ECML webinars

• Are you involved/interested in the process of reforming foreign language curricula?
• Has Covid made you work with alternative forms of assessment?
• Plurilingual and pluricultural skills are an essential part of the CEFR and its Companion Volume – Are they impacting on curricula and examinations in your context? If not, do you think they should?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions, then the webinar Aligning to the CEFRCV: a continuous process is likely to be of interest to you. 

The webinar is based on “Relating language curricula, tests and examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference” (RELANG), an initiative of the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) and the European Commission which has, to date, conducted training workshops to different target groups in over 30 Member States of the European Union and the ECML on relating language curricula, tests and examinations to the CEFR in a valid and reliable way. 

RELANG workshops offer support for reform processes envisaged in the Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)1 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the importance of plurilingual and intercultural education for democratic culture as well as Recommendation (2019) of the Council of the European Union on a comprehensive approach to the teaching and learning of languages.

The webinar will share the experiences gained by the RELANG team from operating in a wide variety of countries and contexts with a particular focus on plurilingual and pluricultural skills  and alternative forms of assessment. National representatives will also comment on how workshops have made a key contribution to reform processes and achieved impact in their respective countries and outline challenges for the future in this dynamic area.

The webinar will also offer the opportunity to interact with the moderators through posting questions in a chat function.

Recorded 19 September 2024

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/live/5xslG-J7NTw
Download: powerpoint presentation

Action research communities (ARC) (www.ecml.at/actionresearch) webinar with
Dr. Jane O’Toole (Teacher (Scoil Chrónáin Senior National School, Dublin www.stcronanssns.ie) CARN Coordinating Group Member (Collaborative Action Research Network www.carn.org.uk) Researcher (www.researchgate.net/profile/Jane-Otoole-3))

As a follow-up event to the European Centre for Modern Languages ARC Trainings and Consultancies, the ARC-Network is inviting you to participate in our interactive webinar which will explore the potential of action research in language education.

• Why action research?
• How does an action research methodology support language education both in terms of research and practice?
• What are the opportunities and challenges that arise in conducting action research in the sphere of language education?
• How might I go about integrating action research into my practice as a language educator?

These are just some of the questions to be unpacked as we examine both local and global contexts of language education. The webinar will be presented by Dr. Jane O'Toole, a practising schoolteacher in Ireland with a special interest in both language education and action research. The discussion will include insights into the Irish language context which will serve to illuminate the opportunities and challenges of action research in endangered language contexts in addition to inviting participants to share perspectives on their own local and global understandings of language education.

Target groups: The webinar which is moderated by the ARC team is open to everyone. It is likely to be of particular interest to participants in the Action research Communities’ Training and Consultancy workshops (and those registered for 2024 events) as well as to members of the CARN Network.

Recorded 21 May 2024

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwp5ySlfhVA
Download: powerpoint presentation

The Recommendation CM/Rec (2022) on the importance of plurilingual and intercultural education for democratic culture is the first holistic recommendation on language education to be published by the Council of Europe. Its scope extends beyond formal education, recognising that successful implementation requires a shift in societal attitudes to language and culture. In the fourth webinar in the series, Terry Lamb (Professor of Languages and Interdisciplinary Pedagogy, University of Westminster; President FIPLV) will explore the ways in which a wide range of stakeholder groups and partners in civil society can collaborate with educational institutions to contribute to this broad and ambitious agenda for change.

Background

In June 2022, the ECML launched a series of 4 webinars on Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)1 on the importance of plurilingual and intercultural education for a culture of democracy, which was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in February 2022.

The first webinar focused on the main messages for decision-makers and first steps for implementation. In the second, David Little provided an analysis of the definition of plurilingual and intercultural education that forms the basis of the Recommendation, while examining the educational and societal challenges that the Recommendation aims to address. The third webinar in the series, featuring Mirjam Egli Cuenat, focused on the importance that the Recommendation places on teacher education. This fourth webinar with Terry Lamb on challenging societal attitudes towards language and culture concludes the series.

Recorded 22 February 2024

Webinar in English: https://youtube.com/live/gDYobGiEItY
Webinar in French: https://youtube.com/live/vrkk7IiPY1Q
Download: powerpoint presentation

With over 200 indigenous languages in Europe, as well as many languages brought to the continent through immigration, many regional and minority languages (RMLs) find themselves in competition with Europe’s more dominant and economically powerful languages. When a language ceases to be used by all generations and in all aspects of life and instead becomes limited to certain age groups and/or certain domains of society – there is a danger that it enters a spiral of decline which can eventually lead to extinction.

This event will look at examples relating to the promotion of regional and minority languages from around Europe. A series of short presentations will focus specifically on  educational practice in contexts where regional and minority languages (RMLs)  are prevalent and are part of the curriculum and/or a language of schooling.These will cover a wide range of languages, locations and educational settings and will highlight examples of practice which are potentially transferable/adaptable to other contexts.

