Mobility
Plurilingual and intercultural learning through mobility (PluriMobil)

PluriMobil provides teachers and teacher trainers, international officers and other stakeholders with training and practical resources to help them support plurilingual and intercultural learning, and to foster language learning autonomy of students (primary, lower and upper secondary, teacher training), before, during and after a mobility activity. In the case of student teachers, PluriMobil helps them transfer their own mobility experience to their future learners.

Introduction

Events

Team

Management

Introduction

PluriMobil aims to contribute to plurilingual and intercultural education, a long-term vision developed by the Council of Europe that supports and facilitates lifelong language and intercultural learning as well as the personal growth of all European citizens. In this era of globalisation and computer-mediated communication, participating in mobility programmes such as school exchanges, study visits and networking activities is gaining in popularity, and many institutions develop diverse initiatives to encourage mobility at regional, European and international level. Mobility programmes are indeed promoted as unique opportunities for building language competence and strengthening intercultural understanding.

However they do not automatically result in better intercultural or linguistic skills. This is why, irrespective of their length and form, every mobility project or activity needs to be carefully planned. Even though many institutions put a lot of effort into increasing the number of students taking part in mobility activities, they often forget to establish clear learning outcomes that the participants should achieve by the end of the intercultural encounter.

Therefore, to maximise the learning potential of mobility programmes and activities, all institutions involved are advised to establish coherent learning objectives and provide support for the participant throughout the entire experience: before i.e. at the preparatory stage, during the mobility activity itself and afterwards.

Target groups

Teachers, teacher trainers, international officers and other stakeholders who wish to support learning mobility of students attending:

primary school
lower secondary school
general upper secondary school
vocational upper secondary school
initial teacher education

Results and benefits

Teachers, teacher trainers, international officers or other stakeholders should be able

to use the resources of PluriMobil (handbook, quick start guide, lesson plans) and tools of the Council of Europe such as the European Language Portfolio or the Autobiography of Intercultural Encounters for preparing and accompanying the mobility activity;
to identify objectives and set clear goals in the domains of plurilingual and language learning, autonomous learning, intercultural learning, and the development of soft skills to plan the mobility project as a whole, based on the idea of the learning scenario (before, during, and after);
to encourage the elaboration and presentation of mobility portfolios.

Longer-term benefit for the target group

hands on and ready-made pedagogical instruments are made available to provide focused support during the whole mobility activity;
clear learning outcomes that the participants should achieve, are established by all stakeholders involved (sending and hosting institution).

Longer-term benefit for the member state

plurilingual and intercultural education in mobility is promoted from primary school to teacher training (convergence between educational levels);
the need for careful planning and supporting of the mobility process is understood and widely accepted by relevant stakeholders, especially by student teachers for their future practice;
in the case of vocational students, employability is enhanced.

Related ECML themes

PluriMobil Training and Consultancy

Trainings can be conducted in English, French or German.

This offer is targeted at teachers, teacher trainers, international officers and other stakeholders who wish to support learning mobility of students and provides:

Familiarisation with PluriMobil resources

quick start guide
handbook
lesson plans
learning scenarios
examples of good practice

Development of customised mobility learning scenarios (stages before, during, and after the mobility activity) and mobility portfolios

based on PluriMobil lesson plans,
adapted to the individual needs of the learners involved in the mobility activity
encouraging communication of the sending and hosting institution involving, if applicable,
communication between the sending and hosting institution.

Provision of member state

offering the basic infrastructure for the training course;
local organisation of the training course, in co-operation with the ECML and the
PluriMobil team;
documentation of the event.