Technologically enhanced online opportunities for language learning in inclusive education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Technologically enhanced online opportunities for language learning in inclusive 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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

The Project stems from the belief that foreign languages, English in particular, form a very powerful platform for enhanced education and personal development for learners with different individual needs. However, EFL teachers must have effective awareness of a variety of needs and cope with them in their lessons. The project main goal is to prepare pre- and in-service EFL teachers to face diversity in the EFL classroom. Other goals concentrate on raising their awareness of the necessity of dealing with mixed ability, enhancing the quality of teacher training in social and cultural inclusion, promoting ICT as an instrument to favour inclusion, providing educators with strategies and resources to create a learning environment that meets all students’ needs, organizing seminars to advocate for non discriminatory attitudes in teaching, and setting up a debate platform to share ideas regarding inclusion in the EFL class.
The partnership consists of seven organisations from five countries, five of which represent higher education and research in the area of teacher training. They possess skills in the areas of inclusion, ICT and teacher training, and they embody different cultural perceptions considered an important asset for the project results. The Project is coordinated by the University of Opole, Poland. Other partners are Higher Education Institutions advocating for inclusive education: The University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia in Spain, which has developed research programmes in the area; Kaye Academic College of Education in Israel, which has deep experience in multiculturalism and co-existence and developing resource materials for teaching in multicultural context; The Zentrum für Lehrerbildung der Universität Münster in Germany, which is responsible for quality assurance of all the project outputs and activities; The University of Cyprus SEIT Lab, which is responsible for developing policies and qualification frameworks for the application of ICT to e-Learning, developing an e-learning platform and the elaboration of online materials. Apart from HEI educating pre-service EFL teachers, there are two partners representing teacher training service: The Municipal In-service Teacher Training Centre (MODN) in Opole, Poland, an expert in teacher training and the application of ICT in EFL teaching; the Zentrum für schupraktische Lehrerausbildung Münster (ZFL) in Germany, which will coordinate dissemination of project outcomes.
The results of the project will be beneficial for both pre-service and in-service EFL teachers; they will include: TOOLS: An interactive platform on inclusive learning; TOOLS: Resource materials on inclusive learning; TOOLS: Blended-learning course on inclusive learning for pre-service EFL teachers; TOOLS: E-learning course on inclusive learning for in-service EFL teachers; publications on project outcomes and activities. Once the project activities are over, the outcomes will be available online with open access. Adaptations of TOOLS materials for teachers of German and Spanish as a foreign language are also provided for.
The project consortium expect project results to reinforce formal training and informal (experiential) learning in the area of differentiation, such as an EFL inclusive learning platform for practice, programme and belief exchange; inclusive materials fostering comprehension and helping to remove barriers imposed by differentiation; personal and virtual learning concepts; intensive training sessions to test the elaborated inclusive EFL teaching materials, and thus to encourage the participants to share their experience in inclusive learning to eventually create a network of European educators interested in gaining deeper knowledge and setting up procedures at all school levels. Regarding long term benefits, the following need to be included: creation of multinational networks in the area of inclusion and foreign language learning, raising pre- and in-service teachers’ awareness of mixed abilities, providing educators with resources and strategies that change attitudes to inclusion and contribute to transnational policy and curriculum changes.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 290830 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIWERSYTET OPOLSKI & Country: PL

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS
• Zentrum für schulpraktische Lehrerausbildung Münster
• KAYE ACADEMIC COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
• WESTFAELISCHE WILHELMS-UNIVERSITAET MUENSTER
• FUNDACIO UNIVERSITARIA BALMES
• Miejskie Centrum Wspomagania Edukacji w Opolu