Abstract
The benefits of learning modern foreign languages from an early age are widely recognized and a growing number of pre-primary institutions in Europe are putting relevant programmes into practice. During their teacher training, student teachers (who will later work with pre-primary school children) must acquire a (professional) approach which values plurilingual and intercultural education.
There is a real need for such a tool which will allow for reflective practice as well as the development of professional competences in this area.
In order to encourage pedagogic continuity, which is in itself essential, the tool should be capable of being adapted to the training of primary school teachers as well.
The project’s aim is to optimize the way in which training of pre-primary pedagogues takes place with regard to the following aspects: developing a variety of language skills of children, recognising intercultural dimensions, valuing diversity in and around the school, establishing a progression system which takes the learners’ competences/abilities into account, familiarisation of key issues in Europe related to the subject.
The end product will follow the approach taken by the ECML publication “European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages” (EPOSTL) with adapted competence descriptors for future teachers and with a reflective methodology for knowledge and language competence development of pre-primary pedagogues.