Languages of schooling

One school, Many Languages (January 2022) – this attractive brochure has been designed as a practical resource for primary school teachers. It contains links to lesson plans, videos, audio resources that can be used in the classroom and articles following the latest research and best practice.

The toolkit has been designed by Mother Tongues to disseminate some of the key points from the Supporting Multilingual Classrooms national workshop, delivered in Ireland on 27th and 28th September 2021 by the ECML experts, Chantal Muller and Prof. Terry  Lamb. This event was funded by the European Union and the European Centre for Modern Languages.

In February 2022, The Irish Times featured Mother Tongues and the toolkit in an article:
“Speaking in mother tongues shows heritage is a class act – Embracing diverse languages inside the classroom gives all pupils a great advantage”.

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Online ECML training and consultancy training workshop "Language of schooling in subject learning: Identifying and integrating linguistic and subject objectives – hands-on training sessions"

Dates: 29 October 2020 and 12 February 2021
Local organisation: Centre for Education Development (ORE), Warsaw, Poland; Elżbieta Witkowska
Participants: 16 teacher consultants, methodology advisors, English teachers, teachers of non-language subjects (e.g. History, Geography) in primary and upper secondary schools

In these challenging times of  COVID-19, the workshop was run in two online sessions by ECML experts: Guillaume Grave Rousseau and Jérôme Béliard. The target group represented various professional environments (such as teacher training institutions, primary and secondary schools with bilingual education classes), but the way the sessions were prepared enabled all participants to benefit from the content presented and the activities conducted in the workshop. The activities included a lot of group work during which everyone could share both teaching experience and good practice, learn how to integrate linguistic and subject objectives and how to implement these into classroom work. The teaching tools presented will also be invaluable for the participants while planning activities for their students especially now, when most schools are closed and teaching is held online. A variety of tools that help identify learners’ language needs in subject learning together with scaffolding techniques will serve as a practical support for teachers in planning lessons and designing teaching materials.

Due to the trainers’ expertise, the participants felt inspired by the new ideas presented and encouraged to implement them in their own teaching.

The workshops led by ECML are always of a very high standard and  great value, so it is always worth applying for one!

Elżbieta Witkowska

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy offer on "Language of schooling in subject learning: Identifying and integrating linguistic and subject objectives – hands-on training sessions"

Polish version

Warsztaty organizowane we współpracy  Europejskiego Centrum Języków Nowożytnych z Ośrodkiem Rozwoju Edukacji w Warszawie są zawsze doskonałą okazją dla uczestników do zdobywania nowej wiedzy i doskonalenia warsztatu pracy. Szkolenie Language of schooling in subject learning: Identifying and integrating linguistic and subject objectives – hands-on training sessions prowadzone przez trenerów ECML - Guillaume Grave Rousseau i  Jérôme Béliarda ze względu na sytuację epidemiczną covid 19 odbyło się w formie dwóch sesji online 29.10.2020 oraz 12.02.2021 r. W spotkaniach wzięli udział przedstawiciele różnych środowisk związanych z edukacją: doradcy metodyczni, nauczyciele konsultanci oraz nauczyciele szkół podstawowych i ponadpodstawowych zaangażowani w tematykę nauczania dwujęzycznego. Sesje zostały zaplanowane tak, aby umożliwić jak najpełniejsze zapoznanie się z wiedzą na temat integracji  edukacji przedmiotowej i językowej, jak również zaplanowano przestrzeń na dzielenie się doświadczeniem i dobrą praktyką. Eksperci, przygotowali dla uczestników materiały, które wykorzystywane były w trakcje wykonywania ćwiczeń, ale będą również pomocne w przygotowywaniu materiałów na własne lekcje stacjonarne, ale i te prowadzone zdalnie. Eksperci zaprezentowali tematykę w sposób przystępny, łącząc materiały  teoretyczne z treściami praktycznymi. Uczestnicy mieli okazję pracować w grupach, dzielić się swoimi doświadczeniami i dobrą praktyką oraz poznać techniki i strategie pracy wspomagające nauczania treści przedmiotowych poprzez język angielski.

Dzięki doświadczeniu trenerów, uczestnicy poczuli się zainspirowani nowymi pomysłami i zachęceni do wdrażania ich we własnym nauczaniu.

Elżbieta Witkowska

ECML webinar for parents/carers, teachers and others involved in supporting the home learning of children and young people, especially those whose first language is not necessarily the language of schooling 

Dr. Déirdre Kirwan

The Covid pandemic continues to dominate our lives and although schools in some countries are open again, there are still many young people who are learning from home, on a full or part-time basis. Linking to the theme of learner autonomy from the previous ECML webinar, Covid-19 and language education: Two challenges, one response, this latest webinar will focus on resources for the home-schooling of children and young people and how these can be successfully adapted to meet the needs of learners whose first language is not the language of schooling.

Déirdre Kirwan, ECML expert within the project Inspiring Language Learning – why it matters and what it looks like for children age 3 to 12 years and co-author of Engaging with Linguistic Diversity: A Study of Educational Inclusion in an Irish Primary School (2019), will present a range of practical ideas, many of them from the ECML’s Treasure Chest of Resources for learners, parents and teachers, which help ensure that home learning:

• is learner-centred, motivating and fun for everyone involved
• develops learners’ plurilingual repertoires - not only the language of schooling, but foreign languages and children’s home languages
• supports young people’s wellbeing despite social isolation
• gives parents/carers confidence in supporting their children’s learning
• includes self-management tools to develop learner autonomy and track progress

Please note: the webinar will be held in English only

PLEASE REGISTER HERE