Abstracts
Opening conference
Michael KELLY
Strategic contexts for language teacher education
This presentation will outline the strategic context in which the European Profile was developed, and will set out some of the major changes that have occurred in the last five years. It will examine new challenges that have emerged, together with new opportunities. It will suggest that there is a need for new emphases and new approaches to language teacher education, giving greater attention to professional development, to the use of new media and to the need for increased collaboration between the different stages of education. It will also suggest that language educators should develop a stronger partnership with stakeholders in the wider social and political spheres.
Conference 1
Francis GOULLIER
European tools and programmes and their effects on language teacher training
The impact of the European programmes and instruments on teacher education is considerable. Some – the most notable being the European Commission’s programmes in support of mobility – influence teacher training frameworks. Others, such as the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) or the guides elaborated by the Council of Europe, exert an influence over the contents of training programmes. A third type of European measures opens up new perspectives for the teaching of languages, for which future teachers need to be prepared: international comparisons, exchange of good practices, recommendations formulated by the instances of the European Union and incentives for international cooperation.
The quantitative and qualitative importance of these tools shows that the European educational space is a reality for the teaching of languages and, as these developments invest the teachers with new responsibilities, brings into question existing training frameworks. Apart from appropriating these tools, future teachers must grasp the underlying coherency of these ‘technical’ measures, seeing them within the political perspectives and orientations of the different European Instances. Finally, language teachers need to be prepared for the particular role that languages occupy within the discussions underway on the acquisition of key competences for education and training.
Conference 2
Miquel STRUBELL
Problems and solutions for the mobility of language teachers in the EU
Mobility within the European labour market is a key aspect of the Lisbon Agenda. In a multilingual Europe, mobility is linked to foreign language learning, and this in turn to an adequate place for foreign language teaching in schools. An essential element to success is to have highly qualified and motivated foreign language teachers, and one element in their professional competence is, according to some sources and particularly to the European Commission, to obtain professional experience in language teaching in other countries as part of their initial training or during their professional career.
However, several sources suggest that the amount of mobility in this profession (beyond mere Comenius exchanges) is extremely limited. The European Commission therefore entrusted (Contract No. 2005-270/001-001 SO2 88EPAL) the investigation of the reasons for this to a team consisting of Glyn Williams, Miquel Strubell (coord.), Jordi Busquet, Dolors Solé and Sergi Vilaró. This was published (2006) as Detecting and Removing Obstacles to Foreign Language Teaching Abroad (DROFoLTA). In this paper I shall present and discuss the main findings of the report.
Conference 3
Mirela BARDI
Creation of a common European evaluation framework for language teachers
The presentation will attempt to disentangle the complex array of issues and relationships that quality assurance involves. While usually associated with assessment and evaluation, quality assurance, both as a concept and a set of practices, has many practical implications. Therefore, it should be analysed in connection with the process of managing quality. The conference will highlight the need for a process approach to quality assurance and will argue for the need to build a quality culture through the practice of managing quality. Institutions and teachers are key actors in this process. Practical quality management tools and instruments that educators/managers/teachers can choose from will be highlighted with the recommendation for participants in the quality assurance process to choose and adapt tools to their own contexts.
The need to manage quality challenges educational institutions to become learning organizations, while teachers are themselves expected to be constantly learning. Therefore, evaluation frameworks based on competencies and skills can be a useful development guide for teachers, as well as a transparent evaluation tool. Although generic frameworks of teacher competencies have shaped teacher education programmes, it is still difficult to define the range of competencies that underpin teaching as a social activity. The way practitioners conceptualise the idea of quality is of prime importance and the conference will argue that evaluation frameworks can usefully incorporate teachers’ own understanding of the competencies and skills that they need to develop. The results of a small piece of research on definition of competencies by Romanian higher education lecturers will also be reported.
Conference 4
Charles MAX
Designing and implementing a coherent initial teacher education focussing on multilingualisms: the innovative approach of Luxembourg
The talk provides an overview of the innovative initial teacher educational program, Bachelor en Sciences de l’Education - BScE, which was launched in 2005 at the University of Luxembourg. Facing the challenges of a traditional multilingual curriculum, Luxembourg’s teaching professionals are dealing with multiple multilingualisms on a daily basis, stemming from diversified media-input, commuting of parents and/or children, migration, and the divergent values attributed to languages according to domains of professional activity and aspirations (e.g. technology, administration). Therefore, teaching professionals (in focus here: pre-primary, primary and up to lower secondary level) need to develop concepts, skills and tools for dealing with the realities of language and the learning of languages from a language integrated perspective. The concept of the BA program will be presented as regards its origins, its architecture and development, its language and content integrating devices. First hand experiences and results from the implementation of the program will be discussed (www.bsce.uni.lu).
