FOCUS: Language Learning

As 2010 is the European Year of Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, January's Teachers Newsletter starts by highlighting one of the greatest priorities for social cohesion: language skills.

Learning foreign languages is a critical advantage for building a competitive profile, as well as for enriching our cultural understanding and for preserving cultural diversity. Moreover, multilingual skills become essential when it comes to international cooperation projects.

This edition of the Teachers Newsletter points out initiatives, resources and projects to assist teachers in motivating language learners at all levels.

Would you like to contribute to the Teachers Newsletter? Send us your ideas and projects at teachers-newsletter@eun.org

"Early foreign language learning strengthens children confidence and comfort with different communication methods"

Janet Enever - Project Director of Early Language Learning in Europe (ELLiE) - explains how parents can help children open up to multiple cultural identities through languages.Play video

Resource: Piccolingo campaign on Early Language Learning

The Piccolingo campaign is intended to help people - especially parents - understand the benefits of early language learning, to address their possible concerns and to make information available on language learning opportunities for children of pre-school age.

Resource: MOLAN - Network for the exchange of information about good practices to motivate language learners

The MOLAN network project aims to create an interactive network throughout Europe to bring about a positive attitude among young Europeans towards the learning of foreign languages, and towards other peoples and cultures. MOLAN's goal is to explore, analyse and make accessible examples of successful initiatives in the field of language learning within primary and secondary schools as well as in higher education.

Event: Data Protection Day

On 28 January, Data Protection Day will be celebrated under the "Think privacy" theme. Aiming to raise public awareness of privacy, Data Protection Day will trigger experts' debates on online protection of freedom, and reward European winners of the 'Think Privacy Competition'.

Event: Safer Internet Date - Save the date!

The 7th edition of Safer Internet Day will be celebrated on 9 February 2010 in more than 60 countries across the world and this year will focus on the theme "Think before you post!". Find further information about the activities organised in your country.

Event: European e-Skills Week

From 2-6 March 2010, the European e-Skills Week will highlight the growing demand for skilled ICT users and professionals to drive a competitive and innovative Europe. This exciting campaign seeks to inform students, young professionals and SMEs about the vast range of opportunities that ICT-related jobs present.

Info: Participate in the NANOYOU picture contest!

Take part in the NANOYOU picture contest: My intelligent environment! Help us portrait how nanotechnologies are becoming part of our lives. Take pictures of the NT applications you discover in your environment and upload them to the picture gallery.

Event: EXPOLANGUES 2010

From 3-6 February, Paris will host Expolangues. Designed to promote language learning, multilingualism and international communication, Expolangues is a unique event gathering all key players in the language field.

Resource: SAEL- New Website Guide for Language Teachers

The SAEL guide provides recommendations, examples of websites and good practices for setting up, improving and running support websites for language teachers. It is available French and in English

Resource: Don't Give Up

As too many adult language learners drop out of language courses, the 'Don't Give Up' project has written a book with forty-eight motivational best practices designed to inspire adult learners to complete their language courses.

Resource: Autonomous Language Learning

The Autonomous Language Learning (ALL) project, funded by the European Union, offers language courses in four European languages (Turkish, Romanian, Bulgarian and Lithuanian) for students who have had an initial introduction in one of the languages and who wish to progress from a basic survival level to a higher competency.

Resource: Chain Stories

The Chain Stories project is dedicated to students in their first years of language learning. They can enjoy creative writing in their mother tongue, and then pass on their story to other schools.

Resource: TOOL for Online and Offline Language Learning

The TOOL project creates a blended learning system, online and offline, with materials for learning and teaching in five languages (Dutch, Estonian, Hungarian, Maltese and Slovenian), combining the inspiration and motivation of traditional classroom teaching with the fun and flexibility of e-learning.