ALCOR: Building TeacherParent Connections Through Digital Multilingual Learning Erasmus Project

Project Title

ALCOR: Building TeacherParent Connections Through Digital Multilingual Learning

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 : Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Open and distance learning; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

The ALCOR Project: Building Parent/Teacher Connections Through Digital Multilingual Learning is a Strategic Partnership of six research institutes, non-governmental organizations and an education policy network from four European countries: the Netherlands, Croatia, Estonia and Italy. The objective is to support linguistically disadvantaged primary school learners in Europe who are at risk of falling even further behind their peers as a result of COVID-19 school closures.

ALCOR is a follow-up of the AVIOR project, both spin-offs of the Sirius Network on Migrant Education. Like Avior and Sirius, Alcor is the name of a bright star. It is in fact part of a binary star which was named in Arabic سها‎ Suhā/Sohā, meaning the ‘forgotten one’ or the ‘neglected one’; a reference to Mizar, its much brighter partner star. While Mizar symbolizes the language of schooling, ALCOR refers to the languages that migrant and minority children speak at home and which are frequently unseen, unheard and neglected in the classroom. A missed opportunity as an increasing body of research shows that rather than a problem or deficit, students’ linguistic diversity should be welcomed as a valuable resource for learning new content, new languages and as a way to enhance participation and inclusion of both students and their parents into the school community. The sudden shift to online learning due to the COVID-19 crisis presents an opportunity to build teachers’ capacity in three ways: (1) the use of digital resources and blended learning; (2) integrating home languages in teaching strategies and (3) engaging plurilingual parents through the use of multilingual (digital) learning resources. with the aim of fostering migrant and minority students students’ sense of belonging, self-confidence and identity.

The AVIOR-project (2016-2019) was a pilot project using open source digital bilingual materials (in the home language and the school language) as a tool to build connections between teachers and parents of plurilingual children. AVIOR resulted in improved parental involvement, greater motivation of students and also gave rise to the inclusion of ‘hard-to-reach’ parents including parents from Roma and newly arrived migrant communities.

Having witnessed the success of this method, the ALCOR-project will build on and expand the results of AVIOR with four main activities:

1. An intensive train-the-trainer peer-learning programme for teachers;
2. Parent/teacher Co-Creation Workshops and Language Friendly Learning festivals;
3. Production of white board animations that visualize how home language integration and parental involvement may result in student well-being and academic success through the use of multilingual learning resources.
4. Creation of a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) aimed at developing a ‘language friendly’ mindset and enhancing teacher competence in forging effective teacher/parent connections through home language integration and digital technology.

Expected results include:

• A core group of eight primary school teachers in four countries trained and prepared to guide their colleagues in creating language-friendly blended learning environments in their schools with full involvement of the parent community;
• Over 60 parents in four countries from linguistically minoritized backgrounds actively involved in the school community, having gained greater insight into their own role in enhancing their children’s learning and have acquired practical experience in developing multilingual (digital) learning resources in partnership with teachers.
• More than 2000 teachers, teacher trainers, school leaders and education policy makers across Europe with enhanced awareness and understanding of the links between home language integration and parental engagement to achieve social inclusion, student well-being and academic success including the powerful role of multilingual learning resources in forging teacher/parent connections.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 210509 Eur

Project Coordinator

Risbo B.V. & Country: NL

Project Partners

• Mreža centara za obrazovne politike
• Rutu Foundation for Intercultural Multilingual Education
• SIHTASUTUS POLIITIKAUURINGUTE KESKUS PRAXIS
• Pucko otvoreno uciliste Korak po korak
• Terremondo cooperativa sociale arl