Gate to Languages (educational project)
Encyclopedia
Gate to Languages is a project of lifelong education of teachers, organized in the Czech Republic
by National Institute for Further Education (NIFE) since 17 October 2005. It is aimed at the development of foreign language skills and methodological competence of Czech teacher
s. The name of the project was inspired by the book Janua linguarum reserata (Gate to Languages Unlocked) by Jan Amos Comenius
.
NIFE organizes the methodology
and language courses
for three target groups of teachers at Czech elementary and secondary schools and higher education institutions:
7,173 teachers from the Czech Republic take part in the project, among them 6,340 in the English courses, 700 in the German courses and 133 in the French courses. 75 per cent of the expenses are financed from the European Structural Funds
and the rest by the Czech Republic Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The courses for qualified language teachers were finished in June 2006, the whole project is planned to finish in the end of June 2007.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
by National Institute for Further Education (NIFE) since 17 October 2005. It is aimed at the development of foreign language skills and methodological competence of Czech teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
s. The name of the project was inspired by the book Janua linguarum reserata (Gate to Languages Unlocked) by Jan Amos Comenius
Comenius
John Amos Comenius ; ; Latinized: Iohannes Amos Comenius) was a Czech teacher, educator, and writer. He served as the last bishop of Unity of the Brethren, and became a religious refugee and one of the earliest champions of universal education, a concept eventually set forth in his book Didactica...
.
NIFE organizes the methodology
Methodology
Methodology is generally a guideline for solving a problem, with specificcomponents such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and tools . It can be defined also as follows:...
and language courses
Language education
Language education is the teaching and learning of a foreign or second language. Language education is a branch of applied linguistics.- Need for language education :...
for three target groups of teachers at Czech elementary and secondary schools and higher education institutions:
- Teachers without specialized qualification for teaching a foreign language, who, despite this fact, teach or are going to teach the language. This group involves mostly elementary school teachers of EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and French languageFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
who partly speak the language, but who were originally qualified in teaching different subjects. The course consists of 200 lessons and focuses on both teaching the participants the foreign language and provide them with some methodology training. - Teachers qualified in teaching a foreign language. This group involves qualified teachers of the above mentioned languages, who want to improve their methodological competence. The course consists of 30 lessons.
- Teachers of other subjects or non-teaching experts working at a school. In this group participants of the courses have a possibility to learn a foreign language, but the courses are not designed to present the methodology of its teaching. The course consists of 150 lessons.
7,173 teachers from the Czech Republic take part in the project, among them 6,340 in the English courses, 700 in the German courses and 133 in the French courses. 75 per cent of the expenses are financed from the European Structural Funds
Structural Funds and Cohesion Funds
The Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund are financial tools set up to implement the Cohesion policy also referred to as the Regional policy of the European Union. They aim to reduce regional disparities in terms of income, wealth and opportunities...
and the rest by the Czech Republic Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The courses for qualified language teachers were finished in June 2006, the whole project is planned to finish in the end of June 2007.