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EU Project Summary on-line language & cultural modules within a vocational backgroundITT is currently involved in following EU projects, which deal with language acquisition.
The Grundtvig Learning Partnership Project (2010-2012)October 2010 â August 2012: EU Lifelong Learning Programme - (Grundtvig Learning Partnership) X-TREAT Improving Communication and Social Skills by Theatre Education for Single Parents project â ITT is the quality manager. Aim/Objectives
Overall objectives:
1. to help provide adults - particularly from disadvantaged groups - with pathways to improving their knowledge and competencies. 2. to help facilitate the development of innovative practices in adult education and their transfer, including from a participating country to others; 3. to contribute to the improving of pedagogical approaches and the management of adult education organizations. Specific objectives: 1. to provide trainers and other adult education staff from partners' countries with the opportunity to exchange experience and information on the effectiveness of a various modern non-traditional methods like drama techniques (both in theoretic and practice aspects) and other issues related to adults informal education 2. to develop a creative training kit for adults informal education in art and drama, containing methods and approaches which meet the target groups' particular needs (especially for single parents from different disadvantaged groups) and which will make learning more interesting, increase the motivation of learners and their responsibility for learning, improve self-esteem, reduce adult learners anxiety, stress affective component of learning. 3. to test and put into practice new organizational and pedagogical approaches at the level of partner organizations. Target Groups
Target groups include a wide range of people (with different ethnic, educational, earnings and lifestyle background) having in common a particularity that lead them (more or less, according to their background) to a loss of self esteem and self worth: the status of single parent.
Due to this âlabelâ â that is still a stigma, even in this XXI Century global society â they are increasingly in danger of isolation even within their own communities and this status became a serious obstruction in their self development and civic involvement. Activities
Activities developed with the learners consist of training sessions in personal development â in each partnerâs country â drama courses and a performance integrally produced (from writing screenplay to the final show) by learners, in different ways each partner chooses. Results
At the level of our target groups the project will have a considerable impact, so at the end of the project all learners involved will have:
All participants will also increase their sense of personal control, a greater understanding of the value of creative activity, a greater ability to manage external situations & understanding of specific social & environmental issues. Other concrete results:
Partners
IWUE - innovativ wirken und entwickeln - im Bildungsbereich, Austria (co-ordinator)
EVROPAIKO INSTITUTO SHESEON & SYNERGASIAS, Greece Institute of Technology Tralee, Ireland LUETEB: European third age University of Basilicata Region, Italy Foundation Institute for Regional and Entrepreneurship Development, Poland Asociatia Pro Xpert, Romania SOS RACISMO GRANADA, Spain Websites
X-Treat: http://www.x-treat.eu The e-TALIA Project (2010-2012)October 2010 â Sep 2012: e-TALIA Innovative Training Approach in Languages and Intercultural Awareness for the Hospitality and Leisure Sectors; EU Lifelong Learning Programme - Leonardo da Vinci (Transfer of Innovation) The project aims at providing a distinctive curriculum and a flexible mode of delivery to develop language and intercultural training skills within the training constraints facing SMEs, their employees and also trainees in the Hospitality and Leisure sectors. The project also seeks to provide an innovative training model and resources for blended e-learning by flexibly integrating a variety of learning tools and modes into a seamless learning package. Project Summary
This project seeks to address the need for a greater understanding of specific linguistic and intercultural needs and organisational culture, especially the learning culture within SMEs at European level. The project aims at providing a distinctive curriculum and a flexible mode of delivery to develop language and intercultural training kits within the training constraints facing SMEs, their employees and also trainees in the Hospitality and Leisure sectors.