Conference 5
Mirjam EGLI CUENAT
Elaboration and implementation of plurilingual curricula
The main aim of this lecture is to discuss a wide conception of the notion of curriculum within the perspective of plurilingual education and to identify the needs of initial and in-service training of language teachers. It will pivot around five axes:
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present the work underway for a Guide for the development and implementation of curricula for plurilingual and intercultural education by the Language Policy Division of the Council of Europe, resulting from an appeal of the 2007 Forum (Goullier 2007);
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recall the principles of the curricular implementation of plurilingual competence put forward in Chapter 8 of the CEFR, examined by the Guide for the Development of Language Education Policies in Europe (Beacco/Byram 2007);
- discuss, on a more theoretical level, the notion of curriculum and the choice of a wide conception of it (van den Akker 2003);
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point out the need for teacher training and the implementation of a curriculum for plurilingual and intercultural education, articulating the proposals of the European Profile for Language Teacher Education - A Frame of Reference (Kelly & Grenfell 2004);
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illustrate this issue with a recent example: the curricular project Passepartout – langues étrangères à l’école publique , a project bringing together six Swiss cantons opting for a plurilingual approach to language teaching.
Conference 6
Ildikó LAZAR
Integrating intercultural competence into language teacher education
The main objective is to identify the role that language teachers play in the creation of European identity and values. Case studies of pre- and in-service language teachers will be presented to explore the participants’ personal theories about the intercultural dimension of language teaching as well as the factors that might influence the formation of these theories. The results of this qualitative research indicate that intercultural communication courses in teacher training can have some positive impact on trainee teachers’ beliefs about the role of language-and-culture teaching even in a program where the primary goal of language teacher education is still the acquisition of linguistic competence and knowledge about L2 linguistics and the history and literature of the target language culture(s).
The session will start with a brief overview of the current status of intercultural competence development in language teacher education. The definition of the major concepts and the research methods applied in these case studies will be outlined and illustrated with visual aids, including descriptions of activities used in the intercultural communication course the participating (student) teachers attended. The major findings of this case study project will be presented as a list of items supported by quotations from the interviews, not because the findings are unconnected, but because they represent many different conclusions that are intertwined and seem to resemble a spider web of pedagogic variables that influence the role that language teachers have in the development of intercultural competence and the creation of European identity and values.
Workshop 1
Gunther ABUJA
The European Language Portfolio (ELP) and teacher education in a multilingual society
The aim of the workshop is to investigate the extent to which the participants are familiar with the concept of the European Language Portfolio, and how well this instrument has been implemented in their respective countries so far. Furthermore, the impact of the ELP on language teaching and learning and – in connection with that – on teacher education (pre- and in-service training) shall also be explored.
Participants are invited to discuss the full potential of the ELP in terms of intercultural learning and exchange and the ELP as a means to leading the path to a more refined multilingual society from their perspectives. Experiences and new ideas as to a more effective use of the ELP shall be collected as a result of the workshop.
Workshop 2
Neus FIGUERAS
Using the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) in evaluation – challenges and opportunities
The growing impact of the CEFRL in all uses and aspects of language assessment and evaluation makes it necessary to plan training programmes that facilitate its use by teachers, testers and curriculum developers. Different needs, different contexts and different levels of resources create different scenarios, but good practice is to be aimed at in all different approaches. In this session, the analysis of national case studies which have adopted and adapted the CEFRL levels and proposals will be used to assess the usefulness of the procedures recommended by the Council of Europe (Manual for Relating Examinations to the CEFR, 2009) and of the illustrative materials already available.
Despite the obvious difficulties and challenges in the use of the CEFRL, the opportunities offered in terms of professional development remain one of the most important contributions of the CEFRL.
Workshop 3
Mirosław PAWLAK
The role of in-service training for language teachers in the domain of language competence
Foreign language teachers' language competence is one of the key factors contributing to the success of instruction as it ensures the provision of a good model of the target language, enables teachers to address the problems learners encounter, and makes teaching more creative. For this reason, improving this facet of a teacher's expertise is indispensible in in-service teacher training, either in the form of stand-alone courses or modules incorporated into more comprehensive teacher education programmes.
