Learning scenarios to support inclusive language and culture education for heterogeneous school classes Erasmus Project

Project Title

Learning scenarios to support inclusive language and culture education for heterogeneous school classes

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Pedagogy and didactics; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

Through numerous language policy initiatives on the one hand and new findings from language teaching research on the other, existing input-oriented language acquisition and learning models have been replaced by an output- and competence-oriented language acquisition and learning perspective, at the same time demonstrating the complexity and dynamics of language acquisition by multilingual individuals. Above all, however, the introduction of the Common European Framework of Reference (CFR) (Council of Europe, 2001) has led to national curricula changing the progression of learning towards a process-based perspective on language learning, and to the addition of pedagogical aspects such as intercultural learning, media competence and other personality-related competences (ability to work in a team, critical competence). In spite of all these substantial changes, most textbooks and teaching materials are still backward-looking, which proves to be most explicit in countries with German as an official language (or minority language) coexisting with other speech communities (Italy, Belgium, Poland, etc.) and those with an increased demand for German as a foreign language in many fields (Sweden). In these countries, the promotion of German is generally falling short, which most prominently emerges in teaching wanting in innovation and pedagogical measures that are modestly successful.

Against this background, the proposed project aims to use the expertise of an international consortium in the field of German as a foreign and official language to develop, implement and evaluate learning scenarios that provide in-service and pre-service teachers with pedagogical support for collaborative and learner-centered teaching in present-day heterogeneous classes.
Joining expertise in a transnational consortium of this kind will make an essential contribution to the national curricula involved (in particular to the systematic improvement of their teaching quality) and will thus meet the special needs of German in the different countries. The project sets for itself the following objectives:

• Promoting and supporting a comprehensive approach to language teaching and learning, capitalizing on the diversity of today’s increasingly multilingual classrooms.
• Supporting synergies with research and innovation activities and promoting new technologies as incubators and drivers of improvements in language and culture pedagogy.

The project combines both the expertise of academic partners with proven experience in language teaching research, teaching materials design and development, and in- and pre-service teacher training (Universities of Bozen, Antwerp, Louvain, Poznan and Gothenburg), as well as the practice-oriented profile of the Belgian German Teachers’ Association and school partners representing the different teaching contexts targeted in the project, that will contribute to support the development, evaluation and dissemination of the learning scenarios through integration into the relevant professional networks and the numerous associated schools and institutions, safeguarding the transfer between theory/research and practice.
The project plans the following activities:

– Validation of the specific needs of the target groups (pupils, teachers, etc.) in terms of relevant topics and formats for the learning scenarios as assessed before the start of the project.
– Creation of an extensive pool of learning scenarios for the teaching of German in schools, with a focus on the use of new media. Translation of a limited set of learning scenarios into other relevant foreign languages (French, English, Dutch, Italian) for greater impact on the different school contextes.
– Creation of an electronic platform that allows easy access to the manuals and best-practice examples and enables teachers to collaborate, e.g. in a professional learning community.
– Design and implementation of a training programme that not only prepares teachers and potential multipliers to the implementation of the learning scenarios but also supports them through appropriate coaching.
– A scientifically based evaluation in light of quality requirements to ensure recognition of the project results at the practical, technical and institutional level.

The project will impact on the level of the students, the (trainee) teachers, and the subject-specific school teams and learning communities, and will include the following aspects: development and use of practical teaching aids, acquisition of teaching competences, competences in the field of cooperation, and change in individual beliefs and knowledge of professionalization. Positive effects are expected in terms of an increased and sustainable exchange of professional best practices, improved methodological calibration in the field of teacher education/training and increased chances in a diversified labour market.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 336605 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN & Country: BE

Project Partners

• UNIWERSYTET IM. ADAMA MICKIEWICZA W POZNANIU
• Istituto Comprensivo Bolzano II Don Bosco
• Schillerska gymnasiet
• Ecole Internationale Le Verseau – ELCE
• GOETEBORGS UNIVERSITET
• Belgischer Germanisten- und Deutschlehrerverband
• LIBERA UNIVERSITA DI BOLZANO