| European Language Label |
The European Label for innovative projects
in language teaching and learning
Wortspiel-Berlin has together with the secondary school "Francesco Petrarca" from Triest (Italy)
for the project „Next Station: Lebensdorf“ get the European Language Label.
The award was given on octobre, the 4th in Rome.
What is the European Language Label?
The European Label is an award that encourages new initiatives in the field of teaching and
learning languages, rewarding new techniques in language teaching, spreading the knowledge of
their existence and thereby promoting good practice.
The Label is open to all aspects of education and training, regardless of age or methods used,
with its main focus being to promote innovation in language teaching. By supporting innovative
projects, at a local and national level, the Label seeks to raise the standards of language
teaching across Europe.
Each year, the Label is awarded to the most innovative language
learning projects in each country participating in the scheme. It is co-ordinated by the
European Commission, but managed by the individual Member States, with national juries
deciding on detailed criteria.
The general criteria for winning an award are agreed at European level, but individual
countries can introduce their own requirements.
The European criteria
- Initiatives should be comprehensive in their approach. Every element of the language
project - from students to teachers, methods to materials - should ensure that the needs of
the students are identified and met.
- Initiatives should provide added value in their national context. This means a tangible
improvement in the teaching or learning of languages, either in terms of quantity or quality.
"Quantity" might refer to the project stimulating the learning of several languages, particularly
those that are less widely used, whereas "quality" might refer to the introduction of an
improved methodology.
- Initiatives should motivate the students and teachers to improve their language skills.
- Initiatives should be original and creative. They should introduce previously unknown
approaches to language learning, but also make sure they are appropriate to the students
concerned.
- Initiatives should have a European emphasis. They should be adapted to Europe's
linguistic diversity and make use of this advantage - for example, by liaising with contacts
across national borders. The initiatives should actively improve understanding between
cultures by promoting language skills.
- Initiatives should be transferable. They might potentially be a source of inspiration for
other language initiatives in different countries.
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