Ulrike Haslinger, Austrian Centre for Language Competence, Graz: “Convergences between modern/foreign languages; curricula in Austria” An initiative of the Austrian Ministry for Education,
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Ulrike Haslinger,
Austrian Centre for Language Competence
, Graz: “Convergences between modern/foreign languages; curricula in Austria” 1
An initiative of the Austrian Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture
Our main areas of activity:
1) International and national language policy work 2) Development of didactical materials 3) Networking and action programmes 4) Dissemination
Main areas of activity 2011
Field of activity
Competence-oriented language teaching and learning
ÖSZ contribution
► Austrian Educational Standards ► European Language Portfolios Language support for vulnerable groups (German as language of instruction) ► Council of Europe: “
Languages in Education, Languages for Education“
► CHAWID: Project focussed on subject learning through German as a second language (materials, competence descriptions) Holistic approach to language learning ► Project on the development of a “Multilingual Curriculum“ (Prof Krumm / Uni Vienna + Prof Reich / Uni Landau, Germany) Raising awareness for multilingualism ► International and national language policy work, e.g. “
European Indicator for Language Competence
“ ► ÖSKO – Austrian Language Committee ► ECML: “
ECML Mediation project for plurilingual education
“ ► European Label for innovative projects 3
The language situation in Austria
I. Official language:
German (88,6 %)
II. Six officially recognised
minoritiy languages
/
autochthonous minorities
; since 1955
(1,5 %)
-
Slovene Croatian
,
Hungarian - Czech
, in Carinthia and Styria;
Slovak
and and
Romani Hungarian
in Burgenland in Vienna III. Since 2005:
Austrian Sign Language
(not included in 2001 Consensus/ used to be classified as German speakers) IV. Other
migrant
languages
(9,9 %)
(e.g. Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Turkish) Map legend: Burgenland 1 Carinthia (
Kärnten
) 2 Lower Austria (
Niederösterreich
) 3 Upper Austria (
Oberösterreich
) 4 Salzburg 5 Styria (
Steiermark
) 6 Tyrol (
Tirol
) 7 Vorarlberg 8 Vienna (
Wien
) 9 4
6
Curriculum development in Austria Team for
Curricula Correspondents
• In charge > respective departments of the ministry (depending on type of school) • Departments set up working groups + nominate experts • AT team for
Curricula Correspondents
:
– Muriel Warga (Language Policy Coordination) – Anna Lasselsberger (Department of Schools and Migration) – Ulrike Haslinger (Austrian Centre for Language Competence)
Convergences between modern / foreign languages Curricula in Austria
EDUCATION PRINCIPLES embrace
– Language awareness – Intercultural Understanding
Key competences (EC):
Mother tongue Foreign languages Learning to learn Social and civic competence Intercultural competence
Draft Education principles (AT):
Sprechen und Kommunizieren (“Language and communication“) Handeln in der Gesellschaft (“Acting in society“) Sich kreativ ausdrücken und die Umwelt gestalten (“Expressing oneself creatively & shaping the environment“) 7
Convergences between modern / foreign languages Curricula in Austria Important features of language teaching in the classroom
Plurilingual & intercultural education Applying CoE instruments (e.g. CEFR, ELP) and innovative support materials for teacher teaching (e.g. by ÖSZ) Supporting languages (esp. mother tongues, German as the language of instruction) Embracing the language potential in the classroom: making speakers of other languages visible Holistic approach to language learning through language analysis in class e.g. by comparing languages: What makes a language easy / difficult to learn?
Developing learning strategies: How to learn languages?
9 -
INNOVATIVE PROJECTS
Curriculum Mehrsprachigkeit / “
Multilingual Curriculum
“ (Draft version!) for lang. awareness “
Didactical Coaching
“ (Autumn 2012: Module for teacher training: What does need to accommodate his/her multilingual students in the classroom?)
the teacher
“
Textbook Guidelines
“ (January, 2012: Recommendations for textbooks addressing multilingual learners)
(Draft) Multilingual Curriculum (MC) Curriculum Mehrsprachigkeit
10 MC‘s: responds to
needs & demands of multiling. society & ling. reality in Austria supports individ. lang. profile
facilitates
learner autonomy
by linking & supporting lang. competences encouraging: language
awareness
reflexion
on language itself and on various language situations
knowledge
about languages and the
meaning
of language for others
acquisition of linguistic knowledge
in order to compare languages
language learning strategies
and, wherever possible
self-confidence
in language competences.
contributes to Lifelong learning (> supporting formal and informal learning) In doing so, MC is focussing on
ling. & cognitive ressources learning processes
and
new media
. of learners + their
individ. ling. experiences
in institutionalised language classrooms
(Draft) Multilingual Curriculum (MC) Curriculum Mehrsprachigkeit
MC‘s is: an instrument for implementation within LEPP process (Lang. Edu. Policy Profiling) ascertaining focal points of current Austrian (language) education policy (e.g. supporting all language learners, esp. vulnerable groups, minority languages; early and continuous language learning, modern and classical foreign languages, languages across the curriculum) combining 3 resources: (1) existing learning targets in various school contexts (e.g. curricula for German and German as a second language, curricula for foreign languages, curricula for minority languages and curricula for first languages of migrant students) > interdisciplinary character!
(2) analysis of linguistic demands in the curricula for maths, general science and social studies at the primary level, physics, geography, and history (compulsory education) as well as subjetcs in upper secondary level (humanities, natural sciences, economy, politics, law) (3) critical analysis of the recommendations for multilingualism in literature (focus on linguistics and didactics). 11
(Draft) Multilingual Curriculum (MC) Curriculum Mehrsprachigkeit
MC: corresponds with the Austrian school levels development according to age level and considers cognitive
combines content and aims of various curricula for languages and therefore puts holistic language learning into the foreground
is structured in areas such as “Knowledge about language“, “Being aware of various language situations and being able of functioning appropriately “ offers a systematically structured outline of teaching and learning activities from Year 1 to Year 12/13 (level of matriculation); activities extracted from existing curricula for a concentration of multilingual activities in one document to avoid unnecessary repetitions, to promote common terminology and common cognitive basis for language teaching & learning to support acquisition of “Bildungssprache“/academic language contributes to a language-friendly environment at school 12
(Draft) Multilingual Curriculum (MC) Curriculum Mehrsprachigkeit EXAMPLE Lower Secondary level (Year 7 and 8) 1. Aims
: Students acquire an understanding for multilingualism in Europe & in the world.
2. Didactical principles:
Teacher provides authentic graphics, maps, pictures and texts in several languages to work with. Students receive various individualised tasks and feedback.
3. Aims and teaching content for particular areas:
Awareness of and dealing with linguistic variety. Aims: students are aware of switching between languages (incl. switching code-switching, switching between dialect and standard language, switching between youth language and adult language, oral and written language).
13
(Draft) Multilingual Curriculum (MC) Curriculum Mehrsprachigkeit
MC addresses: teachers (as the main target group) and teacher trainers experts involved in the development of curricula experts involved in the development of teaching materials / textbook authors headmasters involved in the development of whole-school language policy 14
(Draft) Multilingual Curriculum (MC) Curriculum Mehrsprachigkeit Implementation of MC:
ideally through extra contact hours (compulsory for all students ) but… in practice: implementation through teacher training currently in development: Module for teacher training (Prof Hans Jürgen Krumm) Module for textbook development
MC:
- (draft version) basic version currently up for discussion in Austria - very positive feedback from the community of experts 15