The Building Bilingual Programs Methodologies Field Guide & Companion Courses
3 courses specially designed to create channels of communication between those working in bilingual schools.
1 - Administrators,
2 - Classroom Guides and
3 - ESL Teachers
2021-1-CZ01-KA220-SCH-000027846
Description of Courses
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Each 60-hour course consisted of 24 hrs of online sessions with colleagues and experts. There was also 36 hrs of independent work offline - reading, watching videos, discussing with colleagues, working on the practical task.
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The course orientation was on Tuesday Oct 29, 2024 at 17:00 CET.
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The courses took place between November 5 - 29, 2024 with two online sessions each week Tuesdays and Thursdays, 17:00 - 20:00 CET
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Erasmus+ funded means these pilot courses werevavailable free for those who meet the criteria.
Presenters for the Courses
Each 3hr session was led by experts that are part of the Bilingual Montessori team.
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Marikay McCabe
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Lucy Welsted
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Aoife Ahern
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Maria Smirnova
Requirements for the Courses
The certificate of attendance was issued when the participant:
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has 90% attendance
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filled in 2 course surveys (pre and post)
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turned in the practical task by Friday, December 13th (two weeks after the end of the course).
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The participants will select the focus of the practical task within provided guidelines.
Course Platforms
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Each course used Schoology as the learning management system.
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We used Zoom as the meeting platform.
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We used Menti for in-session collection of answers and voting.
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There was an orientation session before each course where participants were shown how to use these platforms with ease during the online sessions and independent work.
Admissions Criteria
Priority was given to those who met the qualifications below and to those who register with a group from a school.
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You have a current role as a school leader, Montessori guide or an ESL teacher or assistant and will attend the corresponding course for that role.
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You are available to attend all sessions
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You work at a school located in Europe.
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You work in the 6-12 classroom setting or you are a school leader.
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You answered the question: “What are your expectations from taking one of the courses?”
Application deadline was June 15, 2024.
Translations and
Interpreting
English was the main language of communication for each course.
Interpretation into one of the project's target languages (CZ, EST, ESP, FR) is possible if there were at least 6 participants requesting
General Learning Objectives for all 3 Courses
Upon completing one of the courses, participants gained comprehensive insights into establishing a strong second language program tailored for the 6-12 educational environment, employing a holistic school-wide approach. They were able to:
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Define clear objectives for implementing a bilingual program in your school through your perspective of a school administrator, a Montessori guide or an ESL teacher.
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You will have time to understand the different perspectives by the collaboration that will take place between the three different courses.
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Explore various bilingualism models and understand the significance of developing or revising your school's language profile.
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Familiarize yourself with the stages and components of the second language acquisition process.
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Acquire practical guidance for setting language learning goals and crafting effective plans.
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Examine the administrative perspective on fostering a bilingual culture across the entire school.
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Understand the essential elements of cultivating a bilingual classroom atmosphere.
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Learn techniques for evaluating the progress of your school's bilingual program and language acquisition.
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Engage in reflective exercises to list key course takeaways for implementation within your school community.
Administration of the Courses
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These three courses were designed, administered and delivered by the Bilingual Montessori team Erasmus+ project.
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It is funded by the Erasmus+ grant from the European Union.
General Outline
for all 3 Courses
Session 1 - Introduction
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Overview of the course & Introduction to the Field Guide and Bilingual Montessori
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Vision: What does your school want to achieve with a bilingual program?
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Concepts: create a whole school bilingual culture, learner autonomy, common terminology
Session 2 - School Identity
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What is a school language profile?
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An introduction to different models of bilingualism
Session 3 - Language Development
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An overview of second language learning
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Modes of communication
Session 4 - Program Design
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Designing and implementing the bilingual program
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Identifying and planning to reach language learning objectives
Session 5 - Whole School Bilingual Culture
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Building a whole school bilingual culture
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Hiring and onboarding bilingual staff
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Supporting teamwork
Session 6 - Bilingual Classroom Culture and the Prepared Environment
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Developing a culture of second language learning in the classroom
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Creating developmentally appropriate language materials for elementary students
Session 7 - Evaluating Implementation and Progress
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Evaluating progression of school bilingual program
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Evaluating learning
Session 8 - Closure
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Self-reflection and takeaways
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Course feedback and staying in touch
These pilot courses were funded by the European Union.
It was granted for free to those interested that met the requirements to attend one of the three courses.
