Recent publications and resources

New European Commission Proposal for a Council Recommendation on improving the teaching and learning of languages

On 22 May 2018 the European Commission adopted a set of proposed Council Recommendations and other policy documents under the headline “Building a stronger Europe: the role of youth, education and culture policies”. The press communication and the Recommendation on a comprehensive approach to language teaching and learning, together with its annex and Staff Working Document, which provides the scientific background for the Recommendation, as well as many examples of good practice.

The “Proposal for a Council Recommendation on a comprehensive approach to the teaching and learning of languages” and its Annex about “Language Awareness in Schools – developing comprehensive approaches to language learning” are available in all official EU languages to be downloaded here:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1527006129608&uri=COM:2018:272:FIN  

Involving parents in plurilingual and intercultural education

The aim of this website is to disseminate knowledge on the benefits of involving parents in plurilingual and intercultural education. A number of activities are presented which will provide parents and teachers with tools that will help them to work together in plurilingual and intercultural education.

More information can be found on: http://parents.ecml.at/

More languages? PlurCur! Research and practice regarding plurilingual whole school curricula

European language policy aims at fostering plurilingualism in individuals, but how this goal can be attained within schools as institutions has not been part of the education policy discourse. A project at the ECML took up the idea of a plurilingual whole school curriculum, and specific elements of such a curriculum have been implemented and tested at 16 schools in a number of European countries. Some of the elements have been accompanied by research. This volume presents research and reports on practical implementation of plurilingual whole school curricula.

More information can be found on: https://www.ecml.at/Portals/1/documents/ECML-resources/PlurCur-EN-final.pdf

A lifeline to learning – Leveraging technology to support education for refugees by UNESCO

The issue of provision of education and related services for refugees is complex and multifaceted. With a record number of 65 million individuals who were forcibly displaced worldwide in 2016, the magnitude of the refugee and displacement crises is unprecedented (UNHCR, 2017). Particularly alarming is that children make up more than half of the 22.5 million refugees, i.e. those individuals who fled their countries to seek protection elsewhere. The repercussions in the field of education can be quite severe. Immediate, strategic and sustainable educational responses are required to ensure that refugees and displaced populations have access to equitable and inclusive quality education and lifelong learning opportunities.

This publication presents the results of a collaborative study undertaken by subject matter experts and UNESCO specialists (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0026/002612/261278e.pdf )

The Gaelic Language in Education in Scotland, 2nd Edition

This document was published by the Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning with financial support from the Fryske Akademy and the Province of Fryslân.

https://www.mercator-research.eu/fileadmin/mercator/documents/regional_dossiers/Gaelic_2nd.pdf

New perspectives on Language Teaching & Learning: Cross-Sector Annual Conference, 9thJune 2018 in St Andrews.

The cross sector annual conference explored new pedagogical perspectives in language learning and teaching. Participants reflected on how new perspectives and practices may be applied in practice and curriculum. This year’s theme is “Engaging Language Learners”.

More information regarding the presentations delivered on that day, including contribution from Ingeborg Birnie, and Argyro Kanaki, can be found here: http://newperspectives.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/abstracts/