Highlights - Love Language

EU Sokrates

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
229813-CP-1-2006-1 -AT-GRUNDTVIG-G1PP

This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Highlights

Love Language Demonstration Event at Circolo Canottieri di Napoli

 

In September 2008, Città della Scienza carried out a series of final Love Language demonstration events at the "Circolo Canottieri di Napoli", one of the biggest and most successful sports associations of the city.

 
 

Step 1: Train the Trainers

As our first activity, we organised for train-the-trainer sessions in which we introduced the Love Language approach and methodology to them. Exchanging experience, we planned our Love Language demonstration together with them 

Step 2: Let's motivate the young male learners!

Together with the trainers, we demonstrated the Love Language Toolbox to many young males of the Circolo Canottieri by putting several of the exercises into practice and stimulating them to reflect upon their previous language learning experience. Students felt attracted to the practical and somehow "cool" new elements of our products and discussed the importance of foreign language knowledge for their future career.

 

National Conference on Love Language!

Encouraging Modern Foreign Language Uptake in Young Men
2nd July 2008 - Bradford, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

Careers Europe invited educational organisations from all over the UK to a national conference on Love Language. Altogether 38 people from 33 institutions participated at the event.

Participants

  • shared innovative approaches for engaging adults in language learning with an emphasis on young men
  • discussed strategies on how to promote opportunities available to those learning languages
  • collected ideas about how to offer tips and solutions to male language learners
  • exchanged strategies on how to introduce tools and handbooks to equip professionals
  • and were provided with a Question & Answer Session with language professionals showing expertise in motivating reticent language learners.

Keynote speakers:

The Love Language conference included the following workshops:

   Click here to download details about this Careers Europe Love Language Event.

 

Love Language Demonstration Events at "Campania Sociale" in Italy

 

In the framework of "Campania Sociale 2008", Città della Scienza organized action events that attracted more than 1.000 persons. Our project was demonstrated to representatives of public institutions, policy makers, teachers, trainers and social operators from the Campania region, who met up and discussed new social and educational methodologies and resources.  

  

"Works for the Boys" - Publication on "Love Language" in The Linguist Magazine

The internationally renowned magazine The Linguist has published an article on our project in volume 47/2008.

The Linguist is the bi-monthly publication of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (published six times per year). The Chartered Institute of Linguists serves the interests of professional linguists throughout the world and acts as a respected language assessment and accredited awarding body. It acts as a forum for linguists in all areas of professional and academic life and its authoritative journal contains articles of academic and practical interest.

Download Linguist article on Love Language here.

 

Love Language Demonstration Event at the adult education centre in Cham

On the occasion of the "The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue (EYID)" the adult education centre in Cham organized a "Festival of Cultures" on 6 July 2008.

Speaking foreign languages is one of the key factors for integration into Europe's cultural diversity. On the other hand, not mastering a foreign language creates barriers, decreases self-esteem and prevents successful integration. In order to contribute to understanding and fostering peaceful relationship between different cultures and religions, VHS Cham presented several language projects during the festival.

The GRUNDTVIG- Project "Love Language" was presented in a special pavilion and received great interest from teachers, trainers and young men and women.

We offered different workshops to demonstrate how innovative and playful methods can make language learning more attractive. These workshops were directed at young men, who are usually not interested in learning a foreign language.

Participants had lots of fun during Activity games with instructions in a foreign language (English):

  • In a Scavenger Hunt participants had to reach their target by asking questions in a foreign language
  • While only being allowed to talk to each other in a foreign language participants jointly created a piece of art

 

 

Ný-ung

Kolbrún Stefánsdóttir made a presentation on the Love Language project for young people at a meeting of an association called Ný-ung, which is now distributing an information brochure to other associations for young people, for example young blind people. These have, in collaboration with Ný-ung, had meetings in Hitt húsið, which is sponsored by the city of Reykjavík.

Andri Valgeirsson, president of Ný-ung and Höskuldur Þór Höskuldsson, vice president, are distributing flyers to introduce the project.

 

 

Project presentation in Pskov, Russia

On June 2nd the Norvegian partner Godalen Videregaende Skole, Stavanger presented the Love Language project during a training session of the Greenhouse Interreg 3b project with Russian school administrators and teachers, in Pskov. Since the participants were very interested in this didactical approach the opportunity was used to talk about possibilities to develope a joint dissemination project.

  

Zamiluj si jazyk! - Love Language Seminar at Brno

On May 27, the Czech partner KTP organised the seminar "Motivace  -  kde ji vzít?" (Motivation - where does it come from?) and demonstrated the results of "Love Language!". Participants were head teachers and experts from adult education institutions from all over the Czech Republic (e.g. Department of Informations in Education, Center of School Services).

After the presentation which included a short film, they participated in exercises and obtained direct insights in the didactic innovations.  

The seminar ended with a vivid discussion about the possibilities of introducing aspects of the project in the Czech educational system. A further event was arranged and will take place at the Technical School Bosonohy in September 2008. 

The event was hosted by the Brno Cultural Centre and took place in the historic frescoe room of the Old Townhall.

 

  

More attractive foreign language classes

On May 30th, the Romanian partner hosted a workshop where foreign language teachers and vocational education tutors from Timisoara were invited, especially those who teach in schools and institutions with low educational achievements.
After the presentation of the project products, the participants were invited to talk about how to make their courses more attractive for male students, in order to motivate them and keep their interest. They estimated the Love Language approaches being thus very useful tools.

 

Project demonstration at "Expodidactica 2008", Barcelona

At the beginning of April, Gabinet d'Estudis Socials took part at "Expodidactica 2008", a fair that attracted some 8.000 persons: Teachers, public institutions and policy makers had the possibility to discover new kinds and new teaching resources. During these days, we demonstrated the outcomes of our Grundtvig project "Love Language" to representatives of the educational network of Catalunya, to the Tarragona municipality and Generalitat as well as to further participants directly involved in educational matters.

We also distributed the flyers and collected a list of interested people that are receiving detailed information on how to enable young male adults with particular "foreign language learning resistance" to establish their "love for language" by increasing their interest and uptake of foreign languages and to increase their participation in the life long learning society.

 

 

Meeting announced

Gelişim Platformu is a platform for disseminating information regarding development and training issues: www.gelisimplatformu.org/uye/uye_aktivite_detay.asp?mode=AKTIVITE&akt_id=3990

  

Project Manager Thomas Nilsen from Godalen Videregaende Skole, Norway presenting the LoveLanguage project to teachers in the Stavanger region

In Norway, all teachers have two specialist days a year with other teachers within their own field of teaching. Within this framework, the Love Language demonstration event suited perfectly. The project results were demonstrated to altogether 60 German language teachers, the implementation of the Love language didactic approach and the tools were discussed in detail. 

  

A different English Class

Timişoara, 24th September 2007. Young males from Colegiul Tehnic de Vest (a construction profile high school) attended an English course held by their teacher, Tyau Georgia. Nothing special until then, but the course was something else than students were used to see. Contacted by the Romanian project partner, German-Romanian Foundation, English teachers from this school were very interested in LoveLanguage didactical approach and decided to test its tools in their classes. Students were very enthusiastic and very active during this interactive and motivating LoveLanguage course, as one of the students said: "I wouldn't miss such an English class!"  

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