As stated in it's policy on Multilingualism, the European Commission is very keen to promote language learning and linguistic diversity across Europe so as to improve basic language skills. In its Communication titles 'Multilinguism: an asset for Europe and a shared commitment' and the Council's resolution on a European strategy for multilinguism, languages are addressed in a wider context of social cohesion and prosperity and focused on actions to encourage and assist citizens in acquiring new language skills. In this resolution, the EU Member states as well as the European Commission are invited to (amongst others): - promote multilingualism with a view to strenghtening social cohesion - strengthen lifelong language learning - promote multilinguism as a factor in the European economy´s competitiveness and people's mobility and employability The most recent EF English Proficiency Index of 2017 shows us that many adult European citizens are not yet proficient in English, being this language the farmost used language for international communication in Europe as well as the rest of the world. Research has shown that a high percentage of adult language learners abandons a language course prematurely due to a lack of motivation and engagemen, and that L2 language teachers do not possess the tools to adress this problem. The L2 LIFESTYLE Project plans to provide L2 Language teachers across Europe with the necessary innovative, and non academic, tools and knowledge to be able to offer more effective language learning to their adult language students. We will do this by the use of soft skills as well as coaching techniques, with implementation of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) that have proved to be very effective in other learning contexts. The L2 LIFESTYLE Project will enforce job stability and employability not only of language students but also of the teachers that implement these innovative techniques. The project consortium is composed of 6 organisations from 5 different EU countries (UK, IRL, RO, SP and PO) and shows cooperation between new and old European Member States. A comprehensive partnership has been established, consisting of a solid group of training companies with long experience in innovation in their training techniques. CPIP & ARID have a long experience in EU projects. DIAMOND BUILDING also has experience in EU projects and has been dedicated for over 20 years to EI, NLP, Coaching and adult training and has experienced language teachers on it's staff. I&F has a great experience in EU projects as well as many years of experience in language teaching and training in coaching. This will be the first opportunity for BABEL IDIOMAS (ES) and YORK ASSOCIATES (UK). Nevertheless, both partners have many years experience in language teaching and are of the very few international experts on Coaching in Language Learning. Among their staff we find both language teachers as well as professional coaches. To achieve the objectives of the project three Intellectual Outputs will be developed, tested and multiplied: the ‘MOTIVATE THE L2 MOTIVATOR’ (O1) acts as an departure point for the 'L2 MOTIVATION TOOLKIT’ (O2), with a training system for language teachers (O1) and a useful toolkit to be used in their language classes (O2). 'TRAIN L2 MOTIVATORS' (O3) will ensure the durability of the project and is an important part of disemmination as it will train academic managers to train future language teachers in the L2 LIFESTYLE and to make correct and effective use of the L2 MOTIVATION TOOLKIT in their educational institutions. These outputs are the core of the project and will be developed in cooperation between all the consortium's partners in 3 stages. Each output will be thouroughly tested before completion to ensure the durability and impact of the L2 LIFESTYLE. The online system will also feature a platform for interactions between learners, trainers, academis managers, teacher trainers and other stakeholders. All outputs produced will be freely accessible for the public within and beyond the project’s lifetime. L2 LIFESTYLE is likely to have sustainable direct impacts within and beyond the project lifetime on three target groups: 1) L2 language teachers 2) Adult language students 3) Companies and organizations active in the field of language training and adult education in general. By creating these training tools as well as the practical toolkit for language teachers, teacher trainers and academic managers, the consortium expects to achieve the overall objective of the project and a long term benefit: tools for effective and life long language learning for a multilingual society
In order to counter a high percentage of adult learners who abandon language courses prematurely due to a lack of motivation and engagement, the L2 Lifestyle project sought to equip foreign language teachers with the tools needed to address this problem whilst promoting the EU's core values of multilingualism and lifelong learning. As such, the project was implemented through a partnership of six organisations based in five different EU countries. The project was led by YORK ASSOCIATES and through a transversal approach that involved learners, teachers and school management, aimed to: 1. Extend and develop the competences of language teaching professionals so that they can integrate soft skills content and apply a range of motivational co-coaching techniques as part of a new approach to foreign language teaching practice; 2. Foster an improvement of results in language courses and provide language students with not just new language skills but also more effective soft skills when using foreign languages, including, for example, Emotional Intelligence, so that they can benefit from their newly-developed interpersonal skills when seeking employment in an increasingly competitive job market; and 3. Encourage a sustainable institutional learning approach through working closely with the academic managers of training institutions, which ensured that language teachers as well as their students in Europe will benefit from this project for many years to come These aims were achieved through six organisations - York Associates (UK), I&F Education (Ireland), Stowarzyszenie ARID (Poland), CPIP (Romania), and Babel Idioma y Cultura and Diamond Building (Spain) - developing a set of Intellectual Outputs, which were: - IO1: ‘MOTIVATE THE L2 MOTIVATOR’ - this involved developing a training system for language teachers in order to enhance the effectiveness of their language classes by providing them with specific knowledge, adapted to language teaching, in the fields of coaching and interpersonal soft skills, including Emotional Intelligence and Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) - IO2: 'L2 MOTIVATION TOOLKIT’ - this involved developing a toolbox containing several activities for the language classroom that enabled language teachers to include soft skills and techniques of coaching, Emotional Intelligence and NLP in the process of language learning - IO3: 'TRAIN L2 MOTIVATORS' - this involved developing a training system that enabled academic managers of language institutions to assist their language teachers with the effective use of the Toolkit activities in the classroom. It also enabled these managers to train new teaching staff in the L2 LifeStyle project's other intellectual outputs. The L2 Lifestyle project has had a direct impact on language teachers, language training institutions, and also adult language learners. For foreign language teachers and language training institutions, the project has empowered them with innovative tools and methodologies to support them in guiding and motivating adult learners and promoting core EU values of multilingualism and lifelong language learning. And for adult language learners, the L2 Lifestyle project has led to not just their increased motivation with regards to language learning, but also increased competencies in their interpersonal soft skill development. By creating these training tools as well as the practical toolkit for language teachers, teacher trainers and academic managers, the consortium has achieved the overall objectives of the project as well as establishing long term benefits in the form of tools for effective and lifelong language learning for a multilingual society in Europe.