CONTEXT/BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT Reading and writing skills are not only important requirements for participating in professional and social life, but are also the basis for taking part in democratic society. Poor language abilities can cause school and work dropouts and result in unequal opportunities, poverty and social exclusion. This project, which works towards the integrative promotion of reading and writing skills in vocational education using transfer effects between the two competences, aims to achieve a more sustainable learning effect by promoting receptive and productive written skills. The primary target group is students due to the fact that many students in vocational schools only have limited tools and strategies for text work and writing. Content area learning with inadequate reading and writing skills is barely possible. The secondary target group is content area teachers in vocational schools. The framework of the integrative promotion of reading and writing skills will help them support their students acquire the necessary competences. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT Overall Objectives • Students (primary target group): Improvement for reading an writing skills • Teachers (secondary target group): Support for students to acquire sustainable reading an writing competences Subgoals • Needs analysis • Provision of a framework “Integrated reading and writing support in vocational schools” in compliance with scientific, theoretical pedagogical and practical education knowledge • Development and trial of lesson units und materials • Provision of good practice examples • Sharing project results NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS The consortium combines partners from university, in-service teacher training institutions and vocational schools. This means that aspects of applied science, professional in-service teacher training and classroom implementation are all represented in the project. The partners are from Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Romania and Estonia. DESCRIOPTION OF ACTIVITIES Development of a practical method for analysing the needs of the primary and secondary target groups. Design of an integrated approach to promote reading and writing skills whilst taking the needs of the primary and secondary target groups into account. Communication of the framework to participating teachers, adaptation to country-specific circumstances. Creation of modular lesson units and lesson materials. Trials and subsequent revisions of lesson units and materials. Implementation in as many content areas as possible at vocational schools. Mutual exchange of experience between participating teachers. Evaluation of goals achieved and documentation. METHODOLOGY TO BE USED IN CARRYING OUT THE PROJECT Questionnaire, focus group interview, concept discussion based on applied science, professional in-service teacher training and classroom experience, workshops, classroom application and evaluation, publication. SHORT DESCRIPTION OT THE RESULTS AND IMPACT ENVISAGED Innovative concept for the integrated promotion of reading and writing skills in vocational education, adaptable to the needs of each individual country. Tried-and-tested examples of good practice that can be applied on a modular basis. Enabling of teachers in a range of content areas to promote reading and writing skills using an integrated approach. Sustainable improvement of students' reading and writing competences. POTENTIAL LONGER TERM BENEFITS Further development of the framework in follow-up projects. Application of the framework for in-service teacher training. Establishment of the concept in classrooms. Formation of reading and writing competence networks in vocational education. Taking into consideration of project results by occupational committees and educational policymakers.
CONTEXT/BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT The completed project of an integrative promotion of reading and writing skills in vocational education used transfer effects between the two competences, as it expected a more sustainable learning effect by promotion receptive and productive writing language competences (reading and writing). The primary target group were students, who often have few tools and strategies at their disposal for developing and writing texts. Content area learning, however, is not possible without sufficient reading and writing skills. The secondary target group were teachers of all subjects in vocational education who were supported by the framework of an integrative promotion of reading and writing skills help them support their students acquire the necessary reading and writing skills. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT Overall Objectives • Students (primary target group): Improvement for reading an writing skills • Teachers (secondary target group): Support for students to acquire sustainable reading an writing competences Subgoals • Needs analysis • Provision of a framework “Integrated reading and writing support in vocational schools” in compliance with scientific, theoretical pedagogical and practical education knowledge • Development and trial of lesson units und materials • Provision of good practice examples • Sharing project results NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS The consortium has combined partners from university, in-service teacher training institutions and vocational schools. This means that aspects of applied science, professional in-service teacher training and classroom implementation have been all represented in the project. The partners were from Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Romania and Estonia. DESCRIOPTION OF UNDERTAKEN MAIN ACTIVITIES Development of a practical method for analysing the needs of the primary and secondary target groups. Design of an integrated approach to promote reading and writing skills whilst taking the needs of the primary and secondary target groups into account. Communication of the framework to participating teachers, adaptation to country-specific circumstances. Creation of modular lesson units and lesson materials. Trials and subsequent revisions of lesson units and materials. Implementation in as many content areas as possible at vocational schools. Mutual exchange of experience between participating teachers. Evaluation of goals achieved and documentation. METHODOS USED DURING THE PROJECT Questionnaire, focus group interview, concept discussion based on applied science, professional in-service teacher training and classroom experience, workshops, classroom application and evaluation, publication. RESULTS AND IMPACT ATTAINED Developed, innovative concept for the integrated promotion of reading and writing skills in vocational education, adaptable to the needs of each individual country. Tried-and-tested examples of good practice that can be applied on a modular basis. Enabling of teachers in a range of content areas to promote reading and writing skills using an integrated approach. Sustainable improvement of students' reading and writing competences. LONGER-TERM BENEFITS Implementation of the framework concept in follow-up projects (scenario-based reading and writing promotion at vocational schools (Switzerland)), use of the framework concept in teacher training by RCRE, INNOVE, ALSGDC, PL. Establishment of the concept in the teaching of the participating schools. Support requests from the federal states of Lower Saxony, NRW, Hamburg and Berlin-Brandenburg. Reading and writing didactic competence networks RLP, NRW, Hessen. Consideration of the results in the curriculum work (RLP) and in the further development of language support in RLP.