Language Learning

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Language Learning
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Topics

• Why is it important to study languages?
• Improving Foreign Language Learning
• The Lisbon Strategy Language Learning

• Our personal suggestion about foreign Language
  Learning
• European Projects connected to Language Learning
• Language Learning and the EU

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Why is it important to study languages?
Studying foreign languages is one of the key
factors of the Lisbon Strategy. Students should
learn them for these main reasons

• Efficiency and consolidation of the single market
• Competition at a global level with countries such
  as China or India

• Partnership with universities in growth and job

Moreover
Studying languages offers some interesting
opportunities like living for a period of time
abroad, or experimenting students exchanges with
other European countries
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The importance of language knowledge
In addition, we can also consider language
knowledge

• Develops a dynamic and knowledge based economy
• Increases the number of jobs
• Improves the quality of jobs
• Promotes understanding and tolerance of other
  cultures

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The Action Plan for language learning and
linguistic diversity
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Improving Foreign Language Learning
Improving Foreign Languages Learning is necessary
to give more opportunities to all citizens
1. The language-friendly school

• schools and training institutions may adopt a
  holistic approach to the teaching of language
• appropriate connections between the teaching of
  the mother tongue, foreign languages, the
  language of instruction, and the languages of
  migrant communities policies will help children
  to develop their communicative abilities
• receptive multilingualism should be developed

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The Action Plan for language learning and
linguistic diversity

• Common European profile for language teacher
  education
• Language learning for learners with special
  education needs
• European agency for linguistic diversity and
  language learning
• Effective ways for promoting language learning
• European language certification systems

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Improving Foreign Language Learning
Improving Foreign Languages Learning is necessary
to give more opportunities to all citizens
2. The Languages Classroom

• Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci programmes have
  stimulated the development of many useful tools
  for teaching and learning foreign languages
• eLearning approaches based on Internet-facilitated
  school twinning and on the pedagogical use of
  ICTs for learning

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Improving Foreign Language Learning
Language teachers have a crucial role to play in
building a multilingual Europe.
3. Language Teacher Training

• They are called upon to exemplify the European
  values of openness to others, tolerance of
  differences, and willingness to communicate
• more work is required to make sure that the
  results of research into language pedagogy, and
  the evidence of good practice and successful
  innovation, are disseminated to the people who
  can make use of them.
• to date, the key role played by language teacher
  trainers, inspectors of foreign language teaching
  and other professionals, in promoting good
  practice has not received the attention it merits

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Improving Foreign Language Learning
In addition to this, teachers
3.1. Language Teacher Training The Teacher

• must have adequate experience of using the target
  language and understanding its associated culture
• should have spent an extended period in a country
  where that language is spoken and have regular
  opportunities to update their training
• should improve contacts and effective networks
  between them at a regional, national and European
  level

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Improving Foreign Language Learning
Moreover...
4. Training teachers of other subjects

• Most pupils and trainees could study at least
  some of their curriculum through the medium of a
  foreign language.
• Many more members of the teaching profession
  should in future be able to teach their subjects
  through at least one foreign language
• To this end, trainee teachers should study
  languages alongside their area of specialisation
  and undertake a part of their teaching studies
  abroad

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Improving Foreign Language Learning
Heads of State and Government in Barcelona in
March 2002 noted the lack of data on citizens
actual language skills, and called for the
establishment of a European Indicator of Language
Competence
5. Testing Language Skills

• proposals for the design and administration of a
  periodic test of language skills
• new European indicator of language competence
• There is a great diversity of tests and
  certificates of language skills in Europe, both
  within and outside formal education and training
  systems
• Not all tests are devised for the same purpose,
  or constructed to the same degree of rigour
• These differences make the comparison of language
  skills between individuals difficult

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European Projects connected to language learning
The European Union has endorsed different
projects strictly connected to language learning.
The ones we have adhered to are

• Garden of Eden
• Belgian Exchange
• INDIRE

• Conoscere lEuropa, Fare gli Europei
• Summer Study Tour

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Garden of Eden
Living in a Garden of Eden is everybody's dream.
Creating this utopian and yet reachable place is
our ambitious aim. We, teachers and students,
will go back to nature, study it by focusing on
the water quality of a local river and on a
typical plant that indicates the quality of the
area
Want to know more about it?
GoE on the Web
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Belgian Exchange
Exchange between students of our school and
students of a Belgian school in Geel in the
Comenius Garden of Eden project
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Link to the Project
ITALIAN AND EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS A COMPARISON

Study and compare the most important national and
international institutions. We produced A
Conceptual maps (with Power Point support)
about- Italian Parliament structure,
formation, tasks, relationship with the
Government, comparison with the European
Parliament- Government structure, formation,
tasks, relationship with the other communitarian
organs- Court of Justice and Constitutional
Court structure, formation, tasks, relationship
with the other communitarian organs B
Linotypes I II concerning juridical terminology
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Conoscere l'Europa - Fare gli Europei
Progetto Regione FVG

• The aim of the project is to study and get to
  know the Lisbon Strategy.
• It offers the opportunity to reflect on the role
  and future of the EU and about the obstacles that
  it has to face
• The EU 50 years of peace, democracy and growth.
  What does the future hold?
• The rights of European citizens
• The Lisbon Strategy objectives, and role in
  Italy
• At the end of the activity a study tour in
  Bruxelles or Strasburg, for students chosen by
  teachers is offered

