The METIKOS Project
LLAS has been invited to be a partner in a project to promote the social inclusion of immigrants in EU's societies through by improving their skills in the language of their host country. This project will be exploring a number of models of achieving this from café-style learning groups to tandem learning arrangements. It will also look at virtual modes of support for language learning for this target group. The main aim of the project is to develop a methodology of informal language learning for immigrants by adapting existing informal language learning methodologies (language cafe, TANDEM, cyber language café) to the specific needs of the immigrants. This process will be supported by the introduction of a curriculum for these informal language courses (which will make the whole process more structured and will facilitate the monitoring of the learning outcomes) as well as by the identification of existing and freely available support materials and the development of additional support materials where necessary.
Timescale
November, 2011 - October, 2013
Key contact(s):
Alison Dickens, Project Partner LLAS
Funded by:
The EU Lifelong Learning Programme (Grundtvig)
Project partners:
The project is being led by Greece with partners in France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the UK. Project aims:
The project aims are:
1. to develop informal language learning opportunities for immigrants at regional level (in the partner countries)
2. to create immigrants’ networks which will include a range of stakeholders (including volunteers who will work as “buddies” to support language learning outside the training sessions)
3. to create web tools to support immigrants in the learning process
4. to develop a methodology for this mode of learning which is replicable by other groups (outside the project)
Outcomes:
1. an Internet based "Cyber Language Cafe" for immigrants in which language learners and native speakers will be able to communicate through synergetic web 2.0 tools,
2. a bank of resources which will allow users to locate supportive material for learners of native country language categorized on the basis of metadata as to their language, topic and difficulty level,
3. an online language learning community for immigrants where the learners will be able to use communication tools for interacting with other learners as well as with the facilitators that will lead the Language Café groups or will participate with them in a Tandem learning session.
Links:
Metikos Project website: http://www.metoikos.eu/
Lifelong learning programme: http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-programme/doc78_en.htm
Language Café Project : www.languagecafe.eu
Further resources available on our website:
This project will draw on the materials and outcomes from the Language Café Project which was led by LLAS 2006-2008: www.llas.ac.uk/projects/2830
It will also draw on the experiences from the JISC-funded Community Café Project which supported language teachers working in community-based schools: www.llas.ac.uk/projects/6192
