The third expert meeting of the project "A toolkit for implementing integrated didactics in language education" took place on 18–19 November 2025 in Graz. During the two intensive working days, the team made significant progress on various core components of the project. The meeting focused on refining the toolkit’s structure (Output 2), formulating guiding questions for the rationale (Output 1), and creating an initial outline for the showcase (Output 3). Throughout the sessions, the team collaborated on text formats, content alignment, and preparations for the 2026 workshop.

A central part of the meeting was the dialogue with the ECML Secretariat and the programme consultant. This proved valuable for clarifying organisational aspects and strengthening the project’s progression into its third year. These discussions helped consolidate the work plan for 2026 and identify priorities for the next development phase.

Beyond the formal sessions, the meeting also featured a highly appreciated social highlight: two evening gatherings with Polish pierogi, generously brought by Elżbieta SIELANKO-BYFORD. These gatherings provided an opportunity for informal exchange and contributed to the strong collaborative spirit.

Author: Christian Koch, project coordinator

• ECML project website “A toolkit for implementing integrated didactics in language education” (2024-27) (available in English and French): www.ecml.at/integrateddidactics

During 2025, the project team made substantial progress in shaping the content and structure of the forthcoming toolkit on integrated didactics in language education. Building on the conceptual groundwork established the previous year, the team advanced the development of all major components and finalised several foundational elements, including an infographic and the project glossary.

Regular online meetings ensured continuity in the drafting process, while two expert meetings in Graz provided focused spaces for exploring formats for each of the three outputs. Input from network participants, including a survey conducted in July, has supported the consolidation of thematic priorities.

The project was presented at several international events, most notably at the EDiLiC Symposium in Hamburg, which was the key dissemination activity of the year. Additional presentations in Europe and beyond strengthened the project’s visibility and provided valuable practitioner feedback.

With most toolkit topics now conceptually outlined, the project is well positioned for the next development phase. Drafting of the full texts will continue next year with the aim of providing comprehensive insights for our workshop scheduled for March 2026.

Authors: Christian Koch, Dolors Masats, Elżbieta Sielanko-Byford, Marie Steffens

• ECML project website “A toolkit for implementing integrated didactics in language education” (2024-27) (available in English and French): www.ecml.at/integrateddidactics

On 24 and 25 April 2025, the four team members of the ECML project "A toolkit for implementing integrated didactics in language education" met in Graz to further develop the project’s core output – the toolkit. The focus was on structuring and elaborating the content of the toolkit, which is designed to support teachers in implementing integrated didactic approaches. The meeting enabled the team to review and discuss the existing text components and to plan for the completion of all elements of the toolkit by the end of 2025. In parallel, a glossary of key project-related terms is being developed.

The toolkit is taking shape and will be tested in practice during the workshop scheduled for March 2026. In the coming months, the project website will provide regular updates in the Recent Developments section.

A particular highlight will be the forthcoming symposium at the EDiLiC conference in Hamburg in July 2025, where the project will be presented to a wider audience.

Author: Christian Koch, project coordinator

• ECML project website “A toolkit for implementing integrated didactics in language education” (2024-27) (available in English and French): www.ecml.at/integrateddidactics

As part of the strategic partnership between the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Universidade de São Paulo, I was able to travel to Brazil and work on the approach of integrated didactics for Brazilian contexts in a postgraduate seminar. A total of 14 Masters and PhD students took part in the seminar, focusing on different target languages. The languages covered were English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Chinese, Japanese and Armenian. On the first day, we discussed general approaches to plurilingual education and the added value of cross-linking languages in education. The second day was dedicated to comparing the structural foundations of different languages, where we were able to benefit from the wide range of Indo-European and East Asian languages represented in the classroom. Participants emphasised that this was the first time they had consciously compared differences such as articulatory challenges in different target languages. The third day focused on migration contexts and the integration of home languages in the contrast between Europe and Brazil. Historically, Brazil has been characterised by large migratory flows, which is reflected in the strong presence of languages such as German, Italian and Japanese, as well as Armenian, which can also be studied as a subject in São Paulo.

At the seminar, I had the opportunity to present our ongoing ECML project and to arouse curiosity about its further development. A presentation was given to the staff of the various language departments to familiarise them with integrated didactics. There are plans to continue the exchange in the form of a long-term cooperation for Romance and Germanic languages between Berlin and São Paulo.

Author: Christian Koch, ECML project coordinator “A toolkit for implementing integrated didactics in language education”

• ECML project website “A toolkit for implementing integrated didactics in language education” (2024-27) (available in English and French): www.ecml.at/integrateddidactics

2024 saw the launch of the ECML project A toolkit for implementing integrated didactics in language education, which aims to provide educators with structured models and tools to address the linguistic repertoires of the learners in the language classrooms.

Key milestones of the year include the formulation of a definition of integrated didactics, refinement of the project scope for the next three years, and the elaboration of the first draft of the toolkit structure as a framework for the project outputs. A highlight was the network meeting in November, which brought together international experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities of implementing integrated didactics in language education. This event underlined the overall importance of this approach as a core element of plurilingual education.

Among the aspects that have been highlighted so far are the consideration of learners’ full linguistic repertoires as resources for facilitating the learning of a new language and the use of AI as a support for adapting materials to different contexts. Looking to the future, the project team is ready to broaden the impact of integrated didactics and ensure that it responds to the needs of the linguistic and cultural diversity in 21st century classrooms.

Christian Koch, Dolors Masats, Elżbieta Sielanko-Byford, Marie Steffens

• ECML project website “A toolkit for implementing integrated didactics in language education” (2024-27) (available in English and French): www.ecml.at/integrateddidactics