The main aim of the workshop is to determine the key characteristics of teacher education for the maintenance and improvement of teachers' target language competence. The first part will touch on such issues as the components of a teacher's language competence, the role of needs analysis in determining the objectives of training in this respect, the techniques that can be employed, the place of the Common European Framework and European Language Portfolio, as well as the significance of teachers' awareness and autonomy in this area. In the second part, the participants will be invited to comment on their experiences and requested to come up with practical guidelines on how this aspect of teacher training can be planned and implemented.
Workshop 4
Barry JONES
The use of the European Portfolio for Student Techers of Languages (EPOSTL)
The European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages has been used by teacher educators in at least twelve Council of Europe member states. The five main contexts to date are:
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during pre-service teaching practice where student teachers have used EPOSTL as a (self) reflective tool to:
- chart professional development before, during and after their practical experience;
- focus on developing expertise over time by identifying detailed strengths and weaknesses;
- report on specific aspects of their progress.
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in discussion between student teachers, mentors and university tutors, EPOSTL is being used to compare perceptions of progress, to enhance communication between students, schools and universities using a common language and detailed performance criteria, and to improve collaboration between universities and partnership schools;
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in developing common (self) assessment procedures and models for tutors, mentors and students;
- in international exchange programmes to compare progress of student teachers in different countries and to develop and use common performance criteria, descriptors and procedures;
- in planning teacher training programmes as a basis for detailed curriculum content and assessment procedures within pre- and in-service programmes.
The presentation and workshop will explore these – and other potential contexts – discussing and evaluating each in detail.
Workshop 5
Gudrun ZIEGLER
Multilingual teacher education and diversity integration
The workshop provides an overview of two innovative higher educational programmes at Bachelor and Master level, which put multilingualism at the centre of programme design, preparing the future teacher and young researcher to act in complex, multilingual and diversified contexts of today’s learning realities. Based on examples and critical issues from the experiences gathered during the set-up and piloting phases of the programmes (here: Luxemburg), participants will discuss socio-economic as well as structural conditions for the implementation of diversity-sensitive higher education and teacher education programmes in particular. With regard to the epistemological underpinnings of the conception of the programmes (here: socio-cultural), tools (e.g., portfolio) and techniques (e.g., mentoring) for coherent implementation will be presented, highlighting the importance of collaborative ICT elements and process-oriented documentation as well as evaluation material. Smaller groups will be dealing with case-based issues (supported by examples from the programmes discussed). Challenges and pitfalls as raised by the set-up of the programmes at hand will be discussed, focusing on the identification of critical phases, the definition of suitable solutions and the insurance of quality in line with a diversity sensitive design.
In sum, the workshop aims to raise awareness for conceptual as well as structural issues which come into play when multilingualism and diversity are integrated as essential (rather than accessory) elements in (language) teacher education. Moreover, avoidable pitfalls will be discussed in the light of participants’ experiences and national backgrounds. Outcomes will include a list of best practices as well as points to consider for stabilizing programme development.
Workshop 6
Marek ZAJĄC
Profile of the language teacher in early education
Early education is a common phenomenon in Europe. A teacher who teaches in primary school should be equipped with adequate methodological, linguistic and psycho-pedagogical knowledge. We can distinguish three groups of teachers (regarding their educational background) who teach in a primary school - a specialist teacher (of foreign languages), a general teacher and a semi-specialist teacher (of foreign languages).
After a short introduction of a case study concerning foreign language teaching in early education in Poland (the main language of which is English, and the most frequently occurring teacher is a semi-specialist teacher with the required competence in the teaching of a foreign language), the workshop leaders, together with the participants, will analyse the features of teacher training essential for the early teaching of a foreign language.
An additional element in the discussion will be Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences as it will help widen the view of the various intelligences that children are equipped with, not only considering, as is often the case, their linguistic abilities and skills.
The intended results of the workshop is to draw together an ideal portrait of a foreign language teacher in early education and to determine the principal disciplines which should be included in the curriculum for this particular teacher.
Workshop 7
Teresa TINSLEY
The question of the economic value of language teaching and learning
The European project is based on the idea that a single European market with free movement of goods, capital, services and labour will deliver economic benefits: ‘the most successful, most dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world’.
Since the creation of a Commissioner for Multilingualism in 2007, languages have been given a higher priority within this project, for if European citizens cannot speak one another’s languages, their ability to be mobile, compete for contracts or jobs or to exchange information is severely limited.
