LINGUIST List 10.17

Thu Jan 7 1999

Confs: European Lang Council/Multilingual Education

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Piet VAN DE CRAEN, European Language Council

First announcement


The Multilingual Challenge

in European Language Education

Brussels, Crowne Plaza Hotel, May 8-9, 1999

organised by the

EUROPEAN LANGUAGE COUNCIL

Thematic Network Project in the Area of Languages


European language education policy currently recommends that all citizens
should aim to have knowledge of at least three community languages. The
implications of this recommendation for language education and language
teacher education are far-reaching. It is an acknowledged fact that in the
decades to come education for multilingualism will be the focus of both
public interest and public debate throughout the European Union.

This situation arises at a point when both language education and
(language) teacher education in Europe are going through a difficult
period. In many countries educationists, linguists, language teaching
consultants, as well as school authorities feel that despite the
considerable investments in terms of money, time and energy, the results of
investment in language-teaching are far from satisfactory.

It is felt that language education and language teacher training have now
reached a point at which it has become imperative to take stock and look at
the results in the light of societal needs, taking into account recent
recommendations in the field of multilingual education, and to propose
innovative measures along these lines.

The "Thematic Network Project in the Area of Languages" under the auspices
of the "European Language Council" has given careful consideration to the
problems of language education and teacher education through the activities
of its sub-group "Language Teacher Training and Bilingual Education". This
group has proposed a number of recommendations in the form of strategies
for practical implementation focussed at enhancing language education and
(language) teacher training throughout Europe. These findings will be
presented at the Multilingual Challenge conference in Brussels, May 8-9,
1999.

The conference welcomes (language) teacher trainers, educationists,
educational policy makers and those who take a keen interest in
multilingual education in the European Union and in Europe in general.

If you would like to receive more information please send contact details,
name, address and email to

Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Faculteit Letteren
Prof. dr. P. Van de Craen
Pleinlaan 2
B 1050 Brussel
Belgium email: pvdcraenvub.ac.be
Phone 00-32-2-629.26.65
Fax 00-32-2-629.36.84

Information about the European Language Council: http://www.fu-berlin.de/elc

Piet VAN DE CRAEN
VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL
FACULTY OF ARTS
DEPARTMENT OF GERMANIC LANGUAGES
PLEINLAAN 2 / B 1050 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

e-mail PLEASE NOTE NEW ADDRESS: pvdcraenvub.ac.be

fax: 32-2-629.36.84
fon: 32-2-629.2665 or 2648