Mehr-sprachliche Bildung – Entwicklung und Erprobung von Language Awarenesskonzepten im Unterricht aller Fächer Erasmus Project

Project Title

Mehr-sprachliche Bildung – Entwicklung und Erprobung von Language Awarenesskonzepten im Unterricht aller Fächer

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The MeLA project fleshes out the language awareness approach at the level of teacher training and classroom practice. The Luxembourg-based KonA sub-project investigates the language awareness of multilingual teachers, concentrating on their individual language biographies and language concepts with reference to their behaviour in the classroom, while the linguistic research carried out under the Karlsruhe-based LexA sub-project focuses on vocabulary and the role of individual and societal multilingualism in shaping lexical awareness. The Graz-based LitA sub-project fleshes out the language awareness approach in the form of a teaching model for promoting literacy across the curriculum by focusing on argumentation as a speech act.
The outcomes of the Luxembourg sub-project create a framework within which the language awareness of multilingual teachers in a highly multilingual context can be investigated and placed in relation to classroom practice, and within which light can be shed on the continuity of language education in schools. The outcomes of the Karlsruhe sub-project serve as a model for CPD measures targeted at teachers (focusing on multilingual education but paying particular attention to a lexically aware approach to multilingualism), and the Graz sub-project has resulted in a teaching model for literacy-aware multilingual subject teaching and a CPD course for subject teachers.
The target audience for the research findings which emerged from the KonA sub-project includes individuals working in the field of teacher CPD, students (educational sciences, applied linguistics, etc.) and teachers and educators working in all areas of education and teaching all ages (primary and secondary school) and all subjects (languages and subjects). The data collected and the materials developed on the basis of this data serve as a basis for developing different target skills during (in-service) teacher training courses.
The LexA sub-project involved the development of a model three-day CPD course aimed at alerting teachers to the importance of making conscious use of languages in teaching and learning contexts and in daily life. During the CPD course, teachers are introduced to LexA as a model which centres on teaching lexical knowledge in subject lessons, reflecting on the relationship between learning processes in subject lessons and language lessons and examining them on a metalinguistic level.
A notable feature of the CPD course (which is targeted at teachers of all disciplines) is that it makes explicit reference to immigrant-receiving societies, i.e. it promotes the perception of multilingualism as a fact of these societies and encourages teachers to incorporate it into their classroom practice. The linguisticality of the subject being taught should form a starting point for the planning of specific lessons.
The LexA sub-project was targeted not only at creating CPD materials but also at developing a teaching model. A planning template was used to develop sample materials for use with three different teaching units.
The LitA sub-project involved the development of a teaching model (the ProFo model) aimed at combining subject-related and language-related learning in subject lessons taught to linguistically heterogeneous classes. Learners with different language repertoires are provided with the help they need to learn subject-relevant linguistic devices and utilise them for (subject-related) knowledge acquisition. This approach promotes the language awareness of both teachers and pupils in relation to argumentation.
A CPD course was developed in order to ensure that teachers can use the teaching materials developed under the project or create their own teaching resources on the basis of the ProFo model. The course provides teachers with the necessary background knowledge, promotes their awareness of language(s) and language learning through reflection-based exercises and helps participants to implement what they have learned when they return to the classroom.
The CPD course is primarily targeted at subject teachers whose classroom practice to date has lacked language awareness either in whole or in part, and who are looking for opportunities to provide their pupils with targeted support in the acquisition of academic language skills. Language teachers too can use the (second-)language teaching principles integrated into the ProFo model to dovetail content-related and language-related learning objectives.
he purpose of the LitA project was to develop and test a teaching model as a practical manifestation of the language awareness approach for use across the curriculum in linguistically heterogeneous classes. Teaching materials were ultimately developed for a total of 11 topics.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 275141,55 Eur

Project Coordinator

PAEDAGOGISCHE HOCHSCHULE KARLSRUHE & Country: DE

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITE DU LUXEMBOURG
• UNIVERSITAET GRAZ