u upotrebi digitalnih alata u učionici. Tijekom radionice poučavatelji jezika mogli su upoznati druge poučavatelje jezika, razmijeniti ideje, koristiti nove digitalne alate, čuti savjete, učiti o novim i korisnim digitalnim alatima te su mogli uspostaviti kontakte s poučavateljima jezika koji su zainteresirani za razmjenjivanje digitalnih nastavnih materijala.
ECML project website: ICT-REV – EU-ECML cooperation agreement 2023 "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning"