Keywords: Resurse

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Take part in a survey to help to identify obstacles to the mobility of foreign language teachers in Europe. The European Commission is convinced that it is important that all foreign language teachers have adequate experience of using the target language and understanding its associated culture(s), by spending an extended period in a country where that language is spoken and also having regular opportunities to update their training.

Dear Colleagues


Take part in a survey to help to identify obstacles to the mobility of foreign language teachers in Europe

I am a member of a team set up across Europe, and I am writing to invite you to take part in an important survey intended to identify obstacles to the mobility of foreign language teachers in Europe now being done on behalf of the European Commission. 

Teachers are invited to complete a questionnaire that can be accessed on the project website, www.uoc.edu/in3/mobility/, by going to the "Questionnaire" page. The participation of each teacher takes only 10 or 12 minutes. The questionnaire is available in seven languages (English, German, French, Italian, Russian and Spanish, as well as Catalan) and is open from December 5th 2005 to February 28th 2006. The data collected by this means will be treated in total confidentiality and will be destroyed at the end of the project. 

Obstacles to the mobility of foreign language teachers include factors such as legal, fiscal and family obligations; the perceptions of teachers and input from other stakeholders (inspectors, educational administrators, unions, professional associations, etc.) are important elements of the project.

The European Commission is convinced that it is important that all foreign language teachers have adequate experience of using the target language and understanding its associated culture(s), by spending an extended period in a country where that language is spoken and also having regular opportunities to update their training.

Moreover, for schools there are significant pedagogical benefits to be gained by employing language teachers who are native speakers of the target language, or who have lived and worked in a country where the target language is used.

Furthermore, some Member States face shortages of language teachers which could be assuaged if suitably qualified staff from other countries could be encouraged to work abroad. Such teachers may work as (a) teachers of their mother tongue, (b) teachers of another language, or (c) teachers of another subject through their mother tongue and/or through the language that they are qualified to teach.

How you can help

A. If you are in the media: Please publish this news, and contact us for any further information (mobility@uoc.edu), or :.. 

B. If you are an association, ministerial department of education, trade union or similar organisation: Please advertise this information on your website, through your newsletter or bulletin, and/or send it by email to all your members. 

C. If you are a teacher: Please visit the website and complete the questionnaire; help any colleagues who are not as familiar as you with the Internet; and forward it to as many colleagues as possible.

Teachers and stakeholders will soon be invited to take part in the Discussion Forum, where over a period of weeks (from January 2006 to March 2006) a number of key issues will be raised.

We hope that through these various networks, the language teachers in our country will be very well represented in the overall results of the study.

Remember: The questionnaire will be open until February 28th 2006; and the website address is www.uoc.edu/in3/mobility/. 

Best regards


Boian Savtchev

Director of Education, International Projects Manager

EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING /ECET/

135, Knyaz Boris I St

1000 Sofia

BULGARIA

Deadline: 2006/02/28