Languages Opening Gates to Society Erasmus Project

Project Title

Languages Opening Gates to Society

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 adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Pedagogy and didactics

Project Summary

The project aim was to share good practices and methods in foreign language learning. Foreign language learning has become a priority in our globalized world. For adult learners, this is true in the case of migrants learning the host country language. It is also true, in the case of adults, who have to learn a new foreign language to advance in life.
Four Educational organizations participated in the project. All are adult education schools. They are:
The Finnish Folk High School from Gothenburg, Sweden as coordinator.
CFA Catolonia, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, from Barcelona, Spain.
Jazyková škola Poprad, Czech Republic
Tartu Folk High School, from Tartu, Estonia as partners
The project started on the 1st of October 2017 and ended 30 September 2019. The partners studied and discussed the implementation of three different language teaching methods:
Method one: using the culture and tradition of the foreign language as a teaching method
Method two: using digital learning methods to teach a foreign language.
Method three: role-playing and other creative teaching methods
The project had four transnational meetings. The hosting partner in each meeting, held a workshop to study one of the methods as follows:
Meeting one: Drama and role-playing workshop in Sweden
Meeting two: Method one workshop in Spain
Meeting three: Method two workshop in Estonia
Meeting four: Method three workshop in the Czech Republic
Foreign language teaching staff in each of the partner organizations implemented the discussed method. The teachers and students evaluated the effects of method implantation. The evaluation shows the project attained its desired goal of choosing, implementing and adapting a proper language learning methods to different learner group. Teachers reported even better motivation, engagement and social cohesion in the groups of students who participated in the project’s activities. The partners estimate that 400 students participated in classroom activities involving the three methods.
As a result, the project enriched the teacher’s toolbox with new tools that make learning more fruitful, fun and motivated. The main long-term impact on the students is that better language skills will lead to better job /study opportunities both at home and abroad. Acquiring higher skills in the host country´s language is essential for integration in the new society for immigrants.
The project had an impact on the teaching culture in the partner organization. Foreign language teachers started to use a more innovative approach. This approach engages the students in learning in different ways than before. Through dissemination activities, the partners spread the lessons learned from the project which, In the long run, will lead to a more significant impact on the local, regional and national levels by inspiring peer organization to follow and test the three methods. The project’s website provides some useful documentation of the methods used and successful stories from the partner organizations.
The project´s web site address is http://finskafhsk.eu/LOGS/.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 50125 Eur

Project Coordinator

Finska folkhögskolans stiftelse & Country: SE

Project Partners

• Centre Formació Adults Catalònia
• Sihtasutus Tartu Rahvaülikool
• Jazykova skola Poprad