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Primary and secondary Continuity in foreign language teaching

The project addresses the challenges resulting from learners' transition from primary tosecondary education in foreign language learning and teaching. This transition fromrather informal and holistic to more formal and conscious ways of language learning isoften experienced as problematic by pupils and teachers alike. This is due to differentlearning cultures and teaching approaches in the two contexts and a lack ofcommunication and cooperation between teachers of the two levels. Whereas languagelearning at the primary level tends to be communicative, content-based, multi-sensoryand focuses on the development of oral skills, rule-oriented learning and writtenlanguage prevail at the secondary level.The project seeks to exchange experiences and gather models of good practice in thefield of transition and further develop strategies to facilitate the move from primary tosecondary education. It will create both an international website and local manuals forteachers and teacher trainers on the subject. These products intend to help teachers getinsights into different teaching approaches and learning cultures and foster mutualunderstanding (e.g. via commented videotaped sample lessons). They will also provideteaching material for the transition phase (e.g. based on task-based and CLILapproaches) which aim at reconciling both approaches ("bridging tasks"). For diagnosticpurposes, assessment tools are presented, including self-assessment and portfoliowork. The sample lessons as well as the teaching and assessment material areaccompanied by comments and study tasks which will enable teachers to reflect on theirown teaching and to integrate new ideas. These materials will serve as a basis for thedevelopment of methodological concepts for transition conferences (round tablediscussions among teachers from different levels) and teacher training courses on thetopic of transition.Apart from the website and the local manuals, the results are disseminated throughinitial teacher training in the participating organisations as well as through in-serviceteacher training courses involving the associate partner schools. An internationalComenius teacher training course is projected. The project's results will be presented atinternational conferences on language learning and applied linguistics.Each of the partner organisations which work in the field of teacher training cooperateswith at least one primary and one secondary school in order to collect sample lessons,try out and test material which is developed in the project and gain feedback fromteachers and pupils. The project addresses the target languages English, German andFrench.
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