The Erasmus+ project 'Playing beyond CLIL' (PbC) will provide a pedagogical strategy and practice-oriented tools for the implementation of the crucial element of formative assessment in a pluriliteracies approach in CLIL and non-CLIL forms of schooling. In this context the project aims to improve the specific classroom skills of teachers - the primary target group of PbC - and also aims to address schools and initial teacher training institutions. In teaching environments where the language of instruction is not the same as the learner's first language and especially in those where the language of instruction is being learned simultaneously with new subject content (i.e. CLIL - content and language integrated learning), a pluriliteracies model for deeper learning (PTDL) has the potential to actively and transparently enable all students - at any age or stage - to become more effective learners. This by requiring teachers to rethink the design of learning environments (including tasks and activities) to foreground the development of literacy skills across disciplines and languages, i.e. for learners to become pluriliterate. This approach will provide a practical contribution to the inclusion of learners with little language skills in the official classroom language(s), e.g. 'traditional' CLIL learners but also learners with migration backgrounds (economic and political). Unfortunately, established assessment methods are not able to take the holistic and dynamic nature of a pluriliteracies approach into account. To date, teachers are lacking the tools and procedures for assessing learning processes within a pluriliteracies framework. Building on the methodology developed in a former project 'playingCLIL', the project PbC offers an alternative more holistic way of thinking about assessment by integrating CLIL approaches with drama education. The PbC project will research, develop, promote and put to trial new and transformative approaches to the assessment of the learning processes in CLIL and other contexts of pluriliteracies education. The project will provide its results in form of a pedagogical guidebook and toolbox for teachers and schools to assist the implementation of the PbC-methodology. It will provide an interactive online-platform for dissemination purposes and as a resource for schools for networking. Finally, the rationale of the PbC-Methodology will be published in a programmatic scholarly paper to open up a critical discussion on drama games-based assessment within the scientific community. The transnational consortium consists of partners who intensively engage with the CLIL pedagogy in research as well as in initial and in-service teacher training. The eight partners from four different European countries consist of four universities (Humboldt University Berlin, University of Edinburgh, University of Helsinki, University of Las Palmas), two educational authorities (Educational Unit City of Espoo, Education and University Office Canary Islands) and two companies (Interacting UK, EuropaBeratung Berlin). The methodology of PbC combines the intellectual work of the partners with practice-oriented and dissemination-oriented activities. The project is designed in a way to allow interaction with the target group and stakeholders to inform the ongoing work of the project. The interactive online-platform and various teacher trainings disseminate findings early, generate feedback and so inform the development of the projects task. Various multiplier events, together with the interactive online-platform and the distribution of the practice-oriented products should disseminate the findings of the project further. We are confident, that the proposed assessment method bears potential for improving the educationally and socially important approach of pluriliteracies towards an inclusive classroom. Furthermore, we are expecting the work of the project and the availability of the products in combination with the planned dissemination measures to be instrumental in enhancing classroom quality and also providing helpful tools for shifting the framework of teaching for the challenges of globalization in 21st century Europe.
The Erasmus+ project 'Playing beyond CLIL' (PbC) developed a pedagogical strategy and practice-oriented tools in form of "Show What You Know" events (SWYK) for formative assessment in a pluriliteracies approach in CLIL and non-CLIL forms of schooling. The material and activities intend to improve the specific classroom skills of teachers - the primary target group of PbC - and also schools and initial teacher training institutions. In teaching most environments where the language of instruction is not the same as the learner's first language and especially in those where the language of instruction is being learned simultaneously with new subject content, a pluriliteracies model for deeper learning (PTDL) has the potential to actively and transparently enable all students to become more effective learners. PbC encourages teachers to rethink the design of learning environments (including tasks and activities for students) to foreground the development of literacy skills across disciplines and languages. In the project's lifetime we could confirm that this approach provides a practical contribution to the inclusion of learners with little language skills in the official classroom language(s), e.g. 'traditional' CLIL learners but also learners with migration backgrounds. Unfortunately, established assessment methods are not able to take the holistic and dynamic nature of a pluriliteracies approach into account. To date, teachers are lacking the tools and procedures for assessing learning processes within a pluriliteracies framework. In PbC we are now able to provide a set of templates and theories to fill this gap. Building on the methodology developed in a former project 'playingCLIL', the newly developed materials approach offers an alternative more holistic way of thinking about assessment by integrating the SWYK events as the basis of interaction in a learning environment. The project provides interested professionals with a toolkit / eBox with adaptable templates for teachers. The toolkit / eBox is complemented by the webinars and the ePlatform. The ePlatform offers additional content and serves as a learning tool. For those willing to interact there is the possibility to become a member and join the network. A scholarly article on the newly developed PbC methodology has been submitted to a high-ranking academic journal for publication. The article is currently under review. The aim is to present for discussion the conceptual and methodological framework developed in the project for interactive formative assessment in drama pedagogically supported CLIL learning environments. Care was taken to publish the article as an open access publication. Once published, the article will be linked for unrestricted access to the ePlatform (www.playingbeyondCLIL.eu). The material was developed in a transnational consortium of partners who intensively engage with the CLIL pedagogy in research as well as in initial and in-service teacher training. The eight partners from four different European countries consist of four universities (Humboldt University Berlin, University of Edinburgh, University of Helsinki, University of Las Palmas), two educational authorities (Educational Unit City of Espoo, Education and University Office Canary Islands) and two companies (Interacting UK, EuropaBeratung Berlin). The consortium managed the challenge to organise events and training during the pandemic from March 2020 until the end of the project. The intended testing phase in schools was substituted by small scale workshops and online sessions with our network and partners. We are confident that the proposed assessment method bears potential for improving the educationally and socially important approach of pluriliteracies towards an inclusive classroom. Furthermore, we are expecting the work of the project and the availability of the products to be instrumental in enhancing classroom quality and also providing helpful tools for shifting the framework of teaching for the challenges of globalization in 21st century Europe.