The project also seeks to provide an innovative training model and resources for blended e-learning by flexibly integrating a variety of learning tools and modes into a seamless learning package. The output will be a language course at A1 level aiming to be certified using ECVET. The partnership will localise and test materials in their national contexts. Description
The partnership includes organizations from FE and HE, sectoral associations and an Advisory Group formed by SMEs and/or their representatives from the Hospitality and Leisure sectors. Themes/Sectors
Themes
Product
Product
Product information Website, Industry survey report and mapping, needs analysis questionnaires, new open and distance learning (blended) template and curricula, learning materials for blended learning in language and intercultural awareness, evaluation methods, user guides, transparency and certification, piloting and evaluation of courses, materials and certification reports, Quality procedures and policies, Brochures, newsletters, workshops, paper/poster publications. Partners
Coventry University, UK (co-ordinator) Website
Newsletter
The READYâSTUDYâGO-AHEAD Project (2009-2011)Download -READY-STUDY-GO Project Brochure ITT was the Quality Manager in this project. READY-STUDY-GO-AHEAD (2009-2011) will continue and transfer the innovation of the earlier Leonardo Language project for linguistic and cultural coaching for initial vocational education. READY-STUDY-GO-AHEAD (2009-2011)
The aim of the READY-STUDY-GO-AHEAD (2009-2011) is to transfer the innovation to three new languages, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish. This project will create both general language package in the three languages and sector specific package for Hotel and restaurant field in Spanish and Turkish. In addition the original innovation will be transferred to the vehicle sector. This transfer was planned already during the READY-STUDY-GO 2005-2008 project by monitoring partner. The vehicle package will be created for Estonian, Finnish, French, Swedish and German. As a transfer of innovation, the aim of the project is also to pilot new methods of learning, namely promoting social web (blogs and wikis) which are not platform depending, as well as using interactive tools in project work (WebEx and Moodle). During the project the main target groups are language teachers and vocational teachers. The language and cultural training material is intended to be used by vocational students for their on-the-job learning period and on-the-job learning coaches and companies which have international employees. Also the employees of the on-the-job learners will be able to use the material in their personnel training. The material is developed by teams of vocational and language teachers. This enables development of language teaching integrated with vocational content. The partners in the project are experts in their own field of education and all actors have solid experience in trans-national projects and also in the dissemination of the result of the project. The general working language of the project network is English. The objective of the project is to improve the cross-cultural skills of the people involved in vocational education. At the same time the aim is to increase the volume of mobility creating high quality coaching tools for vocational fields. In this way the project addresses the Life Long Learning and Leonardo programme objectives directly. The MOLAN Project (2007-2011)Download - MOLAN Project Brochure The aim of the MOLAN network is to bring about, on a large scale, a positive attitude among young Europeans in formal education towards the learning of foreign languages as well as towards other peoples and cultures. The emphasis of the MOLAN network is on
⢠the learning of a second or further language(s)
⢠the learning of less widely taught languages ⢠European cooperation and, more specifically, cooperation between schools and universities
The background of MOLAN is that
⢠young people in formal education have to acquire multilingual competence for the benefit of society and of themselves;
⢠neither the principle of linguistic diversity nor the notion of lifelong language learning are widely accepted by young people or by educational authorities and institutions. MOLAN is built on case studies of successful policies, strategies and practices with a view to sharing good practice across Europe.
The MOLAN network partnership includes
more than 40 higher education institutions and schools in 24 European countries and four major European and national organisations:
⢠European Language Council (CEL/ELC) The results of MOLAN stage will be presented for discussion at a European conference on the theme of ' Which languages for Europe and Europeans in an era of globalisation? ' Brussels, 5-6 December 2008 Information will be posted on the MOLAN website as well as the website of the CEL/ELC (www.celelc.org). The MOLAN network project is carried out with the support of the European Commission within the framework of Key Activity 2 â Languages of the Lifelong Learning Programme. MOLAN Members
ITT is a project partner. MOLAN Management Committee MOLAN Evaluation Board
Web Addresses:
www.molan-network.org Summary of case studies about how to motivate learners to study languages: http://www.molan.info/ http://www.languagesinireland.ie/ The VOCAL project (2007-2009)Download - VOCAL Project Brochure What is VOCAL?
ITT was the coordinator of this project with a very large partnership.
