Multilingual Identities Erasmus Project

Project Title

Multilingual Identities

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage

Project Summary

The Austrian BG/BRG Leibnitz and the Amalie Skram videregående skole in Bergen have already worked together successfully in two Comenius and two Erasmus+ projects. Our experience of cooperation with Bergen/Norway has encouraged us to start a new project on the topic “Multilingual Identities”.

With the project “Multilingual Identities” students should be made aware of their own language, identity, culture and nationality. By contrasting different national identities and language usages they can reflect on their own heritage and identities expressed in certain aspects of language (Austrian/Styrian varieties of German, Norwegian and New Norwegian… youth language… forgotten/new words…language acquisition and identities …). Students should be made aware of manipulative usage of language and they should find out how relevant language is for a person´s concept of identity. Different languages in the context of nations can be an enrichment and shouldn’t be seen as a dividing element.

The project participants will be about 25 16/17-year-old students form Norway and Austria who attend the same high school year (Austria 7a, Norway a group of 2nd year students) and two teachers per country. All students attend a form of grammar/high school and have already studied two to three different languages.

The whole project can be divided into three parts.
The first part is project work dealing with the students’ own language, language acquisition, language in national and historical context in Austria and Norway. For example language in fairytales, youth language, lyrics of folkmusic and bilingualism. Students should work in groups on a specific topic and use different means of communication and technology. They should also contact institutions outside schools specialised in foreign language teaching (DaF/DaZ, BNORSK, refugees…).
The second part are the actual exchange visits of the students. During these visits the students should present and discuss their findings from part one. In this phase students and teachers should have the opportunity to gain insights into various practices and didactics of language acquisition by sitting in on various language classes in the respective schools.
Furthermore a visit to the partner school implies staying with the students families which means that the students can experience different lifestyles, traditions and language in everyday situations. In addition, host families in both countries become part of a European exchange program and experience benefits of cultural exchange. Excursion to the sights representing cultural heritage or typical economic enterprises, to surroundings of the school and to the capitals (Vienna and Oslo) should complement the stay.
The third part is the documentation and evaluation of the results and students have to find creative ways of communicating their findings to a wider public.The students have to use modern technologies to fulfill the set task. By analysing their own language and contrasting it with other foreign languages the students’ awareness should be raised of how languages influence identities and also constitute national thinking. Reflecting on these aspects should enable the students not to be manipulated into extreme nationalistic thinking.

Students will become more open-minded concerning working methods as well as other cultural and social settings. By using English as the working language of the project, students will improve their language skills in English. Both schools will get a European and international dimension, which might also encourage our graduates to consider studying and working abroad.

Project Website

https://gym-leibnitz.lima-city.de/erasmusplus/current-projects/multilingual-identities

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 9828,75 Eur

Project Coordinator

BG/BRG Leibnitz & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Amalie Skram videregående skole