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Back to European Projects
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Summer Study Tour
In summer we have the possibility to visit
England and improve our linguistic competences,
with a study holiday organized by our teacher and
by the Master Studio
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Topics
Our personal suggestion about foreign language
learning
Our suggestions to foster the knowledge of
foreign languages (English) as the tool of
communication and sharing of ideas. They are
grouped into three parts (the three Ls) the
first about Learning English, the second about
Loving English and the third about Living English

• To start English learning earlier
• To improve language teacher skills through state
  of the art and refresher courses (preferably
  abroad)
• To improve teacher skills (non language teachers)
  for lessons of different subjects in English
  (basic levels acceptable)
• To enhance exchanges of students with other
  Countries. More and before.
• To provide incentives for journeys (especially
  where English is the mother language)

• To enable students of the 5th year (for example)
  of high school to a two week study holiday abroad
  (where English is the mother language)
• Not to dub any original English language
  broadcasts or movies. At the most, subtitles are
  acceptable
• To use both languages (road signs, home
  appliances, etc ).
• To promote events where English is the keyword
  (contests of poetry in English, etc )

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Language Learning and the European Union
Improving foreign Language Learning

• Is one of the specific objectives of the
  Education and training 2010 programme
• Is part of the broader strategic objective of
  opening up education and training systems to the
  wider world

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Language Learning and the European Union
Work programmes for Language Learning

• Adult education (15 examples)
• Vocational training (11 examples)
• Learners with special educational needs (11
  examples)
• Using ICTs (7 examples)

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Language Learning and the European Union
European indicator of linguistic competence

• Two foreign languages
• Productive skills
• Receptive skills

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Some of the Eurydices Data
Language Learning and the European Union
Key data on teaching languages at school in Europe

• Carried out by the Eurydice European Unit in
  January 2005, it includes 37 sets of data.
• Some of the most important points are
• context
• organisation
• participation
• teachers
• pedagogical processes

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Language Learning and the European Union
Some of the Eurydice data

• 50 of primary school pupils study one or more
  foreign languages
• The great majority of pupils have the possibility
  to learn two or more languages
• Schools can decide to offer more foreign
  languages as compulsory or optional subjects
• 10-15 of total teaching time is devoted to
  foreign languages
• The dominant role of English as the most widely
  taught foreign language is further increasing

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Language Learning and the European Union
Policy recommendations

• Promote the awareness of the importance of
  linguistic diversity
• awareness
• motivation
• more widely advertisement
• awareness-raising campaigns

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Language Learning and the European Union
Policy recommendations

• Improve the mainstreaming of provisions for
  regional, minority, migrant and neighbouring
  languages
• acting on the demand side
• strengthen and enlarge the offer
• integrate immigrants

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Language Learning and the European Union
Policy recommendations

• Have a set of carefully and clearly stated
  objectives for language teaching
• decide the starting age for learning languages in
  the light of these objectives
• decide methodologies in the light of these
  objectives

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Language Learning and the European Union
Policy recommendations

• Ensure continuity of linguistic choice and of
  methodologies in the transition from primary to
  secondary school
• remove the structural obstacles
• enforce cooperation between teachers and schools

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Language Learning and the European Union
Policy recommendations

• Encourage a generalisation of content and
  language integrated learning (CLIL)
• defining the standards of teacher qualification
• supporting the preparation of appropriate
  teaching materials

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Language Learning and the European Union
Policy recommendations

• Establish transparent certification systems based
  on the Common European Framework of Reference for
  Languages
• CEFRL is adopted in the majority if the countries
• CEFRL is under trial or is going to be introduced
  in the near future in several countries

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Language Learning and the European Union
Policy recommendations

• Introduce mentoring systems to assist language
  teachers at the beginning of their career
• mentoring exists as standard practice in several
  countries
• informal mentoring or mentoring as part of
  initial training exist in a few countries

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Language Learning and the European Union
Policy recommendations

• Introduce or extend the schemes for dual or
  multiple recognition of language teaching
  qualifications
• the question has not been yet raised in many
  countries
• bilateral agreements exist between certain
  partner countries

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Language Learning and the European Union
Obstacles to language learning

• Rigidity of systems and curricula
• Scarcity of appropriate materials
• Scarcity of trained teachers

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Language Learning and the European Union
Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages

• Standard for curricular reforms
• Standard for national certification systems
• Six levels of knowledge

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Language Learning and the European Union
Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages

• A Basic User
• A1 Breakthrough
• A2 Waystage
• B Independent User
• B1 Threshold
• B2 Vantage
• C Proficient User
• C1 Effective Operational Proficiency
• C2 Mastery

The Common Reference Scales of the Council of
Europes Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages provide a good basis for schemes to
describe individuals language skills in an
objective, practical, transparent and portable
manner
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The Lisbon Strategy Language Learning
from the Lisbon Strategy about Language Learning

• A European framework should define the new basic
  skills to be provided through lifelong learning
  IT skills, foreign languages, technological
  culture, entrepreneurship and social skills
• fostering the mobility of students, teachers
  and training and research staff both through
  making the best use of existing Community
  programmes (Socrates, Leonardo, Youth), by
  removing obstacles and through greater
  transparency in the recognition of qualifications
  and periods of study and training

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Credits

• Acciarino Teresa
• Bernardini Francesco
• Bufo Sara
• Cancellieri Lorenzo
• Raise Tatiana
• Serpi Gianluca
• Virgolin Marco