The presentations will address the following issues. 

• Implementation of the Council of Europe’s Romani-Plurilingual Policy Experimentation (Slovakia)
• Promoting the Romansh language to different target groups (Switzerland)
• Policy and innovative practice in teaching Walloon language (Belgium)
• RMLs within the public education system in France 
• Curriculum, examinations, and assessment for RMLs in Norway - challenges and solutions  
• How ECML publications can be used in promoting RMLs
• Innovative teaching practices to foster student motivation in the Basque and Friulian contexts 
• Minority education regulation in Slovenia with best practices from the bilingual area of Prekmurje

The event will also look at the further support required by the professional community in this area. 

Target audience:  Language education professionals working with regional and minority languages at any educational level and Educational administrators /policy makers who are involved with RMLs in national education systems 

This event is organised within the framework of the European Centre for Modern Languages’ 2023 cooperation action with the European Commission. It will involve representatives from the 38 member states of the ECML and the European Union, as well as key networks and associations active in the area of RMLs.

Recorded 7 November 2023

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE-4nu2BcLA
Webinar in French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quonz1QhqPk
Website: www.ecml.at/rmlcolloquium
Programme: See full programme of the colloquium (NB: the morning session only will be livestreamed)

This initiative is carried out within the framework of a cooperation agreement between the European Centre for Modern Languages and the European Commission, entitled  Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning

Are you interested in submitting a project proposal for the European Centre for Modern Languages’ (ECML) next programme?

Following the ECML’s recent launch of the Call for project proposals for its 2024-2027 programme, entitled “Language education at the heart of democracy”, the Centre is offering a practical 2-hour webinar targeted directly at language professionals interested in submitting a project proposal.

The webinar will address topics such as:

• Key elements of an ECML project
• What makes a successful project proposal
• How I prepared my project (the experiences of a current project coordinator)
• Finding relevant Council of Europe resources and how to build on these
• How to find team members
• Completing the project submission form (explanations and tips)

The webinar will include a 45-minute group-work session to enable participants to ask questions about the Call and the submission procedure.

It will also address, in greater depth, issues presented in the initial launch webinar on 15 May and in the Call document. Participants should take note of these resources in preparation for the event, as well as familiarising themselves with the Call website which contains the submission form and the project selection criteria.

As only a limited amount of places are available for the Zoom webinar, registration will be based on a first come, first served basis - participants will be asked to indicate their preferred working language for the breakout room discussions. Participants will also be expected to think about possible questions and proposal topics to discuss in the group work.

A recording (of the presentations only) will be made available via the Call website shortly after the event. For this reason, participants will be asked at registration to agree to the recording.

Recorded 12 June 2023

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN9SpGE7GcQ
Webinar in French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsxcox7Dmh4
Download: Powerpoint presentation

Are you interested in addressing key challenges in language education working within a unique European platform? The European Centre for Modern Languages is launching the Call for project proposals for its next programme, “Language education at the heart of democracy”, starting in January 2024, and based on identified priorities in language education of the Centre’s member states.  

This one-hour webinar:

• introduces the focus of the Call for proposals and the rationale behind the new programme;
• highlights the most pressing challenges in language education elicited from a recent survey covering policy makers and language education professionals in the 35 member states of the ECML;
• provides information on how to become involved in the Centre’s next programme and explains the different possibilities for engagement;
• outlines both the benefits and challenges of coordinating/being involved in an ECML project.

The event is aimed at language professionals with an interest in the international context of language education, ECML national contacts and networks cooperating with the Centre. The ECML is also particularly keen to reach out to newcomers and to encourage the next generation of language professionals to engage in its work.

This introductory webinar will be followed up by a 2nd event on 12 June focusing specifically on potential project proposal writers.

Recorded 15 May 2023

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOtYEY64vqo
Webinar in French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unRF9JIPwS0
Download: powerpoint presentation

In June 2022, the ECML launched a series of 4 webinars on Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)1 on the importance of plurilingual and intercultural education for a culture of democracy, which was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in February 2022. 

The first webinar focused on the main messages for decision-makers and first steps for implementation. In the second webinar, Professor David Little provided an analysis of the definition of plurilingual and intercultural education that forms the basis of the Recommendation, while examining the educational and societal challenges that the Recommendation aims to address. 

In this third webinar in the series, Professor Mirjam Egli Cuenat, will focus on the importance that Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)1 places on teacher education: what are the specific recommendations with regard to initial and in-service teacher education? What are their implications for training programmes? How can they be implemented in practice? These questions will be addressed using concrete examples from teacher education for different target levels.

The final webinar in the series will then focus on societal engagement for successful implementation of the Recommendation.

