The Erasmus+ Project
Project Grant and Objectives
About the Grant
In 2022, four partner organisations were awarded a three-year Erasmus+ grant titled "Building Bilingual Programs in Elementary Schools". The grant has allowed us to create resources to support educators working in schools with bilingual programs, Numerous heads of schools, language specialists, and classroom teachers are independently striving to establish bilingual programs. Our objective is to facilitate communication and foster connections among these professionals from different backgrounds, with the overarching aim of creating an environment where we can collectively learn and grow. Where needed and possible we will translate the project outcomes into the languages of Czech, Spanish, French and Estonian. Furthermore, we saw the need to offer guidance by collecting expert knowledge and actual experience of effective administrative and classroom practices, which would help elementary schools across Europe achieve strong and developmental bilingual programs.
Project Objectives
A Field Guide for Building Bilingual Programs: Elementary Schools. A whole school source book with practical information on program design and implementation, theoretical information on language learning and the nature of the elementary child, and practical strategies on how to prepare a bilingual learning environment to engage and inspire children. Release date October 2024.
We are building a support network for educators in bilingual schools. In January 2023 we launched the "Community Conversations" series, and we will continue to activate our social networks and share more resources here. Sign up for our newsletter in the Subscribe form below.
This online course makes it possible to delve deeper into the topics discussed in the Field Guide with colleagues and experts. The course is specifically designed for School Administrators, ESL Teachers and Classroom Guides. Interpretation will be available if needed. Pilot version coming in November 2024.
Watch out for information regarding “The Building Bilingual Elementary Programs Conference” where we will showcase our project outcomes. It will be held in Prague, Czech Republic on January 17-19, 2025, in a hybrid format to maximise the number of participants. Interpretation will be available if needed. We are excited for this opportunity to meet many colleagues in person as well as connect with others online.
Who can benefit from our work?
It is our intention to contribute to the work of bilingual educators that foster and capitalise on learner autonomy. At the centre of this project is the need to create channels of communication for those working in bilingual schools, to share resources, and to learn from each other.
Classroom teachers, language specialists, and school leaders, with diverse academic backgrounds and professional experiences, bring unique perspectives. While we aim to be relevant to various audiences in our materials, we recognize that fostering opportunities for dialogue among these groups is crucial for deeper understanding.
We have also created content to support parents.
Project Partners
Learning Ecologies, OÜ
Montessori at Work