Let’s think about language teaching

The European Commission postulates for European teachers: “[…] essential competences they require in order to be effective in the classroom is one of the keys to raising levels of pupil attainment” (EU 2013, p.5). In general, teaching competences are to be seen as “complex combinations of knowledge, skills, understanding, values and attitudes, leading to effective action in situation” (EU 2013, p.9). The European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) describes quality teachers as equipped with the ability to integrate knowledge, to handle complexity, and to adapt to the needs of individual learners as well as groups. Thus, teacher competences are built on a concept of teaching as praxis in which theory, practice and the ability to reflect critically on one’s own and others’ practice illuminate each other, rather than on a concept of teaching as the acquisition of technical skills (ETUCE, 2008). 

With his meta-analysis of hundreds of studies related to learning achievement, John Hattie gives a synthesis of evidence of success. He emphasizes the teacher’s key role in learning success: „It is the teachers who are open to experience, learn from errors, seek and learn from feedback from students and who foster effort, clarity and engagement in learning“ (2009, p.35).

In addition to general professional competence, which includes knowledge, ability and reflexivity as the core of professionalism, there are specific features for each field of expertise that needs to be taught. In particular, the competences needed by language teachers vary considerably according to the context in which they are teaching.

In the following section, we propose some thought-provoking ideas and activities for language teaching staff, in order to develop an initial awareness of the specific situation of vocational language training in border regions.