In 2007 the European Commission published research, carried out by CILT (the ELAN report) which showed how language learning is linked to economic success in European business. This brought the discussion of multilinguism into new forums of debate and is giving language learning a new profile within education and training policy.
In this session, we will look at ELAN and other research findings linking languages to the economy and discuss the implications for language teachers and teacher trainers.
Workshop 8
Carmel Mary COONAN
Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in language teacher training
Interest in CLIL is increasing all over Europe – a phenomenon that the Kelly Report anticipated (cf. Indicator n° 33) – and countries are moving to incorporate this innovative language learning mode into their systems: cf. recent legislation (2009) in Italy. The contexts in which CLIL might be enacted are diverse throughout Europe and, in the name of subsidiarity, the solutions found are varied. However, a fundamental question is: who is the CLIL teacher, what role does s/he play in the CLIL context and how is s/he to be prepared for this? The Kelly report focuses on the language teacher presuming that s/he will also be the CLIL teacher. Although this might be possible in some countries in Europe it is not always so. Indeed it may be legally impossible. So, the CLIL issue necessarily obliges one to take into consideration a plurality of teacher profiles involved in this new teaching environment and it requires that we widen our concept of language teacher to include any kind of teacher. We must thus ask ourselves what the competences are that these different types of teachers involved in CLIL require.
The aim of the Workshop is to explore the issue of CLIL teacher competences and how best these can be fostered through training. The ‘springboard’ for the discussions will be the issues identified in the Kelly Report (p. 78) in order to arrive at a list of essential key competences and a series of recommendations for their promotion in teacher education.
Workshop 9
Richard ROSSNER
Developing common criteria for comparison and evaluation of language teacher education in Europe
In 2005 EAQUALS, the European Association for Quality Language Services, developed the first version of its Profiling Grid for Language Teachers. This one page scaled grid outlines teaching experience, knowledge and core language teaching competence at six different levels. It provides a tool for relating the various profiles of teachers working at EAQUALS-accredited institutions across 20 countries, providing a wide range of language courses in over 10 different languages, thus aiding inspectors who visit the institutions as part of the accreditation process.
An internal EAQUALS project is looking at how this instrument could be used to derive a more comprehensive instrument for comparing existing in-service and pre-service teacher education programmes, for designing new courses, and for assessing how practising teachers are developing as they gain experience and undergo further training (and/or enabling them to assess their own developing skills and knowledge).
This workshop will aim to identify the key elements of and steps needed to generate a descriptive and evaluative framework that would facilitate quality assurance and accreditation, and also improve language teacher career development and mobility, as proposed in Indication 9 of the final report on the European Profile for Language Teacher Education.
Workshop 10
Anne-Brit FENNER
Intercultural competence of language learners and how to train it
The workshop will present and discuss definitions of intercultural competence, focusing in particular on the ‘savoirs’ as defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). As part of this the terms knowledge, competence and awareness will be examined. Views on the relationship between language and culture will be presented and the terms target culture and national culture will be discussed. Stereotyped views and prejudice will be looked at in relation to attitudes (savoir être) and critical cultural awareness (savoir s’engager) and the relationship between Self and Other will be seen as part of this.
The workshop will also examine the role played by literature in foreign language learning and teaching with regards to developing intercultural competence. We will investigate how the teaching of literature can provide opportunities to develop critical cultural awareness and Bildung, which is the overall aim of education in many European countries. Examples of tasks will be presented and discussed.
Workshop 11
Else RYEN
Specificities of multilingual and multicultural teaching
For most minority children their status as bilingual is marginalised and too often teachers and schools are problem oriented instead of seeing the benefits of having a diversity of languages and cultural backgrounds among their pupils. A main goal for the teaching in multicultural classrooms is to create an environment where all pupils feel at home and are given opportunities to active participation. To achieve these goals the teachers have to develop linguistic and cultural awareness and to have an inclusive approach. Of great value is the teachers’ ability to find themes and activities that can motivate and give all the pupils opportunities to draw on their background knowledge. Teachers also have to develop their skills to cooperate with colleagues and the pupils’ parents. Teamwork, in which bilingual teachers have an important role to play, is crucial.
Furthermore, all teachers need competence in second language acquisition and knowledge in how to safeguard linguistic minorities’ needs for special instruction. It is also of importance that the pupils are given bilingual support and that their languages of origin are valuated as a great asset both for the individual pupil and for the school community as a whole.
