KIT ORIENTATIONS ANNA MURKOWSKA, Warsaw University

KIT ORIENTATIONS 1. TEMPLATE for materials A) Orientations The new materials prepared for language teachers and trainees have to be related to the aims of the kit. Its Rationale defines the new model of language education, promoting the development of plurilingual and pluricultural competence, which refers to the ability to use language for communication and to take part in intercultural interaction. Different from the old model of language education a learner is expected to use and develop a proficiency (of varying degrees) in several languages and experience of several cultures. (Council of Europe, 2001;168) As the new model of language education can be viewed from two different Perspectives/Orientations as defined in the Rationale: Individual & Social on the one hand and Professional on the other, all the new materials have to be related to them.

KIT ORIENTATIONS 1. TEMPLATE for materials B) Materials 1) Worksheets The materials should have the lay- out of separate Worksheets including prepared activities. 2) Timing Timing should be defined for each activity separately. 3) Grouping It is recommended to use the symbol of an owl to signal individual work, to signal pair work and to signal whole group work and/or whole group discussion.. 4) Assessment The type of assessment chosen should be suitable for each activity. 5) Annexes a) It is recommended that texts and/or samples for each worksheet with the activity/activities should be placed in Annexes. In the final version of the kit Annexes should also include notes for teachers and answer sheets, if necessary. b) Annexes should also include bibliographies.

KIT ORIENTATIONS 2. GUIDELINES 1. Relate the materials to the ‘Orientations’: When writing new materials it is essential to relate them to the ‘Orientations’as defined in the Rationale for the kit.This will guarantee that the new activities will develop the plurilingual and pluricultural approach presented in The Common European Framework for Languages. 2. Adjust the materials to your own context: Adjusting new materials to the participants’ own contexts will make it able to test their usefulness and effectiveness in promoting plurilingualism and pluriculturalism in language teacher education on a greater scale.

KIT ORIENTATIONS 3. SUGGESTIONS OF CONTENT ISSUES FOR BUILDING NEW ACTIVITIES The suggested content issues for the materials cover a variety of many different issues, which give language teachers/trainees an opportunity to develop a plurilingual and pluricultural competence. They can include among others: 1. Awarenesss of diversity and reflection about diversity as the main feature of societies and in schools. How social class and cultural diversity should be dealt with in the curriculum and more generally in a given educational system. 2. Perception of/Examination of one’s own identity as a pluricultural complex resulting from multiple experiences. 3. Overcoming obstacles in incorporating changes aimed at developing plurilingual and pluricultural competence in one’s own teaching. 4. Developing one’s knowledge about language and culture in general/ Reflection of languages and cultures: in the field of general linguistics, languages of the world, intercultural communication and sociolinguistics.