The VOCAL project (www.vocalproject.eu) follows the method and structure of the earlier successful EU project entitled Problem SOLVE (www.problemsolve.org). The main topics included are Travel, Accommodation, Socialising, Emergencies, at Work. The new feature in the VOCAL materials is an additional LSP (Language for Specific Purposes) component relating to Business, Tourism, Banking & Services, Engineering. The easily accessible and user-friendly materials are web-based and users are provided with both general and technical language relating to the virtual situations they may encounter. Useful logistical and cultural information for each host country is also provided. Who is VOCAL designed for?
Learners preparing for mobility placement in vocational settings are the main target group addressed. The VOCAL project is based on preparation for student mobility placement abroad. The preparation offered is on the level of both practical language skills and cultural awareness related to vocational training settings. This linguistic and cultural preparation is achieved by means of a virtual journey which can be undertaken by prospective mobility students accessing the materials on the user-friendly website.
The web-based packages take cognisance of the various learning styles and the interactive materials provide an autonomous learning environment incorporating authentic contemporary situations in an outside classroom environment. VOCAL Quality and Research:
In advance of designing the on-line materials, the VOCAL partners issue various student work placement cohorts with questionnaires in order to gain feedback from mobility students. The purpose is to ensure that the materials generated are relevant and based on student needs. The content, virtual tours, questions and quizzes are thoroughly researched and prepared by native speakers and tested by mobility cohorts.
The VOCAL materials:
The on-line materials generated by the project are bilingual (i.e. designed in the target language of each partner country and also available in English). These materials consist of language and cultural exercises which require students to actively engage in practical problem solving via a virtual journey of a placement abroad. This preparation tool encourages students to interactively troubleshoot any potential challenges they may encounter while training in a different country. A principle aim of these pre-departure modules is to facilitate improvement of student language skills as well as enable acquiring cultural and practical knowledge of their host country, with specific reference to the topics of Travel, Accommodation, Socialising, Emergencies, Working abroad and the LSP components relating to Business, Tourism, Banking & Services, Engineering.
Rationale & Impact:
This project is a practical and innovative pedagogic response to the need for language and cultural preparation in advance of placement abroad. It aims to provide mobility beneficiaries with a practical and useful preparation tool for their placements and contribute to a successful integration process whereby learners can maximise linguistically and culturally. Knowledge of modern languages means greater mobility, multilingualism being a core value in Europe and one of the unique qualities contributing to its richness and diversity.
The VOCAL partnership:
The VOCAL project partnership consists of 10 European countries, 12 partners, 11 languages including Irish.
Ireland (3 partners), Bulgaria, Germany, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovakia, Switzerland. Details of the partners may be located on the VOCAL website Web Addresses:
The READY â STUDY â GO Project (2005-2008)Download - Brochure READY-STUDY-GO 2005-2008 was a LEONARDO DA VINCI Language project which planned and created e-learning packages for language and cultural training for an on-the-job learning period. The project was initiated by Omnia â The Joint Authority of Education in Espoo Region in Finland. The coordinating partner had six educational partners in six countries, one monitoring partner and company partners in target countries. The language and cultural training material package were produced in Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Italian. The material created during the project consists of general language training package related to each participating countryâs culture and of sector specific language and culture training package. The sector specific language and cultural training material was developed for the hotel, restaurant and bakery sectors. The material consists of several different types of exercises combining professional and general vocabulary with cultural coaching and information on the work culture. Different learning styles considered
The on-line material created in the project will consist of different learning, writing, pronunciation and listening exercises. Different learning styles (VARK=visual, auditive, reading/ writing, kinestetic) are considered by the material. Sectors
The language and cultural training material will be developed for the Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism and Bakery Sector. There is also a monitoring partner for the Automotive Sector in this project. This partner will monitor and report on the possibilities of adapting the on-line material to the various sectors. Languages
The language and cultural training material package will be produced in English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Italian. End users of the material
The language and cultural training material is intended for use by vocational students preparing for their on-the-job learning period, on-the-job learning coaches and companies which have international employees.
