REAL European federation of language teacher associations

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REALEuropean federation of languageteacher
associations

• REAL 2 PROJECT

This project has been funded with support from
the European Commission. 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.
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CONTEXT

• The REAL 2 project is funded by the European
  Commission (Lifelong Learning Programme).
• It is being developed by a consortium of 8
  language teacher associations from 8 different
  countries coordinated by CIEP (Centre
  International dEtudes Pedagogiques), from
  Sevres, France.
• It is based on REAL 1, which produced a
  feasibility study identifying 138 associations,
  representing 154 000 language teachers, with the
  view of creating a European federation of
  language teacher associations.

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AIM

• The REAL project brings together language teacher
  associations of many different shapes and sizes. 
  What they have in common is the desire to promote
  linguistic diversity and the teaching of
  languages, and to support language teachers. 

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• General Context
• REAL has grown out of the reality that education
  authorities, European policies and teachers of
  modern languages in the very centre of the EU are
  not correlated. The European Commission is now
  moving towards a more active linguistic policy,
  as demonstrated by the appointment of a
  Commissioner for Multilingualism. As a
  consequence, the Commission is very open to all
  suggestions made by teachers in the field. In
  order for these suggestions to be made
  efficient,  a clearly identifiable platform is
  needed.
• Recent studies show that within Europe the
  teaching of modern foreign languages is evolving
  in a common direction, but according to very
  differing methodologies. Associations would
  therefore have a lot to discuss and learn from
  each other as they work towards common
  objectives. 

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PARTNERS

• Centre international d'études pédagogiques - CIEP
  (France) team leader and contracting party of
  the project
• Association for Language Learning - ALL (United
  Kingdom) coordinating partner of the REAL2
  project
• Asociatia profesorilor de limba engleza din
  Moldova Romania - MATE (Romania)
• Association des professeurs de français de
  Pologne - PROF-EUROPE (Poland)

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• Association des professeurs de langues vivantes -
  APLV (France)
• Federación Española de Asociaciones de
  Professores de Francés - FEAPF (Spain)
• Lietuvos kalbu pedagogu asociacija - The
  Lithuania Association of Language Teachers - LKPA
  (Lithuania)
• Lingua e nuova didattica - LEND (Italy)
• Verband Englisch und Mehrsprachigkeit - EM
  (Germany)

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RESULTS OF REAL 1 FEASABILITY STUDY

• 200 associations of language teachers were
  identified, 138 associations responded to the
  survey, representing over 154, 000 teachers from
  29 countries. These 138 associations form the
  informal base of the REAL network.
• All the associations which replied to the survey
  stated that they are in favour of the creation of
  a European network. These results, as well as the
  discussions which took place during the final
  seminar of the REAL 1 project organized in
  September 2007 In Paris with 52 associations, led
  us to the conclusion that there is a real need
  for a network of associations of language
  teachers linked to the EU.

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OBJECTIVES

• The goal of REAL 2 is to create a European
  federation of language teacher associations.
• The federation is open to monolingual as well as
  to multilingual associations from all EU and EFTA
  member states as well as the other states
  participating in the Lifelong Learning Programme
  (32 countries in all).
• The REAL federation will support the associations
  - and thus, the teachers - to bring Europe into
  the language classroom and to make the voices of
  language teachers heard.

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TARGET ASSOCIATIONS PROFILE

• Language teachers associations at primary,
  secondary and university level
• Associations of teachers in private language
  centres
• Native teachers associations
• Languages in view all langauges supported by EU
  educational policy (European languageas, regional
  and minority languages, sign language, langauges
  of economic partners such as Arabic, Chinese,
  Japanese, etc.)

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• Five major needs to be addressed
• 1. To develop good practice in teaching via
  exchanges and common projects at a European
  level.
• 2. To develop European skills (better knowledge
  of tools and sources of finance available at a
  European level).
• 3. To develop strategic skills between
  associations, with the particular aim of ensuring
  continuity with regards to young teachers.
• 4. To better represent language teachers in
  national and European policy making.
• 5. To defend cultural and linguistic diversity,
  particularly for the less widely used languages.

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PROJECT ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS

• Over a period of three years, the project will
• see the creation of a legally established
  federation,
• put together a common directory of European
  language teacher associations,
• set up a reference website
• develop seminars and training modules for
  language teachers as well as for association
  leaders.

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REAL SEMINARS

• Which of the following themes would be of
  interest to you?
• Developing / Enhancing life- long learning
  competences through the activities of language
  teachers associations
• Setting up European projects
• Professional training in Europe
• European language policies
• Helping to improve the overall competencies of
  teachers of languages by a commitment to
  excellence through European/international
  cultural exchanges

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• 6. Establishing a platform for the exchange of
  ideas that could lead to an overall improvement
  in the effective teaching of languages
• 7. Making our students grow challenges and
  strategies specific to different languages
• 8. Teacher (self-)motivation
• 9. Motivating students preparing students to
  face European challenges
• 10. Using translation in class the role of the
  contrastive approach
• 11. Caring and sharing literature in the
  language class
• 12. Other _______________________________

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What would be the advantages for your
association?

• Sharing good teaching practice
• Acquiring information concerning interaction
  between associations
• Acting together to influence language policy at
  national and European level
• Promoting multilingualism
• Supporting cultural diversity
• Other _____________________________

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• For more information
• real_at_ciep.fr
• REAL feasability study
• www.ciep.fr/real/