TuDOrs: Turning the Learning Disabilities into Opportunities Erasmus Project

Project Title

TuDOrs: Turning the Learning Disabilities into Opportunities

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

CONTEXT/BACKGROUND: Learning Disabilities (LD) can affect an individual’s life beyond academics and can impact relationships with family, friends and in the workplace. People with Learning Disabilities frequently leave school with few qualifications and are much more likely to become unemployed or economically inactive. Ensuring that people with LD receive adequate support begins with the correct identification of their needs, which may in turn lead to a diagnosis. Despite the efforts the European Agency (2013) the employment rate of people with disabilities remains low. Foreign language skills in combination with the right educational background and relevant work experience, can contribute to employability, remuneration, and promotion. Languages can build bridges between people, giving us access to other countries and cultures, and enable us to understand each other better. Unfortunately, foreign language teachers, have poor quality and inadequate provision of training in the area of special education needs teaching. The inclusion, equal treatment, equal opportunities in education and employment of people with LD, the introduction of more complex monitoring systems on teaching foreign languages to people with LD are issues that only transnational can be carried out to maximize the effect, consolidate the results, monitor the progress and create policies capable of eliminating inequalities.

OBJECTIVES will be the increase of awareness and skills of teachers/trainers of foreign languages, in teaching people with LD. The target groups are teachers/trainers of foreign languages and adults’ educational providers of foreign languages courses. The core needs are the lack of awareness, deficient knowledge of LD, suitable teaching methods, available tools and the existence of a common framework on teaching

TARGET GROUPS. Project’s primary target groups are:
• Teachers/trainers of foreign languages;
• Associations of teachers/trainers of foreign languages;
• Foreign languages educational institutions.
Secondary target groups are:
• Adults’ educational institutions, which provides foreign languages courses;
• People with LD;
• Families of people with LD;
• Institutions for people with LD;
• Professionals/experts in adults’ education;
• Professionals/experts in foreign languages;
• Professionals/experts in the field of LD.

PARTNERSHIP: Partnership is composed of 8 partners organizations which respond to the exigency of creating a unitary approach and common operating procedures in enabling general foreign language teachers to give proper assistance and support to people with LD. Partners represent 7 EU countries:
1. University of Ptuj, Slovenia
2. p-consulting, Greece
3. COMCY, Cyprus
4. Associacio Programes Educatius Open Europe, Spain
5. Errotu, Spain
6. Dyslexia Association of Ireland, Ireland
7. FORMA.AZIONE SRL, Italy
8. SC Works Quality SRL, Romania

DESCRIPTION OF INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS: Intellectual Outputs of the TuDOrs project are the followings:
1. Compendium of existing innovative and effective practices and tools in teaching foreign languages (FL) to people with Learning Disabilities (LD);
2. On-line Training Program;
3. Self-assessment Tool for teachers/trainers of foreign languages (FL)

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE RESULTS: A multilingual compendium that will contain good practices and strategies of European countries on improving the skills of foreign language teachers. The design and implementation of training needs in each participating country to provide necessary information for educational deficits, skills and attitudes required to have the training for the implementation of the project objectives. The training of a significant number of professionals per participating country, learning difficulties on foreign language teaching optimal handling, workarounds, cooperation with relevant bodies. Creation of a self-assessment tool for teachers of foreign languages, which will enable teachers/trainers of FL to self-assess one’s knowledge, skills and competencies regarding teaching FL to people with LD and to understand their own needs.

POTENTIAL LONGER TERM BENEFITS: Partners through collaboration, synergies and the actions outlined above will bring the various levels and their areas of expertise on the subject, will be able to learn from each other and share their knowledge with the public benefit. They can create a common intervention program at European level to tackle the lack of skills.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 301188 Eur

Project Coordinator

LJUDSKA UNIVERZA PTUJ & Country: SI

Project Partners

• Associacio Programes Educatius Open Europe
• C.F.C.D.C. CENTRE FOR COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT CYPRUS
• Errotu Taldea S.L.P
• Work’s Quality
• C.M. SKOULIDI & SIA E.E.
• FORMA.AZIONE SRL
• Dyslexia Association of Ireland