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ECML: addressing key challenges in European language education Council of Europe priorities and language education 1. Good quality education is a pre-requisite for: • social cohesion • democratic citizenship • intercultural dialogue • economic progress 2. Adequate language skills are a pre-requisite for unrestricted access to and an important outcome of good quality education 3. The growing linguistic and cultural diversity in European societies are not problems to be solved but offer a potential to benefit from 4. Supporting people in their linguistic development is an important aspect of an approach to education based on human rights and democracy Language education: challenges and tasks Challenges in contemporary societies: • increased mobility of people • globalisation of social and economic processes • rapid innovations in communication technology • progressively more multilingual and multicultural classrooms • need for compatibility across educational systems and qualifications • need for ensuring equal access to quality education • need for ensuring the right of learners to quality and equity in education Task for language education: • to support European citizens in their linguistic development in such a way that they grow as confident and successful individuals and as efficient and responsible social agents – in a lifelong learning process Directorate of Democratic Citizenship and Participation, Department of Education: • Language Policy Unit, Strasbourg: policy development • European Centre for Modern Languages, Graz: capacity building Directorate of Human Rights and Antidiscrimination: • European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages European Centre for Modern Languages • Founded in Graz, Austria, 1994 • Enlarged partial agreement of the Council of Europe • 31 member states Support to Member States in their effort to provide good quality language education through: • Initiating and supporting international cooperation • Development and promotion of innovative approaches and tools • Dissemination of good practices • Training of multipliers • Development of professional networks ECML: the added value • 17 years of experience in initiating and supporting international cooperation • 17 years of accumulated expertise in language education • Extensive professional network • Extensive structural network in all member states • Targeted support and consultancy offered to member states • Over 120 publications offering practical solutions and advice • Over 15 000 multipliers from 34 member states trained so far • Comprehensive on-site and interactive on-line resources • Fully equipped conference premises with professional service ECML in figures (2011) • • • • • • • • • 796 language professionals taking part in capacity building activities 128 events supported by the ECML a major conference involving 200 international participants 20 active projects within the Empowering language professionals programme 21 new publications issued by the ECML 30 websites within the Centre’s web platform, with 3,2 million page views 6,760 subscribers to the European Language Gazette – the ECML Newsletter 180 language education experts in the ECML’s Experts’ Database 612 events organised in 47 European countries registered in the European Day of Languages events calendar ECML programme 2004-2007 All publications are available online in downloadable format • Books • CD-ROMs • Project websites • Project flyers • Travelling exhibition available for conferences and fairs Empowering Language Professionals: ECML programme 2008-2011 23 projects, 4 thematic areas: • Evaluation and assessment • Continuity in language learning • Content and language integrated education • Plurilingual education Four objectives: • to enhance the professional competence of language teachers • to strengthen professional networks and the wider community of language educators • to enable language professionals to have greater impact on reform processes • to contribute to better quality of language education in Europe ECML programme 2012-2015: Learning through languages. Promoting inclusive, plurilingual and intercultural education www.ecml.at/learningthroughlanguages • Innovative development • Mediation • Targeted support to Member States • Expert meetings, workshops, contribution to conferences, consultancy on demand, publications, interactive project websites, on-line resources More information on Council of Europe language education policies, initiatives and instruments: • www.coe.int/lang • www.coe.int/portfolio • www.coe.int/minlang • www.ecml.at Thank you very much for your kind attention! Muito obrigado pela vossa atenção!