• Language learning is an important factor for establishing oneself in the community. It is as important to new immigrants as it is for people acquiring a second language to help them advance professionally. The project aims to share good practices and methods in language learning for both of these categories. We would like to study the effect of three different language teaching methods to these two target groups and document and analyse our findings. We want to carry it out transnationally because we wish to cooperate with international peers who struggle with the same problems and we hope this brings more dimensions to the project than a simple national project. We also feel the need to share and learn good practices internationally in the global world we are living in. The project's duration will be two years starting in October 2017 and finishing in March 2019. Each country will arrange a workshop to discuss the application of a method of foreign language learning. The methods are planned so that they activate and motivate the learner. The three methods are, method one: using the culture and tradition of the foreign language as a teaching method, method two: using digital learning methods to teach foreign language, method three: role-playing and other creative teaching methods. We hope to improve language teaching methods and help our target group learners learn a foreign language. Our project is in accordance with the European policy: strategic framework for education and training (ET 2020) that states the importance of : • relevant and high-quality knowledge, skills and competences developed throughout lifelong learning, focusing on learning outcomes for employability, innovation, active citizenship and well-being; and relevant and high-quality knowledge, skills and competences developed throughout lifelong learning, focusing on learning outcomes for employability, innovation, active citizenship and well-being; • inclusive education, equality, equity, non-discrimination and the promotion of civic competences; • open and innovative education and training, including by fully embracing the digital era; • strong support for teachers, trainers, school leaders and other educational staff; • transparency and recognition of skills and qualifications to facilitate learning and labour mobility; • sustainable investment, quality and efficiency of education and training systems.
The project aim was to share good practices and methods in foreign language learning. Foreign language learning has become a priority in our globalized world. For adult learners, this is true in the case of migrants learning the host country language. It is also true, in the case of adults, who have to learn a new foreign language to advance in life. Four Educational organizations participated in the project. All are adult education schools. They are: The Finnish Folk High School from Gothenburg, Sweden as coordinator. CFA Catolonia, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, from Barcelona, Spain. Jazyková škola Poprad, Czech Republic Tartu Folk High School, from Tartu, Estonia as partners The project started on the 1st of October 2017 and ended 30 September 2019. The partners studied and discussed the implementation of three different language teaching methods: Method one: using the culture and tradition of the foreign language as a teaching method Method two: using digital learning methods to teach a foreign language. Method three: role-playing and other creative teaching methods The project had four transnational meetings. The hosting partner in each meeting, held a workshop to study one of the methods as follows: Meeting one: Drama and role-playing workshop in Sweden Meeting two: Method one workshop in Spain Meeting three: Method two workshop in Estonia Meeting four: Method three workshop in the Czech Republic Foreign language teaching staff in each of the partner organizations implemented the discussed method. The teachers and students evaluated the effects of method implantation. The evaluation shows the project attained its desired goal of choosing, implementing and adapting a proper language learning methods to different learner group. Teachers reported even better motivation, engagement and social cohesion in the groups of students who participated in the project’s activities. The partners estimate that 400 students participated in classroom activities involving the three methods. As a result, the project enriched the teacher's toolbox with new tools that make learning more fruitful, fun and motivated. The main long-term impact on the students is that better language skills will lead to better job /study opportunities both at home and abroad. Acquiring higher skills in the host country´s language is essential for integration in the new society for immigrants. The project had an impact on the teaching culture in the partner organization. Foreign language teachers started to use a more innovative approach. This approach engages the students in learning in different ways than before. Through dissemination activities, the partners spread the lessons learned from the project which, In the long run, will lead to a more significant impact on the local, regional and national levels by inspiring peer organization to follow and test the three methods. The project's website provides some useful documentation of the methods used and successful stories from the partner organizations. The project´s web site address is http://finskafhsk.eu/LOGS/.