Lingua

AIMS OF LINGUA

The LINGUA action within SOCRATES addresses all levels and sectors of education, with an emphasis on school education, initial and in-service training of language teachers, adult education and the development of curricula and language-teaching and assessment instruments for all educational sectors. It complements by means of a number of specific actions the measures relating to language-learning contained in other parts of the SOCRATES program. Certain projects also seek to take into account the specific foreign language-learning needs - verbal or non-verbal - of disabled persons. The use of open and distance learning is encouraged in the various LINGUA activities. 

• To encourage and support linguistic diversity throughout the Union;

• To contribute to an improvement of the quality of language teaching and learning;

• To promote access to lifelong language learning opportunities appropriate to each individual’s needs.

It also focuses on the developing of skills in the less widely used and less taught official community languages.

LINGUA I :promotion of language learning

• Raise citizens’ awareness of the multilingual character of the Union and of the advantages of lifelong language learning, and to encourage them to take up language learning themselves;

• Improve access to language learning resources and increase the support available for those learning languages;

• Promote the dissemination of information about innovative techniques and good practices in foreign language teaching in Europe, among its target groups (especially decision-makers and key educational professionals).

CRITERIA

This is just a list of the main aspects that the projects should follow, not the only ones.

• Specify their didactic approach clearly and consistently;

• Make an effective contribution to linguistic pluralism and to the diversification of language learning;

• Target several eligible languages;

• Involve where possible more than one target group, and in any case define the target group(s) precisely;

• Encourage language learning for disadvantaged people;

• Take into account the cultural aspects of the languages being learnt.

WHOM

Each different activity should have one these target groups:

• General people;

• Sectors with specific needs;

• Decision-makers.

LINGUA II :development of tools and materials

The aim of this part of the project is to raise the standards in language teaching and learning by upgrading the language learning instruments, and the tools for assessing linguistic skills acquired.

CRITERIA

This is just a list of the main aspects that the projects should follow, not the only ones.

• Specify their didactic approach clearly and consistently;

• Make an effective contribution to linguistic pluralism and to the diversification of language learning;

• Target several eligible languages;

• Involve where possible more than one target group, and in any case define the target group(s)precisely;

• Encourage language learning for disadvantaged people;

• Take into account the cultural aspects of the languages being learnt;

• Have conducted a particularly thorough needs analysis as the justification of the project, demonstrating clearly the non-availability of the product envisaged by the project;

• Undertake to try out the Common European Framework of reference for language learning and teaching, to develop it as a tool for defining objectives and evaluating the results;

• Make appropriate use of open and distance learning methods, or of new information and communication technologies;

• Adapt existing products to other languages.

ELIGIBLE ORGANISATIONS

• Schools, adult educations establishment, open and distance learning centers;

• Universities, centers providing initial or continuing training for language teachers, language resource centers, centers for research into language education;

• Establishments developing curricula, issuing diplomas or devising methods for testing and evaluating knowledge;

• Local or regional authorities;

• Local, regional, national or European associations active in the field of language teaching or learning;

• Cultural and language support associations, including national associations;

• Language schools;

• International associations of language teaching establishments;

• Radio, television or media companies with an internet presence;

• Publishing houses and software producers or distributors.

GRANTS

Each project will have a different remuneration, because the financial support the Community will provide is based on a cost-sharing basis.

HOW CAN I APPLY?

By 1^st November of every year the applicant needs to submit the pre-proposal form with all the relevant information about the project idea, partners in the project and fund requests. The projects will be then evaluated by a team of experts in Brussels and successful projects will proceed to round 2 of the selection. For a project which has been selected to round 2, a full proposal form needs to be submitted by 1^st March of every year. Projects which make it through the second round of selections will receive a working contract and the funds requested.

It is important that every project proposal is done in co-operation with the Malta National Agency, since the agency is responsible for giving the third expert grading to the project submitted, apart from the two experts’ gradings of the European Commission. Three positive gradings will ensure that a project is selected.

For project submission under the LINGUA action contact Mr Joseph Vancell.

APPLICATION FORMS

Lingua, in both its aspects of promotion of language learning and development of tools and materials, is a project that should follow the procedure for "centralized" actions, as shown down here:

Beside to the copy for the Commission, a copy of the pre-proposal should be sent: by the coordinating institution to the other participating institutions and to the appropriate National Agency in its country; by each of the other participating institutions to the appropriate National Agency in its country.

If the project will be pre-selected, a full-proposal should be sent to the same organizations.

Pre-proposal form for Lingua

Full proposal form for Lingua

IMPORTANT:

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE SOCRATES OFFICE IS NOTIFIED OF ANY APPLICATIONS TO BE SUBMITTED UNDER THE CENTRALISED ACTIONS. THE SOCRATES OFFICE WILL BE RESPONSIBLE OF PART OF THE EVALUATION OF THESE APPLICATIONS AND ANY APPLICATIONS SENT DIRECTLY TO BRUSSELS WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SOCRATES OFFICE WILL BE PENALISED IN A WAY THAT PART OF THE EVALUATION ESSENTIAL FOR THE SELECTION OF THE PROJECT, WILL BE MISSING.

DEADLINES

1^st of November (pre-proposal applications)

1^st of March (full-proposal applications)

More information on LINGUA is available here.