Recorded 29 March 2023

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPia_5wiDHA
Webinar in French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx3lxsMDOYU
Download: Powerpoint presentation (in French)

Digital citizenship education represents both a societal need and a priority of the Council of Europe. If you wish to discover ways this dimension can be explored in language teaching and learning, then this webinar is for you.

The European Centre for Modern Languages e-lang citizen project team will present the main tenets of their pedagogical approach, as well as concrete tasks to be adapted to various teaching and learning environments. The objective of these tasks is to develop both language skills and digital citizenship.

The webinar will provide an opportunity to showcase the latest project developments and productions.

Target group: language teachers and teacher trainers.

Recorded 10 November 2022

Webinar in English and French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM7p90QkOac 
Download: Powerpoint presentation

In June this year the ECML launched a series of webinars on Recommendation R(2022)1 on the importance of plurilingual and intercultural education for democratic culture, adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in February 2022. The first webinar, which can be viewed here, explained the background to the Recommendation, focused on key messages for decision-makers and offered suggestions for awareness-raising activities and for first steps towards implementation. 

In this second webinar, Professor David Little will analyse the definition of plurilingual and intercultural education on which the Recommendation is based. He will consider the educational and societal challenges the Recommendation is designed to address, and outline what he believes to be its principal implications for curricula and pedagogy.

Subsequent webinars in the series will focus on the importance of both teacher education and societal engagement for successful implementation of the Recommendation. 

Target group: curriculum planners; school leaders; teachers of all subjects

Recorded 23 September 2022 

Video in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW-Dp470joM 
Video in French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyBcuQdnUgs
Download: Powerpoint presentation

In February this year, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the first comprehensive Recommendation in the field of languages - Recommendation R(2022)1 on the importance of plurilingual and intercultural education for democratic culture.

This webinar explains the background to this Recommendation - where it came from, how it is structured, and why it was adopted.  It begins by focusing on key messages and on what these mean for decision-makers, before drawing on elements of the official text and the accompanying Explanatory Memorandum which can be used for awareness-raising and as first steps towards implementation.  It concludes by outlining the series of follow-up events planned for the academic year 2022-2023 that will explore specific aspects of the Recommendation and their implications for different target groups. 

Target group: education decision-makers at national/regional or institutional levels

Recorded 14 June 2022

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7b_e4h6ps0
Webinar in French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trfiauFQA5g
Download: powerpoint presentation

Would you like to find out more about our initiative - "The future of language education in the light of Covid"?  Would you be interested in helping us understand how learners’ experienced language learning and teaching during the pandemic so that together we can build a more promising future for language education? 

This webinar will provide an overview of the initiative, present the initial findings from a pilot project based on classroom activities to elicit learners’ voices and invite participating teachers to take part in the next stage.

Target group: language teachers (all levels)

The initiative is coordinated by the ECML’s Professional Network Forum and takes place in cooperation with the European Commission.

Recorded 17 May 2022

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SswVU_3liBs
Download: powerpoint presentation

Has your school opened its doors to refugees from Ukraine? What impact has this had on learning and teaching?  Do you feel confident in supporting learners who struggle to understand you or to make themselves understood?  Do you have access to appropriate resources?  

This webinar will provide you with guidance and teaching resources to address these new challenges and ensure a welcoming atmosphere, conducive to learning. You will discover how best to value this linguistic diversity in your classroom in ways that also foster the development of the language of schooling. 

Target group: pre-primary, primary and secondary teachers (of languages and other subjects)

Recorded 12 May 2022

Webinar in English: www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Wa1lU2PWY
Download: powerpoint presentation

moderated by Angela-Gallagher-Brett, Larisa Kasumagic-Kafedzic and Christine Lechner

• How can Action Research support language education?
• What have your experiences with Action Research been?
• What are the tools developed by the Action Research Communities project and how can you use them in your context?

We will address these questions, based on the experiences of the European Centre for Modern Languages’ ARC project with action research - also taking into account the effects of the pandemic.

During the webinar we will introduce the ARC project, which was based upon the conviction that teachers are at the heart of the quality process in the language learning classroom. We set out to support teachers in European classrooms using action research as an essential tool for the development of reflective classroom practice highlighting ways in which teachers can enhance their self-confidence and professionalism.

We will then dip into the ARC Spiral as a basis for discussions, as well as showing tools that the ARC-Community has built for teacher education and telling you about some of the amazing action research projects that participants of the original project and the ECML training and consultancy workshops from 2020 and 2021 have been engaged in and how you can get involved in the future.

Target audience:  all language teachers from primary to university level and also to action researchers from other fields who would like to learn more about language education.

Recorded 8 March 2022

Webinar in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH1qAN_xeUI 
Webinar in German: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFRM1NuCUTI