Completion of EU language project is go-ahead for practical implementation

A lot has happened since February 1, 2022, the start of language project “Sprache MACHT Europa”. Prof. Dr. Tanja Rinker, who holds the Professorship for German as a Second Language at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (KU), is proud to present a wide variety of results. Rinker coordinated the collaboration between three universities, two schools and an association. The institutions are located in Germany, France and Austria. There are additional partners in Kosovo. The project is funded by the Erasmus+ program.

"Linguistic and cultural diversity is an essential feature of Europe. It should not be seen as an obstacle or barrier, but rather as an opportunity", says Rinker, describing the basic idea behind the project. Against this background, the consortium worked on four project objectives: The development of materials for the integration of multilingualism in the classroom, a concept for intercultural school development, creative approaches for the school and the creation of an interactive platform that will make all results available even after the end of the project until 2027. The platform is used for networking, exchange and participation in this diverse project. The platform will offer professional development opportunities for teachers in the form of webinars and learning videos, handouts and materials on the tested concepts and scientific publications. In addition, it also wants to make a significant contribution to the networking of the target groups in the partner regions within the framework of forums. The focus is deliberately placed on grades three to six – one of the most important stages in a child's educational biography. During that age, children are in an orientation phase and experience profound change entailing mental, emotional and physical challenges. It is a time when educational paths are being decided and the parental home and the school are particularly challenged.

The contents, which can now be found on the interactive platform https://linguacreativa.eu/en/ , were developed at many meetings throughout Europe and in numerous online sessions. The materials developed in the process were tested in schools and at universities – most recently in Kosovo in November – and this process was monitored scientifically. The work of KU students was also incorporated in the form of videos and teaching materials. "The content and ideas were not created in a theoretical context without practical connection, but were tested in practice immediately and are therefore ready for use in everyday teaching", explains Prof. Rinker. Over the course of three years, a total of three training courses for teachers were held in Germany, France and Austria, which are documented on the platform and can now serve as a basis for further training for interested teachers. In addition to other publications, the project collaborators will also publish a book that scientifically examines and classifies the results.

The conclusion of the successful project was celebrated at the event in Strasbourg. In addition to official greetings from three countries, a keynote speech was given by Professor Sílvia Melo-Pfeifer: "Say a word in your own language! How teachers and pupils experience multilingual pedagogical strategies as performative element". Afterwards, the most important information from the training courses were brought to life interactively in a workshop, so that the event provided a good basis for practical work with the "Lingua Creativa" platform. This means that the event in Strasbourg is not just a celebration looking back, but rather a very specific guide for future work with the project results.

In addition to the KU, the Université de Strasbourg and Paris Lodron University Salzburg are also scientific partners of the project. They cooperate with the school "Conseil Protestant de l'Education de Strasbourg," which offers a bilingual branch from first to twelfth grade, the elementary school Kufstein/Sparchen, and the Michael-Friedrich-Wild elementary school Müllheim in the German-French border region. The Education Unlimited e. V. association serves as a link to teacher training in Kosovo, among other things, and was also responsible for creating the digital platform.