To promote multilingualism and cultural awareness around the cross-border regions of the Czech Republic and Austria, and in cooperation with similar initiatives in Hungary and Slovakia, this EU-funded project promoted the development of a language learning programme for kindergarten and elementary school children.
- 08 January 2020
Our main goal was to increase awareness about the ‘other’ country which, in many cases, was still missing, or had a negative connotation attached. After all, there’s really no better way to increase employability among the cross-border region than knowing the language and culture of your neighbours.
Many cultures and languages intersect in the cross-border regions around Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. To promote cohesion, social interaction, and economic development, the EU has funded three projects aimed at language learning and developing intercultural competences – including this one between Austria and the Czech Republic.
The project developed new theoretical methods for teaching multilingualism and cultural awareness in Czech and Austrian schools. The project’s team of linguistic experts, working with education authorities, parents, and policy makers, designed lessons for each country. During the course of the project, these lessons were introduced via local language teachers and native speakers, who then provided feedback to the project coordinators. The project facilitated cross-border exchanges of best practices between teachers and students learning to be teachers in the two countries.
In total, nearly 100 teachers participated in the programme, benefiting over 570 students.
A focus on training
Behind the initiative’s success was the project’s focus on training teachers in implementing the new methods. These were held regionally and organised as workshops, seminars, and even one-on-one coaching. During the workshops, participants not only learned new teaching technics, they were also given opportunities to try them out among their peers. The project organised several field trips where teachers and student teachers visited a school in the neighbouring country. This provided them with a first-hand perspective on their teaching methods.
In addition to the training, the project arranged regular cultural exchanges and events. For example, in September 2018, they organised the first Festival of Languages in Baden, Lower Austria, in conjunction with the European Day of Languages. Nearly 250 teachers, administrators, and student teachers participated. During the event, teachers were able to participate in interactive workshops, each of which focused on new methods for language learning.Participants gave positive feedback about the training sessions and related events.
Increasing cultural awareness
According to project organisers, the cumulative effect of these efforts has been a tangible increase in cultural awareness among school children. Even with the project officially over, its influence continues. All guidelines, teaching, and learning materials are available via the project’s website.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “BIG – Educational Cooperation in the border region” is EUR 4 547 031, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 3 864 976 through the “Interreg V-A - Austria-Czech Republic” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Human resources development”.