You can now register for the final conference of the Erasmus+ project 'Alternative ways'

The conference is free, the language is English.

You can register via this link.

You will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to join the conference via Zoom shortly before the conference.

How easy do you learn a (second) language?

Can you keep up with the formal education or do you maybe need informal tools? Whilst working with different language-groups, both in formal and informal ways, the partners in the Alternative Ways project experienced that there is a significant number of learners that succeeds in learning a new language. However, they also noticed that the drop-out rate is relatively high. It is because of this high drop-out rate that we started this project and developed the toolkit. Some of the learners who have dropped out never or barely went to school, not even in their own country, and are illiterate or low-literate in their own language as well. In addition to this, some suffer from psychological problems (like a depression or Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome). Others deal with physiological problems or are suffering from learning disabilities (like dyslexia or other cognitive difficulties).

Based on our experience in working with learners who are dealing with these problems we can state that it is often not the learner’s intelligence that blocks him or her. More often than that a mismatch between their learning skills and the learning tools that are used to teach them is the culprit. We believe that learners who face the aforementioned challenges are in need of high quality, structured language learning tools that imply informal teaching. That is why we, the partners in this project, decided to join forces in a project in which we could share our knowledge and tools and to develop together a toolkit for which informal learning is the starting point, involving tools we know from our experience to be effective.

On this Conference we will share our story!

Brussels - 6^th October 2020 – 11.00 – 17.00

You can register via this link.

Project outcomes

The alternative and innovative toolkit enables you, as instructor, to create tailor-made lessons for adults who have difficulty in learning a language using formal learning tools. However, the informal tools in this toolkit are also great fun and suitable for everyone else who wants to learn a language. You can combine exercises from each Stepping Stone to create a tailor-made lesson, course or series of lessons according to your own insight and experience. Feel free to adapt exercises or to combine these with your own exercises. Besides the central part of the toolkit, the Stepping Stones, we have also by way of example developed a series of lessons for 6 themes.

Who is it for?

This toolkit aims primarily at instructors (primary target group), both beginners and experienced, who work with the secondary target group. These can be (language) teachers, educators, coaches, but also volunteers. In the design of this toolkit we enable every instructor to create his or her own tailor-made (series) of lesson(s). A few examples: the volunteer at the neighbourhood centre, the language teacher at a formal language school, the sports teacher who wants to incorporate language into his / her lesson, et cetera. The secondary target group are adults who want to and/or have to learn a new language but have difficulty learning that language using formal learning tools. However, the informal tools in this toolkit are also great fun and suitable for anyone who wants to learn a language. A few examples: a person who has been in a country for 20 years but never had to learn the language before, a newcomer, an expat, et cetera

What can you expect?

An introduction to the project with emphasis on the toolkit created. This toolkit consists of experiential and creative informal learning tools brought together in 6 Stepping Stones that are primarily intended to enhance and stimulate pleasure in learning (fun), increasing self-confidence and communicating. This creates the conditions for further learning (e.g. a language).

Provisional Agenda

11a a.m.: Start and  Welcome

• Erasmus + and results for Adult learning – Dominique Degryse, GO! CVO Brussel
• “Why do we think that we will bring light to the people” – Arjen Barel, Storytelling Centre
• Why “alternative”?  Short intro to the project aims and results and overview of the situation in the partner countries – Arjen Barel, Storytelling Centre
• “Storytelling, body movement and senses” – Lisa Verschraegen, GO! CVO Scala

Intro to the workshops organized like station learning, every partner has a place and doing a 45 minutes workshop, participants can move or do two workshops, one after another complete

1-2 p.m.: break

2-3 p.m.: workshop: 4 stations  a 45 min

3-3.30 p.m.: break

3.30-4.30 p.m.: workshop phase 2:  4 stations a 45 min

4.30-5 p.m.: closure:

Costs and registration

The conference is free, the language is English.

www.alternativeways.eu

Questions? Send an e-mail to info@alternativeways.eu .

KA2 project “Alternative Ways” - 2018-1-NL01-KA204-038910

DISCLAIMER

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.