Briefing on multilingualism by NPLD

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NPLD, The European Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity, is a European wide network working in the field of language policy and planning for Constitutional, Regional and Small-State Languages across Europe. NPLD’s main goal is to raise awareness at a European level on the vital importance of linguistic diversity, working closely with the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe.

Here you can read its last briefing issued on the 25th November about multilingualism.

 

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The Language Dimension in all Subjects of the curriculum. Council of Europe report (2016)

The Council of Europe has recently published a report to highlight the importance of language provision not just as a separate subject in school but in all subjects across the curriculum. It is a handbook published in October 2016 with practical recommendations and new insights to policy makers on the implementation on languages from a whole-school, cross-curricular perspective.

The handbook has been written to support the implementation of the principles and measures set out in Recommendation CM/Rec(2014)5 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to Member States on the importance of competences in the language(s) of schooling for equity and quality in education and for educational success.

Click here to read the full report.

Guide for the Development and Implementation of Curricula for Plurilingual and Intercultural Education. Council of Europe report (2016)

The Council of Europe has recently published this report aimed at providing some guidelines for officials responsible for curriculum planning at a national, regional, local and school level on how to develop and implement curricula for plurilingual and intercultural education. It is divided into three main parts:

  1. A general picture of the components of plurilingual and intercultural education, possible approaches to implementing them as well as the conditions needed
  2. The preparation phases and the content focused on plurilingual and intercultural education
  3. The distribution of the content to be integrated into the curricula

The main goal of this report is to help decision makers to develop a plurilingual and intercultural education as an indispensable factor in the social cohesion of contemporary European societies.

Click here to read the full report.

 

New British Council Research: “alarming shortage of language skills in the UK”

Within the framework of the International Education Week (14-18 November 2016), the British Council has published a report which demonstrates the vital importance of language skills in the UK and shows the downward trend in language learning in the UK. According to the study, “compared to other subjects Language uptake in schools remains low when compared to other subjects. Previous research by the British Council and Education Development Trust has also found that teachers have ‘deep concerns’ about the current situation facing language learning in schools in England.

In the words of Vicky Gough, Adviser at the British Council: “As the UK comes to reposition itself on the world stage, language skills matter now more than ever. And with the country already facing a languages shortfall, we must do everything we can to encourage more people to acquire these vital skills. “The reality is that speaking another language not only boosts job prospects but also allows you to connect with another culture. If the UK is to remain globally competitive as we prepare to leave the EU, language learning must become a national priority

Click here to read more.

 

The State of Language Learning in Primary and Secondary Schools. Report published by the Education Development Fund and the British Council 

This reports provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of affairs in language provision and language learning in schools of the United Kingdom. It also identifies the main challenges, namely:

  • Improving the confidence of classroom teachers who teach languages
  • Accessing professional training on a regular basis
  • Finding enough curriculum time to accommodate languages

Click here to read the full report.

 

The European Language Diversity Forum. International Conference in Donostia-San Sebastian, 15-16 December 2016

As part of the Donostia-San Sebastian European Capital of Culture, this international conference aims at bringing together the main stakeholders in the field of language policies and discuss the revitalization of regional, minority and endangered languages. During the event, the new 2017 UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages will be presented.

Click here to know more about the event.