Migration and Language Education

Collaborative Community Approach to Migrant Education. A virtual open course for educators

The resources offer innovative ways to enhance young migrants’ education by developing links between schools, the home and local partners in education. This educational joint venture develops the learners’ skills in the language of schooling as well as their plurilingual competences.

Available in EN and FR

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Language skills for successful subject learning. CEFR-linked descriptors for mathematics and history/civics (Language Descriptors)

Available in English and French

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A European learning network for professionals supporting work-related second language development (Language for Work)

Available in English

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Teaching the language of schooling in the context of diversity. Study materials for teacher development

The study materials focus on teacher education for the language of schooling (e.g. French in France, Polish in Poland). They draw on the linguistic and cultural diversity in the classroom for the benefit of all learners.

Available in English, French and German

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A pluriliteracies approach to teaching for learning

A pluriliteracies approach builds on CLIL approaches to help learners become better meaning-makers, who can draw on content knowledge to communicate successfully across languages, disciplines and cultures. In this way it promotes deep learning and helps develop responsible, global citizens.

Available in English and German

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European portfolio for pre-primary educators. The plurilingual and intercultural dimension

This portfolio is designed for educators and teachers in the pre-primary sector, either in initial or in-service training. It encourages personal reflection on the professional skills related to the linguistic and intercultural dimension of working with children.

Available in English and French

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Parents and teachers: working together for plurilingual and intercultural education

The aim of this website is to disseminate knowledge on the benefits of involving parents in plurilingual and intercultural education. Working with parents as partners facilitates not only language acquisition, but also the development of positive attitudes towards otherness, attitudes which are necessary for the harmonious development of individuals and society.

Available in English and French

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Plurilingual and intercultural competences. Descriptors and teaching materials

FREPA National Networks disseminate the tools developed within the Framework of Reference for Pluralistic Approaches to Languages and Cultures (FREPA/CARAP) to support plurilingual and intercultural education at all levels.

Available in EN, FR and DE

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CONBAT – Plurilingualism and pluriculturalism in content-based teaching: A training kit

Educational institutions increasingly face the challenge of accommodating learners from a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds in their classrooms. The training kit presents an innovative way of managing diversity in the classroom by combining plurilingual and pluricultural approaches with content-based instruction. The reader will discover how content-based and plurilingual activities can be linked to several subjects of the curriculum.

Available in English and French.

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MARILLE – Promoting plurilingualism: majority language in multilingual settings

Traditionally, teachers of majority languages receive less training to teach a language as a second language or to develop the plurilingual repertoire of their learners than, for example, foreign language teachers.Yet, in today’s societies, learners bring many different languages to school.This means that the teaching of themajority language has to extend beyond teaching it as a first language and adopt elements of second language teaching.

Available in English and German.

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VALEUR ‒ Valuing all languages in Europe

The aim of the Valeur was to raise awareness of the “additional” languages – those which are not national and regional languages – used in Europe, and collate information about the educational provision made for them. A flyer describes the educational, social and cognitive benefits of plurilingualism and a report includes country by country details of the languages in use, together with recommendations on educational policies to deal with the issues arising from linguistic diversity.

Available in English, French and Hungarian.

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CHAGAL Setup – European curriculum guidelines for access programmes into higher education for under-represented adult learners

The idea for the CHAGAL project was born out of the realisation that education systems have to be responsive to the diverse backgrounds and specific needs of international students and to adopt effective strategies to offer students every chance of success in their undertakings. An innovative and inclusive curriculum sensitive to the students’ diversity not only promotes positive student reaction and success, but also reflects the host country’s acceptance of the potential these students have to offer.

Available in English.

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EBP-ICI – Regional/Minority Languages in bi-/plurilingual education: Languages from near and far

Based on European objectives to favour linguistic diversity and plurilingual and pluricultural education, the publication presents pilotedmaterials, activities and didactic tools. These are related to a theoretical framework which creates links between dominant languages and minority or regional languages in Europe and beyond. A teaching kit also offers a collection of practical examples and recommendations for policy-makers in the area of education.

Available in English and French.

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LEA ‒ Plurilingual and pluricultural awareness in language teacher education: A training kit

The LEA (Language Educator Awareness) training kit comprises a set of practical instruments designed to help teacher educators introduce the essential aspects of plurilingualism and pluriculturalism to language teachers and learners. It consists of a printed booklet setting out the rationale for a series of training activities, which are contained on an accompanying CD-Rom.

Available in English and French.

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ODYSSEUS – Second language at the workplace: Language needs of migrant workers: organising language learning for the vocational/workplace context

This book is constructed around a conviction by the authors of the key role of vocational and workplace-related second language provision towards social and economic integration and participation. Knowledge and communicative competences have become pivotal elements of vocational and professional performance at all hierarchical levels for all employees (mother-tongue speakers and speakers of other languages). This publication, which is the result of a cooperation project between the Council of Europe and the European Commission, is an invaluable resource for current and intending workplace language practitioners, as well as company personnel, unions and policy makers.

Available in English and French.

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ENSEMBLE – Promoting linguistic diversity and whole-school development

The Council of Europe stresses the importance of societal multilingualism and of individual plurilingual competence as means to social cohesion. Why this is important and how it can be achieved are explained in the Language Policy Unit document “Guide for the Development of Language Education Policies in Europe”. Ultimately, it is within the school, at the chalk face, that the necessary innovations need to take place. The case studies presented in this publication are an authentic illustration of how this is being realised in different contexts; and what successes and challenges it presents. 

Available in English and French.

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