CONTEXT
Communication is as much a human need as a right. Consequently
even people with physical, cognitive, sensory, speech-and-language and
learning difficulties should be given the opportunity to learn languages
to open up bridges between their internal 'world' and the wider community.
Language acquisition theories and practice have proved
that the human capacity for learning languages is not limited. Thus it
is possible for a second or a third language to be acquired even by people
suffering from serious learning difficulties. So, children and young people
with special educational needs should be exposed to a number of languages
in a pedagogical climate that is both encouraging and enabling.
In some countries, education of such people is offered
according to special curricula in specialised institutions, while in others,
children with emotional, behavioural, physical, cognitive, sensory, speech-and-language
and learning difficulties are given the same curricular content in integrated
student communities. There are countries, regions or institutions where
children with such difficulties are not given the chance to learn second
or third languages, while in other contexts the opportunity of foreign
language education is offered to everybody.
If we believe in democratic citizenship, social
cohesion, mutual understanding and respect for everyone then we have to
examine the issue of language learning for people with special educational
needs.
AIMS
AND OBJECTIVES ______________________________
General
aims
The project aims at raising awareness and disseminating
examples of good practice on the issue of languages for people with special
educational needs.
The project intends to find answers to the
questions among many others:
- What are the concrete learning problems resulting
from various physical, sensory and speech-and-language difficulties?
- What is common to all and what is particular
to each difficulty?
- What have neuro-, psycho- and socio-linguistics
revealed about the language acquisition and language learning of people
with physical, sensory, speech-and-language and learning difficulties?
- When, where and in what social context can
effective language learning for such people be promoted?
- What are the most effective resources, tools,
approaches, methods and techniques?
- What professional competences do teachers need
to conduct language learning in this context?
Specific
objectives
The prime
objectives of the project are to:
- investigate
the situation regarding language education of people with special needs
throughout Europe;
- collect
and disseminate evidence of existing good practice
- raise
awareness among the representatives of national, regional and local
educational authorities; teacher educators and representatives of the
educational media of the need for inclusive language education for people
with special needs; encourage them to take small steps towards promoting
the idea in their respective fields;
- make all
these outcomes available in an electronic format.
EXPECTED
OUTCOMES ______________________________
Participants of the project will acquire:
- a general understanding of the nature of learning
difficulties resulting from various kinds of physical, sensory, speech-and-language
difficulties;
- knowledge of the situation regarding language
learning of people with special educational needs in their respective
countries and in the other ECML member states;
They will gain:
- access to case studies of existing good practice
including teaching materials
- understanding of effective methodology of language
teaching for people with special educational needs;
- an overview on teacher education related to
the teaching of modern languages to people with special educational
needs.
ACTION
PLAN ___________________ __________________
2004
January to early April
- networking
among project team members and with other fellow professionals involved
in teaching languages to people with special educational needs;
- collection
of related literature on related topics;
- setting
up a project web-page on ECML website.
People
involved: project team
2-3 April
Meeting of the project team in order to
- agree
on main foci and priorities;
- elaborate
working methods;
- prepare
for the initial workshop;
- discuss
various issues on the research to be started at the initial workshop.
Mid April to early October
- co-operative development of the input to be shared
at initial workshop;
- collection and writing up of a few case studies to
be demonstrated at initial workshop;
- fine-tuning workshop methodology;
- updating and publicising the project web-page
on ECML website.
7-9 October
3-day ECML workshop to
- identify the categories and the nature of difficulties
to be overcome;
- discuss the findings of neuro-, psycho- and
socio-linguistic research related to language acquisition and language
learning by people with learning difficulties;
- present examples of existing good practice;
- start a research project to outline the situation
of language teaching for people with special educational needs in ECML
member states.
Participants' profile
Participants are expected to be representatives of national educational
authorities or experts, responsible for or involved in special needs education.
They should:
- have some knowledge of or experience in language
learning and teaching in the field of special needs education in their
respective countries;
- be able to contribute to the workshop by and
sharing information and experience;
- be in the position to take an active part in
a research project following the initial workshop by contributing with
data and writing up case studies representing the situation in the respective
countries.
Mid-October 2004 to end of
April 2005
- communication among project team and research
network-team co-ordinators (3 to 5) and all the participants of initial
workshop;
- research carried out by participants of initial
workshop and their fellow-professionals in the respective countries;
- writing up of research findings;
- exchanging research findings among people involved
People involved at this stage
of project development:
- project team members; research network-team
co-ordinators;
- participants of initial workshop; further contributors
invited by workshop participants.
13-14 May 2005
Meeting of the project team
- to sum up and evaluate the findings of the
research project;
- to agree on further tasks to complement existing
data;
June - October
- complementary research to gain further data
that need to be added to the existing findings;
- writing up of additional research findings;
- exchange research findings among people involved
18- 19 November
Meeting of project team
- to prepare results for publication;
November to June (2006)
- editing the reports of research for final publication
- People involved at this stage of project development:
- project team members; research network-team
co-ordinators;
- authors of various reports on research;
2006: June
Draft publication of results on ECML website
June - October
- communication among parties involved to get
feedback on the results published;
- online communication with outsiders visiting
ECML website in order to get feedback.
October
Meeting of project team to
- evaluate the feedback on the publication on
website;
- outline the main content of a central workshop;
- agree on forms and methodology of delivery
of content.
October 2006 - March 2007
- co-operative development of the input to be
shared at central workshop;
- updating the project web-page on ECML website.
2007
March 3-day workshop
- to promote the idea of inclusive language education
(for people with special educational needs);
- to demonstrate ideas for good practice;
- to see what actions could be taken in the respective
member states to promote language education for people with special
educational needs.
Participants' profile:
Participants are expected to be representatives of national educational
authorities responsible for language education;
- who have thorough overview and knowledge of
the situation of language education and language teacher education in
the respective countries;
- who are in the position to influence the shaping
of language education in their respective countries for example by initiating
action in the field of integrating language teaching and special needs
education.
March - June
Final editing and production of publication on CD-Rom
Final publication will contain:
- multilingual glossary (or rather a 'concise
dictionary' of SEN-related terminology in English and French and possibly
in other languages);
- data from initial research;
- examples for good practice with various kinds
of documentation (including syllabuses, lesson plans, teaching materials,
descriptions of methodology, classroom videos, etc.);
June
Publication of results of project in electronic format (CD-Rom)
LANGUAGES
The working languages of the project are
English and French. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided for central
events (ECML workshops).
Participants are expected to communicate in English or French.
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