Technologically enhanced online opportunities for language learning in inclusive education

Technologically enhanced online opportunities for language learning in inclusive education

Background
The Project stemmed from the belief that foreign languages, English in particular, form a very powerful platform for enhanced education and personal development for learners with different individual needs. However, EFL teachers must have effective awareness of a variety of needs and cope with them in their lessons. The project main goal was to prepare pre- and in-service EFL teachers to face diversity in the EFL classroom. Other goals concentrated on raising their awareness of the necessity of dealing with mixed ability, enhancing the quality of teacher training in social and cultural inclusion, promoting ICT as an instrument to favour inclusion, providing educators with strategies and resources to create a learning environment that meets all students’ needs, organizing seminars to advocate for non-discriminatory attitudes in teaching, and setting up a debate platform to share ideas regarding inclusion in the EFL class. With those ideas in mind, Partners advocated for a project that would promote high-quality and innovative teaching in the teacher training sector, and the role of ICT was considered central to facilitate that transnational cooperation.

Objectives
The aim of the project was to increase opportunities for professional development of EFL teachers (during their studies and as life-long learning experience), especially in developing their greater level of awareness, knowledge and skills as well as enhanced ICT competencies to cater for individual differences in language learning of disadvantaged groups of learners, which in turn fosters equity and inclusion of disadvantaged foreign language learners in mainstream education through the choice of appropriate teaching approaches and enhancing the quality of teaching by the use of ICT. Project Partners attempted to promote culturally responsive teachers, who manage to integrate issues of international relevance in the curriculum, that is teachers who can teach mixed-ability classes from a non-discriminatory perspective and who are aware of differences within and beyond the classroom. Regarding long term benefits, Partners hoped for creation of multinational networks in the area of inclusion and foreign language learning, providing educators with resources and strategies that change attitudes to inclusion and contribute to transnational policy and curriculum changes.

Implementation
Project activities were divided into subsequent phases directly connected with developing project outcomes (1. performing needs analysis, prior to funding; 2. developing the course and the course materials; 3. testing the course and the course materials; 4. collecting feedback) and activities that ran throughout the project, parallel to the above phases (A. management; B. quality assurance; C. dissemination; D. sustainability) to ensure the achievement of project objectives.
The tasks planned to achieve the outcomes of the project included developing e-learning platform, implementing ICT tools, as well as developing new materials for the platform mode. They were realized in the following steps: 1. developing new materials; 2. testing out new materials to collect feedback from participants: blended-learning mode (ISP events for pre-service teachers); 3. adapting the blended-learning mode to e-learning platform; 4. testing e-course (in-service teachers); 5. dissemination activities (multiplier events, conference presentations, publications); 6. Evaluation and introducing changes; 7. working out sustainability plan; 7. starting adaptations into Spanish and German.

Results
The results of the project include: 1. TOOLS interactive platform on inclusive learning; 2. Teaching resources on inclusive learning; 3. Blended-learning course for pre-service EFL teachers; 4. E-learning course for in-service EFL teachers; 5. Publications on project activities and outcomes. All the project outcomes are available online with open access.
The TOOLS course is central for the TOOLS Platform. It consists of 5 modules: 1. Introduction; 2. Digital citizenship in language education; 3. Cultural diversity; 4. Gender inequality; 5. UDL – Universal Design for Learning. Each module advocates inductive learning and reflective approach, and includes pre and post questionnaire regarding perceptions and knowledge. The content is interactive and the following tools are used to develop knowledge and skills as well as verify learning outcomes: files, forums, URLs, feedback forms, interactive components, quizzes, glossaries, lessons, assignments, pages, chats, choices. The section “Teaching resources” includes modules: 1. Social diversity in education and accent bias; 2. Culturally responsive teaching; 3. Differentiation, individualization and scaffolding; 4. Cultural awareness; 5. Digital TOOLBOX.

The Partners:

UNIWERSYTET OPOLSKI, Poland - Coordinator

FUNDACIO UNIVERSITARIA BALMES, Spain
KAYE ACADEMIC COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, Israel
Miejskie Centrum Wspomagania Edukacji w Opolu, Poland
UNIVERSITY OF CYPRUS, Cyprus
WESTFAELISCHE WILHELMS-UNIVERSITAET MUENSTER, Germany
Zentrum für schulpraktische Lehrerausbildung Münster, Germany