Introduction
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papers |
Research Projects
Introduction | Education | Employment
Education
INSPIRE: Integrating Socrates Projects' Ideas and Results across Europe
The INSPIRE project aims to get people using (and recommending) the results of the Socrates programme, concentrating on projects related to language learning, teaching and promotion from all actions.
12 local and regional events will be hosted across 6 countries reaching
a minimum of 300 end users, in all sectors of education and training.
Find out more...
LANTERN (Language Teaching Resources and News)
Enhancement of the pages devoted to the theme of languages on the Europa site of the Directorate General for Education and Culture: updating of content, further development of existing site, research, collation and presentation of new data.
Gateways into Languages
Gateways into Languages is funded by the DfES under the Gateways to the Professions Development Fund. The fund was established following the publication of Sir Alan Langlands' report on the Gateways to the Professions in late 2005, to support 'projects that tackle the full range of issues and barriers faced by people seeking to enter the professions through higher education'. Gateways into Languages aims to enhance the number of entrants to the language professions, and their work-readiness, through two main activities.
DROFoLTA (Detecting and Removing Obstacles to Foreign Language Teaching Abroad)
Do language teachers spend enough time abroad?
The European Commission has launched a Europe-wide survey of language teachers’ experience of mobility in work and training. Language teachers in the UK are invited to share their experiences of teaching abroad and taking part in CPD in the country in which their languages are spoken. Teachers’ opinions are being sought to identify potential obstacles to living and working in Europe. Responses will feed into a report containing recommendations for Member States, available later in 2006.
CLIP (Content and Language Integrated Teaching Pilot)
One of the recommendations from the Nuffield Inquiry was that there should be a nationally co-ordinated programme of bilingual learning in the UK, that is, learning another curriculum subject through the medium of a foreign language. CILT has been investigating and piloting a three year study, called the Content and Language Integrated Teaching Pilot (CLIP), at both primary and secondary level, which started in September 2002.
Find out more...LRC Project
The Language Resource Centre (LRC) project, which received Socrates / Lingua 1 support from 2001-2003, aims to improve support for language learning through Language Resource Centres (LRCs). Since 2001, 16 partners from 13 EU countries have collaborated in producing The LRC handbook: guidelines for setting up, running and expanding Language Resource Centres.
This brief, practical publication can be downloaded free of charge from the LRC portal. It is available in all 16 project languages and includes case studies from all partners' LRCs. The portal also hosts an online discussion forum on all aspects of running LRCs open to anyone with an interest in the field.
Pedagogical Research Fund for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies in Higher Education
In 2002 -2003, the Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies received additional funds from the Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN, now the Higher Education Academy) to support a Pedagogical Research Fund for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies in Higher Education. The project was managed at CILT through CILT's partnership with the Subject Centre.
All projects reported in January 2004 and links to their final research papers are available on the Subject Centre website.
Initial Teacher Training
The ITT MFL support for teacher trainers project aims to provide web-based subject support through introducing trainers to current thinking, research and professional networks. CILT, the National Centre for Languages, is working with the Teacher Training Agency (TTA), to produce these on-line support materials.
The project started in 2003 and the production of materials is phased over two years. These are being developed according to national priorities and with reference to an analysis of the training needs of new tutors, carried out by CILT in November 2003. The project has also enabled the development of a virtual community for ITT MFL through an e-mail discussion forum.
Early Language Learning Initiative
CILT are co-ordinating the Early Language Learning (ELL) initiative on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment. The remit of the initiative is to promote and develop the provision and quality of Modern Foreign Language teaching and learning in the primary sector.
European Language Portfolio
As part of the Common European Framework for Language Learning and in order to make lifelong language learning more meaningful, the Council of Europe has proposed that learners should be able to build up a personal languages portfolio.
The European Language Portfolio was developed and piloted by the Modern Languages Division of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, from 1998 until 2000. It was launched on a pan-European level during the European Year of Languages 2001 as a tool to support the development of plurilingualism and pluriculturalism.
ILIAD - International Languages Inservice at a Distance
This multilingual, multimedia inservice training resource allows you to access video and audio clips in fifteen different classrooms in five European countries.
Language Colleges
By September 2004 there were over 200 designated Language Colleges (LCs) in England. In November 2002, the government announced an expansion of the specialist schools programme whereby there will be no limit on the numbers that can take part - any school that meets the required standard will be able to become specialist.
CILT is the national centre for specialist support to Language Colleges and as part of a developmental project in support of the Languages Colleges initiative, CILT provides support, information and advice on curricular, methodological, resourcing and professional issues. We also provide a framework for the sharing of experiences between teachers and colleges by organising training seminars centrally or regionally, and two major dissemination conferences annually.
Lingu@Net Europa
Lingu@net Europa is a multilingual, on-line resource centre for foreign language learning developed by partners from 20 countries and co-ordinated by CILT. Lingu@net Europa gives multilingual access to over 3,500 catalogued on-line resources from around the world relating to the learning and teaching of any modern foreign language. It also offers support for adult learners on how to learn a language, how to assess your level and how to communicate with other learners on-line.
MFL and Literacy at Key Stages 2 and 3
In 1999 CILT and QCA launched a project to explore links between children's work in developing literacy skills and in learning a foreign language. The project sought to identify ways in which the development of mother-tongue literacy and foreign language skills might be mutually supportive and the method adopted was to give small amounts of funding and support to projects in schools in order for them to develop action research programmes and report on key issues.
Trafic - a quality network for primary language courses
In October 2001 CILT was successful in obtaining European Union funding to co-ordinate a network of providers of courses for primary languages teachers, working with partner institutions including CIEP in Paris, Bell Centres and the Goethe Institute.
