Learning how to read and write functional French in context for adults Erasmus Project

Project Title

Learning how to read and write functional French in context for adults

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Pedagogy and didactics; Migrants’ issues; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

The project “Learning how to read and write functional French in context for adults” – FOCAALE aims at supporting migrants who are learning French and have received little or no education, by producing dedicated pedagogical material and designing an online training framework, which will contribute to developing trainers’ skills in this area.
Following recent waves of migration towards Europe, the International Organization for Migration’s Displacement Tracking Matrix has recorded 390 432 entries by sea and land in 2016, followed by 186 768 entries in 2017, that is a total of 577 200 arrivals within two years. EU countries have adopted policies to enable newly arrived migrants to learn the language of their receiving country. However, these learners make up a heterogeneous audience with varied levels and backgrounds, which makes teaching them a complex task. Regrettably, it has been reported that among a group that is highly disadvantaged and vulnerable, adults who have received little or no education do not receive adequate lessons. Indeed, the teaching material available for this specific group in French speaking countries is very limited. In addition, lessons are delivered by volunteers who work for charities and who, in spite of their good will, do not have the relevant skills to teach this very specific audience. Yet, linguistic integration is key to the migrants’ autonomy and integration in their receiving country.
The FOCAALE project provides an answer to this specific issue by fostering the collaboration between 4 partners located in 3 French speaking countries (Belgium, France and Luxembourg) and who represent the main stakeholders in this field: organisations responsible for training teachers of French as a Second Language, organisations in charge of delivering French classes to migrants and associations which strive to facilitate their integration.

The project aims first at making a full inventory of research studies, teaching material and good practices already available in participating countries. This inventory will lead to producing a comparative summary, which will highlight the progress and obstacles to teaching French to adult migrants who cannot read or write, and will be followed by the design of specific teaching material, which will be tested with actual migrants. As soon as it has been finalised, this teaching material will be completed by an online training framework. This framework will be made up of free access modules and will aim at providing teachers with the skills necessary to teach French to adult migrants who cannot read or write, skills which will have been identified in particular through the inventory. These activities will lead to the publication of recommendations that will aim to raise awareness among the numerous stakeholders in the field, therefore ensuring that project results effectively contribute to improving linguistic support for adults with limited literacy skills.

As a result, by dealing with the issue of teaching French both from a trainer’s and a learner’s perspective, the FOCAALE project will contribute to improving the level of French of adult migrants newly arrived in French-speaking countries and to professionalising trainers in charge of this specific group.

Project Website

https://www.france-education-international.fr/expertises/cooperation-education/projets/focaale

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 211635,5 Eur

Project Coordinator

France Education International & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Le Réseau des Acteurs de la Dynamique des ASL
• Promotion de la Formation en Alternance
• Centre de Liaison, d’Information et d’Aide pour les Associations issues de l’Immigration au Luxembourg