For further information please contact:
Partners
Web Addresses:
The PROBLEM SOLVE Project (2003-2005)ITT was the Quality Manager in this project. The P R O B L E M S O L V E project will design and test a multi-lingual, multi-cultural preparation module for students undertaking mobility placements in vocational training. The module will consist of language and cultural exercises in problem solving via a virtual journey of a placement abroad. This preparation tool will encourage students to interactively troubleshoot potential challenges they may encounter while training in a different country. The pre-departure module will facilitate students in increasing language skills as well as cultural and practical knowledge of their host country. The partners of this project are from Germany, Spain, Italy, Slovakia, Sweden & Ireland. Background
This project has been developed through feedback from Mobility Co-ordinators at Hibernia Learning Partnershipâs Mobility Meeting in September 2002. Representatives of a network of 21 institutes of higher education participating in mobility placements indicated a need for a preparation tool for students undertaking placements abroad. Deficiencies in language skills relating to practical issues and culturally biased problem-solving abilities were identified as key areas for development. National Priorities reflect the need for these tools through Priority 2, citing national focus for language competency projects concentrating on âVocationally Oriented Learningâ. At European level, the need for projects such as this one is described in the e-learning aims for 2004-2006.
A Learning Environment: The CD-ROM
PROBLEM SOLVE will address the mobility-preparation needs described above through a virtual journey developed on a user-friendly CD-Rom. Users will be led through a variety of real life problematic situations relating to: travel, accommodation, socialising, working abroad and emergencies. The programme will be interactive as the student will be required to employ and develop problem-solving skills relating to each category. The programme will also provide technical language relating to the virtual situations as well as useful logistical and cultural information for each host country.
Research
Mobility co-coordinators in each partner country will survey their current group of students on placement. The survey will question students on the following:
Testing the Modules
Prior to departure for a placement abroad, the test students will be guided through a learning environment specific to their host country, including virtual circumstances and background information on each of the sub-topics. Under each sub-topic (travel, accommodation, socialising, working abroad and emergencies) the student will be required to complete a tutorial, including essential practical vocabulary in the language of the host company.
The students will be required to overcome a variety of problematic situations with added cultural nuances. The student will have to solve the problems using the language skills gained in the tutorial. Some problems will emphasise the use of language while others will highlight cultural differences with specific focus on differences in work cultures. Students will complete a post-placement questionnaire to assess the impact of the preparation module. Feedback from test students will be incorporated into the tutorials. Dissemination and Sustainability
A dissemination plan will be developed to the greatest possible no. of people to use the CD Rom and to identify potential users outside the partnership. A sustainability plan will be drafted to incorporate use of the CD-Rom into formal preparation procedures for mobility placements. It has been shortlisted by Leargas for the "European Award for Languages 2004"
Partners
The partners of this project are from Germany, Spain, Italy, Slovakia, Sweden & Ireland. European Language Award 2006. Web Addresses:
LINGUA 2 PROJECT 2003 - 2007Quality management of foreign language teaching at third level institutions within the European framework Aims/Goals:
The aim of this project is to put together teaching material in different languages, and shall also take European cultural diversity into account. It further aims to cover more than one discipline of study. Quality assurance and quality improvement are targeted by this study within the context of language teaching which is at least of European standard.
Within the framework of this project the following aims are targeted:
Target groups:
Specifically learners with some knowledge of foreign languages, who wish to continue their language learning within third level institutions or adult education. The acquisition of the target language (German or English) should be made easier with the help of the developed teaching material. Lecturers, who are teaching within the area of history, economics and political science, should also benefit from using this material. Main activities:
Analysis of the requirements of the current situation of each partner institution, collection of teaching material, development of innovative teaching material, testing of material in foreign language classes, partner meetings and tandem meetings, setting up of a website.
Expected results: Teaching materials for foreign language classes, handbook, CD-Rom, worksheets, project documentation and evaluation. Partners
Web Addresses:
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