Transcript Document

Plurilingualism
in Higher Education –
Opportunities and
Challenges
Waldemar Martyniuk
Language Policy Division
Council of Europe
Strasbourg, France
Council of Europe
• intergovernmental organisation
• set up 1949 by 10 member states
• in August 2005, the Council of
Europe has 46 member states
• based in Strasbourg, France
• main bodies:
– Committee of Ministers
– Parliamentary Assembly
– Congress of Local and Regional
Authorities of Europe
– European Court of Human Rights.
Guiding principles: democracy, human
rights and rule of law.
How it works?
• Dialogue between its main bodies
• Secretariat is divided into directorates covering main
activities
• Results take many forms: conventions, recommendations,
conferences or reports
800 MILLION EUROPEANS
RESULTS
PARLIAMENTS
GOVERNMENTS
LOCAL AND REGIONAL
AUTHORITIES
DECISIONS
CONVENTIONS
RECOMMENDATIONS
PARLIAMENTARY
ASSEMBLY
RECOMMENDATIONS
COMMITTEE OF
MINISTERS
CONSULTATIONS
CONGRESS OF LOCAL
AND REGIONAL
AUTHORITIES OF EUROPE
CONSULTATIONS
SECRETARIAT
Council of Europe
and Education
• Directorate General IV: Education,
Culture and Heritage, Youth and
Sport
• 2001: European Year of Languages
• 26 September: European Day of
Languages
• 2005: European Year of Citizenship
through Education
Council of Europe
and Higher Education
• The European Higher Education
Area (EHEA)
• Recognition of qualifications
• Higher Education governance
• Public responsibility for higher
education
• Bilateral and regional cooperation
Council of Europe
and the EHEA
• European Cultural Convention of 1954 adopted as geographical framework for
the EHEA
• Lisbon Convention on the Recognition of
Qualifications concerning Higher
Education in European Region (1997)
• Consultative member of the Bologna
Follow-Up Group
• „a bridge” between „Bologna” and „nonBologna” countries
Council of Europe and
Languages
• 1971-1977: Unit-credit scheme
• Language for Communication 19811988
• 1989-1997: Language learning for
European Citizenship
• 1998- : Plurilingual Education in Europe
• European Charter for Regional and
Minority Languages (1992)
• Language Policy Forum (2004): Global
Approaches to Plurilingual Education
Council of Europe Language
Education Policies
aim to promote:
• plurilingualism
• linguistic diversity
• mutual understanding
• democratic citizenship
• social cohesion
Guiding principles
for language learning
• Language learning is for all
• Language learning is for the
learner
• Language learning is for
intercultural communication
• Language learning is for life
Guiding principles
for language teaching
• Language teaching is co-ordinated
• Language teaching is coherent and
transparent
• Language learning and teaching
are dynamic lifelong processes
A plurilingual person living in a
multilingual society is able to
draw on:
• a repertoire of languages and
language varieties
• competences of different kinds and
levels within the repertoire
Plurilingual education
promotes:
• An awareness of why and how one
learns the language one has chosen
• An awareness of and the ability to use
transferable skills in language learning
• A respect for the plurilingualism of
others and the value of languages and
varieties irrespective of their perceived
status in society
Plurilingual education
promotes:
• A respect for the cultures embodied in
languages and the cultural identities of
others
• An ability to perceive and mediate the
relationships which exist among
languages and cultures
• A global integrated approach to
language education in the curriculum
Recommendations to the
member states (1998):
• Encourage all Europeans to achieve a
degree of communicative ability in a
number of languages
• Diversify the languages on offer and set
objectives appropriate to each language
• Encourage teaching programmes at all
levels that use flexible approach and
give them appropriate recognition in
national qualification systems
Recommendations to the
member states (1998):
• Encourage the use of foreign languages
in the teaching of non-linguistic
subjects
• Support the application of
communication and information
technologies to disseminate teaching
and learning materials for all European
national and regional languages
Recommendations to the
member states (1998):
• Support the development of links and
exchanges with institutions and persons
at all levels of education to offer the
possibility of authentic experience of
the language and culture of others
• Facilitate lifelong learning of languages
Institutions
• Language Policy • European
Division
Centre for
Modern
(Strasbourg,
Languages
France)
(Graz, Austria)
Policy instruments
and initiatives
• Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages (CEFR)
• Reference Level Descriptions for
national/regional languages
• Manual for Relating Language
Examinations to the CEFR
• European Language Portfolio (ELP)
• Guide for the Development of Language
Education Policies + studies
• Language Education Policy Profiles
Implementing plurilingualism
in Higher Education means to:
• Raise awareness of the value of being
plurilingual in a multilingual European
society
• Encourage all students and staff to
learn languages
• Encourage students and staff to learn a
variety of languages
• Use strategic planning and adopt a
global, coherent language policy
Implementing plurilingualism
in Higher Education means to:
• Promote and support intercultural
mobility of students and staff
• Attract and integrate international
students
• Provide good quality CLIL in a variety of
languages
• Encourage and educate both language
teachers and language students to
become plurilingual – not just bi-lingual
Implementing plurilingualism
in Higher Education means to:
• Secure good quality of language
instruction
• Increase the number of languages
on offer
• Support independent learning
• Support co-operative learning
• Make wise use of technology and
media
Implementing plurilingualism
in Higher Education means to:
• Cater for individual needs
• Adopt a „positive”, „added value”
approach
• Integrate out-of-school experience
and proficiency
• Teach how to learn languages
• Support learner autonomy
Implementing plurilingualism
in Higher Education means to:
• Provide fair and transparent
assessment
• Secure comparability and compatibility
of outcomes
• Use a common framework of reference
• Set clear and achievable objectives
• Value all linguistic and intercultural
competences, even at modest level
More information
on the Council of Europe
language education policies,
initiatives and instruments:
www.coe.int/lang
www.coe.int/portfolio
www.ecml.at
Thank you for your kind
attention!