• Overview
• Research Platforms
• Thematic Area A: Language, Identity and Culture
• Thematic Area B: Language Policy and Planning
• Thematic Area C: Multilingualism and Education
• European Level
• National Level
• Regional Level
• Thematic Area D: Language and Economy
• Communication, Management, Infrastructure, Training and Gender

Traditional pedagogic cultures in foreign language education and the need for multicompetence

(WP8, 2006–2008)

Summary Results

Language Classroom Cultures between Teaching Rules and Teaching to Communicate

Several case studies suggest that German language classroom cultures of schools in South Tyrol (Italy), Szeged (Hungary) and Southampton (England) focus on proficiency in German, but often neglect other vital skills for successful communication and language learning: knowing which language to use in which situation, exploiting one’s linguistic knowledge or knowing how to use languages in real-life situations.

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Rationale

Pedagogic cultures have a deep seated national character which derives from the 19th-20th century historical origins of public education in Europe. However, foreign language education has been the focus of international efforts at promotion of shared principles for teacher education, curriculum design, pedagogy and assessment, through e.g. the work of the Council of Europe, or the ‘communicative language teaching’ movement (REFS). This WP will explore the extent to which contemporary foreign language pedagogy, classroom cultures and classroom practices in Europe draw on national educational traditions and values, and the extent to which they currently draw on a shared set of goals and values for foreign language education. Research results could provide an empirical basis for later work on the promotion of shared values and the increased overall coordination of foreign or better multilingual language education, and could feed measurable and reliable data into a framework of “multi-competence”

Objectives

The overall objective is to define the state of the art of foreign language teaching in Europe, and how they could be adapted to the concept of ‘multi-competence’. Research questions are historically: what are the prevailing pedagogic cultures of foreign language education, in contemporary European classrooms? What are the socio-historical roots of these cultures, and is there evidence of increasing convergence/ divergence? Synchronically: how could ‘multi-competence’ innovate language teaching in Europe? And how could a sustainable test be designed for measuring ‘multi-competence?’