Background to the CARAP project 2008 - 2011

Project description

A Framework of Reference for Pluralistic Approaches

Subtitle: A tool for teachers

Summary: Information leaflet

Medium term project (2008-2011)

Project working languages: English and French

Thematic strand: Plurilingual education

Target audience for the activities planned within the project:
• teacher educators;
• decision-makers:
• curriculum/programme designers.

Target audience for the project results:
• teachers;
• teacher educators;
• decision-makers: curriculum/programme designers.

 
Sector of education focussed on:
pre-school;
• primary school;
• lower and upper secondary school;
• vocationally oriented schools;
• colleges, university;
• teacher education.

This website results from a project run within the ECML's (European Centre for Modern Languages) Empowering Language Professionals programme entitled "Framework of reference for pluralistic approaches".

Abstract of the project

The CARAP project builds on the results of the ALC project (“Across Languages and Cultures”) of the 2nd MTP of the ECML, and which lead to the development of the central part of a “Framework of Reference for Pluralistic Approaches” (CARAP/FREPA) consisting of 1) lists of “resources” in terms of Knowledge, Attitudes and Skills which are promoted by the pluralistic approaches, 2) a presentation of global competences to which the resources contribute.

This project aims to produce, on the basis of CARAP a tool for use by teachers. This tool will help raise their awareness about the necessity of a global approach to resources that the learner must construct for himself in the process of developing his plurilingual and pluricultural competence. It will help teachers to adopt a general plan such as “relying on initial linguistic competences of all learners, and of putting in place the synergies within the learning process of all languages involved (cf. the components of the “professional dimension” of teacher education such as those described in the results of the LEA project (2nd MTP). It will facilitate the formulation of objectives and use of activities belonging to pluralistic approaches in order to reach these objectives.

In order to do this, a reduced CARAP version that is more easily understood will be developed which will be accompanied by

  • an indication as to which pluralistic approaches are more directly relevant to different categories of descriptors;
  • some commentaries about the levels of learners and elements of progression;
  • some examples of didactic activities relevant to pluralistic approaches; of a pedagogical Guide about how to use this tool.

This tool will go through an experimental phase during which time a plan will be developed for initial and continuing teacher education, in a range of contexts. To this end, the project will rely on a network of participants from the dissemination workshop of the previous project (ALC). The experience gained in training will be used in the production of a Guide for use by trainers.

Collaboration is envisaged with project ConBaT+ (3rd MTP). This will basically consist of a regular exchange of information about work-in-progress, in that this project has a different main objective (the creation of original teaching material).

The second part of the 3rd MTP will be dedicated to a revision of the first complete version of CARAP as has emerged from the ALC project, and to the development of a tool aimed at facilitating its use in curriculum development.

The project team

Michel Candelier

Michel Candelier: Coordinator
Université du Maine, Le Mans,
France

Raymond Facciol

Raymond Facciol
University of Malta
Malta

Jean-François De Pietro

Jean-François De Pietro
Institut de recherche et de documentation pédagogique (IRDP)
Switzerland 

Ildiko Lorincz

Ildikó Lorincz
Edilic Association
University of West Hungary
Hungary

 

Xavier Pascual Calvo

Xavier Pascual Calvo
Escola Oficial d'Idiomes de Barcelona
Spain
 

Acknowledgement

The CARAP publication and website result from the work of an international network established within one of the ECML projects. We would like to thank all who worked on CARAP, in particular the project coordination team for their motivation and active involvement.