Workshop 12
Olga MEDVEDEVA
The role of language teaching in the development of European values
European values correspond to a set of shared beliefs in democracy, the rule of law, the free press and a shared cultural heritage. Perception of values may change in time; values may acquire various interpretations in different countries by different social groups.
The participants of the workshop will be invited to reflect on the concept of identity and image, both on the national and supra-national levels. “Europe as a continent” and “Europe as institutions” do not have the same esteem; a well-devised strategy and common practical actions are needed to enhance the public awareness and support of the European community and its advantages. Teacher training institutions provide trainees with basic instruction in the ways of raising language students’ awareness of common European values and goals through content and choice of teaching materials, critical reflection on political and social life of the European community, promotion of intercultural and multicultural networks and exchanges.
The complex concept of European citizenship includes such issues as morality and responsibility. European citizenship can be successfully incorporated into language teaching; collaboration with colleagues teaching other subjects as well as participation in various community initiatives will provide a deeper insight into social responsibilities and foster one’s personal involvement in the life of common Europe.
Workshop 13
Hanna KOMOROWSKA
Modularisation in language teacher training
The workshop will deal with possibilities of modularization in teacher education. The structure of the workshop is planned as follows:
1) Input by the presenter
2) Discussion which will lead to group work in the course of which participants will plan a set of solutions appropriate for a variety of educational contexts
Input (1) will be based on the assumption that, in order to work out useful solutions, the European language policy should be analyzed as it is presented in basic documents and guidelines provided by the Council of Europe and the European Union. This will help to identify main aims in teacher education and the selection of contents needed to achieve those aims. An example of a modularization procedure for new EU member countries with the description of the context, a suggested type of modularization and justification of the choice will be offered by the presenter as a starting point for the discussion.
In the course of group work (2) participants will: a) reflect on feasibility criteria, course organization and content, number of modules and their internal structure in order to complete a task; (b) identify modularization options for particular educational contexts.
Workshop 14
Catherine CLÉMENT
Online support websites: a policy implementation tool for language teachers’ training policy
The teaching of foreign languages in France has gone through an extensive process of evolution over the last years. This has been inspired by political decisions, motivated by the desire to introduce European principles and tools. This is particularly visible in the case of the language courses for young children, as well as for the CLIL-courses. In order to help the teachers to adapt their work to this new context, the French Ministry of Education has created a series of support websites.
After a presentation of the origins and the characteristics of Emilangues (www.emilangues.education.fr) and Primlangues (www.primlangues.education.fr), the workshop will offer the participants the opportunity of reflecting on possible common principles that might guide the decision makers in the design and implementation of these websites.
How can the websites be adapted to the contents of the language classes? How can ‘normal’ language courses be articulated with the idea of distance learning in mind? How can they contribute to an opening up towards Europe? These and other questions will be the object of discussion during the workshops.
Workshop 15
Paola DE MATTEIS & Geraldine LUDBROOK
Virtual and non virtual mobility in the training of language teachers
Amongst the key elements in the initial training of language teachers in the European countries examined, Kelly highlights the issue of trainee teacher mobility (Kelly, pp. 5-6). Mobility is considered fundamental to the European dimension of initial and in-service training of teachers (p. 113), and not only for language teachers (p. 118), as recommended in several European documents. To complete their training, student teachers are encouraged to study and participate in exchange projects and practical training abroad.
Decision-makers and teacher trainers deal with the issue of mobility in different ways in different European countries. As teacher training systems are often not well equipped to cope with all the various needs, a common European framework is necessary (Kelly, p. 111).
Starting from Kelly’s case studies and observations (p. 113), this workshop aims to look at what mobility projects are being implemented for initial language teacher training, and how obstacles can be overcome. The workshop will produce a series of recommendations as to how mobility can be realised in initial teacher training and how it can be supported by language teacher training institutions.
Workshop 16
Christine DEVELOTTE
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in language teacher training
The workshop aims to foster understanding of ways of training language teachers through ICT carried out in the spirit of European recommendations, namely, through authentic exchanges in the target language/culture. The use of ICT in the classroom enriches classroom practices and learning – as will be shown through “Le français en première ligne”, a project for trainee teachers the potential of which will be analyzed in terms of teaching/learning. Following the presentation of the project, and drawing on the discussion among the participants, we hope to explore the transferability of this model of training to other European countries. This involves identifying flexible aspects, as well as examining the constraints each country would impose. We will reflect on these factors at the level of initial training for language teachers, and at the level of ongoing training for experienced teachers in the different countries.
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