DECEMBER 2010 EUROPEAN MODULES ON MIGRANT INTEGRATION OUTCOMES & REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIRST MODULE ON LANGUAGE AND INTRODUCTORY COURSES

DECEMBER 2010 THE AIM IS TO DEVELOP PROPOSALS FOR EU MODULES ON THREE THEMES Module 1 Integration and language courses Module 2 Strong commitment by the host society Module 3 Active participation of immigrants in all aspects of collective life

DECEMBER 2010 HOW TO DEVELOP A MODULE? A four-step bottom-up approach: 1.Identify the key challenges across the EU regarding the module-theme to be developed 2.Identify good practices across the EU that address these challenges (evidence based preferably) 3.Prioritize and select practices which will be part of the proposed module- components 4.Develop and refine the components of each module during expert seminars Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

DECEMBER 2010 COMPONENTS AND STRUCTURE OF DRAFT MODULE 1 REG. LANGUAGE AND INTRODUCTORY COURSES Four components: 1.Pedagogic schemes for language tuition 2.Effective introductory courses 3.Incentives structures 4.Evaluation and quality assessment Structure Relevance & purpose Target group Preconditions Implementation Follow up possibilities Costs Sources of experience More information to be obtained

DECEMBER 2010 RELEVANCE AND PURPOSE (COMPONENT REG. PEDAGOGIC SCHEMES) Necessary to sort immigrants into different competency levels and knowledge acquisition skills. Can be done by Using immigrants’ educational background as the dividing principle Tailoring language tuition to specific learner groups Setting minimum requirements for language proficiency is good in a pedagogical sense since it is a good motivating factor CEFR can be used as a reference when determining language proficiency levels, but should always be customised to the national context General agreement that level A2 of CEFR is appropriate for general day-to-day living (functional competence) For employment purposes, level B2, may be more appropriate

DECEMBER 2010 TARGET GROUP (COMPONENT REG. PEDAGOGIC SCHEMES) Newly arrived third country nationals Language tuition should be started within 1-6 months of the arrival of the person

DECEMBER 2010 PRECONDITIONS (COMPONENT REG. PEDAGOGIC SCHEMES) National authorities should ensure a consistent standard across the whole language tuition sector Important to have in place a mechanism for assessment of all the migrants who are to be enrolled in language tuition. Ensure that teachers have particular skills in the field of language tuition to immigrants Measures should be put in place to assess the quality of language tuition

DECEMBER 2010 IMPLEMENTATION (COMPONENT REG. PEDAGOGIC SCHEMES) Dividing people into groups according to their profession/education can support quicker learning …but it is important to sometimes mix immigrants with different backgrounds The goal should be to support everyone to A2 CEFR When organising language tuition in a flexible way that enables immigrants to take up work etc., consider: The timing of the courses (post-work, during lunch etc.) The location (centre of town, at the work-location etc.) The content (consider the needs, and adapt accordingly) ICT-based learning

DECEMBER 2010 FOLLOW UP POSSIBILITIES (COMPONENT REG. PEDAGOGIC SCHEMES) It is very important to put in place effective mechanisms for obtaining learner feedback as this will provide useful information for developing and improving programmes. Both formal and informal indicators of success should be used: Formal indicators (CEFR) to asses immigrants’ learning progress over time Informal indicators (portfolios of achievement, self-assessment of language ability and confidence in using language etc.) serve as instruments for didactic planning and as motivational factors for participants

DECEMBER 2010 REFLECTIONS REGARDING THE MODULES CONCEPT HAVING WORKED ON THE CONTENT Harmonized components versus components showing the differences? a)Should we aim at presenting harmonized components which will make it easier to use the modules as standards and for possible benchmarking? b)Should we show the diversity in opinions and present the different possibilities which will underline the point that modules are flexible points of reference that can be adapted to the needs of individual Member States depending on their current integration challenges? How to go from draft to reality? What should be mentioned in the draft module as necessary steps to be taken in order to go from the draft modules to applying them in a national context? How do we ensure that they are actually used and avoid that they just collect dust in the bookshelves?

DECEMBER 2010 QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? Endslide.