Digital Tools for Inclusive Foreign Language Education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Digital Tools for Inclusive Foreign Language Education

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 higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Disabilities – special needs; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

European educational policy makers envision the development of communicative competence as the main goal of institutionalized foreign language (FL) education (Council of Europe, 2001) and hope for the realization of the Barcelona Summit (2002) “mother tongue + 2” objective. Yet, learning a foreign language often proves challenging, especially to learners with special educational needs, as they experience pedagogical disadvantages because of a range of conditions stemming from biological, environmental, and psychosocial causes. International organizations such as UNESCO and the OECD see this risk and promote the implementation of inclusive education systems that enable all learners to actively engage in learning and reach their potential. However, on a practical level, not all educational systems and agents within them are truly ready to realize such task on a daily basis. In fact, some foreign language teachers even report strong feelings of being overwhelmed and disillusioned with the prospect of offering equal opportunities to all their foreign language students (Dose, 2019).

As a response to this situation, the VInDOW project proposes the development of comprehensive and versatile digital educational modules that demonstrate how the principles of inclusion – in their broad, diversity-oriented interpretation – can be applied in the field of foreign language education. Specifically, the modules combine theoretical, empirical and evidence-based knowledge, as well as insights from language teaching practice with educational policy guidelines about the following topics:

1. Dyslexia and reading skills in the FL classroom
2. Social, emotional and linguistic challenges in spoken FL communication
3. Multilingual/multicultural challenges in FL classrooms
4. Autism in the FL classroom
5. Neurodiversity as a challenge in the FL classroom

Structurally, the modules consists of the following components:
– teaching units focused on topics 1-5 for pre- and in-service foreign language teacher education including hands-on, interactive and collaborative activities and materials;
– a teacher’s companion with a transparent description of desired learner outcomes (can-do descriptors), didactic commentary for the teaching unit and examples of possible teaching scenarios;
– a reflection tool-kit for monitoring the learning process of the module target audience (i.e. pre- and in-service teachers).

The modules will be available for use both as complete regular courses or intensive workshops (e.g. with 3 ECTS workload across participating European institutions) and as individual smaller-scale units/topics, on various levels of teacher education enhancing systematic and sustainable integration into teacher education structures. They will also be applicable in virtual learning environments.

During the course of the project, the team will test the newly-designed modules in tertiary education by incorporating them into the partner universities’ curricula as well as in the form of a learning activity/an international workshop (IP) for students (C1) from all project partner countries,
and a joint staff-training for individuals (C2) associated with the field of foreign language teaching.Throughout the project, efforts will be made to disseminate information about the project and the modules, e.g. during the workshop and conference held at the University of Bremen (multiplier event E1). The expected result is the raising of awareness of the ways in which inclusive foreign language education can be made sustainable among stakeholders involved in foreign language learning: teacher trainers, teachers, educational policy makers, university staff and researchers, students and pupils, authors of learning materials, etc.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 398080 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITAET BREMEN & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Sharkbite Innovation GmbH
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PARMA
• UNIVERSIDAD DE CORDOBA
• KATHOLISCHE UNIVERSITAT EICHSTATT-INGOLSTADT
• UNIWERSYTET WROCLAWSKI
• ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKIS