European Language Label – Call for Applications 2019

The Foundation Tempus announces that the European Language Label 2019 Call is open for entries.

The European Language Label (ELL) is an award whose aim is to highlight and reward innovative and creative initiatives in the field of teaching and learning languages. It also functions as a stimulus to uncover and disseminate results of such initiatives, while promoting public interest in improving language skills.

The deadline for submission is 31 May 2019.

To be eligible, projects/initiatives should be completed or in mature stages, so that concrete results are clearly visible. Projects/initiatives should not have ended more than 12 months prior to the competition entry deadline. Please note that the competition is only open to language initiatives based in the Republic of Serbia.

Eligible applicants

  • preschools
  • primary schools
  • general and vocational secondary schools
  • special education schools
  • language schools

Applications are accepted from the abovementioned institutions and individuals employed in these institutions.

Eligible types of projects

All projects, initiatives and good practices, completed or in mature stages, with clearly visible results, are eligible for the Label. Projects which previously received another award may also compete.

Languages concerned

The project/initiative must involve one of the following languages: English, German, French, Russian, Spanish, Italian.

Application procedure

Prospective entrants will be asked to first print out, complete and scan the document with application details, and then fill in the electronic application form. The application should preferably be completed in English, but those in Serbian will also be accepted. However, the project/initiative summary must be written in the English language. Please note that English language proficiency and accuracy will not be taken into consideration when assessing the applications.

In addition to this, documents, reports, evaluations, videos, photographs, audio files, website links and/or other supporting materials may also be submitted to strengthen the application and demonstrate the initiative in action.

All the documents are to be attached directly in the electronic application form.

Selection criteria

All projects awarded the European Language Label must meet the following criteria:

  1. Comprehensiveness

Initiatives should be comprehensive. All elements involved – learners, teachers, methods and materials – should contribute to ensuring that the needs of the learners are identified and met. There should be a learner-centred approach and teaching should be adapted to individual learners with different language proficiency. Students need to be actively involved in their learning process. Available resources should be used appropriately and creatively to stimulate language learning. These might include, for example, use of ICT tools, the presence of native speakers, language practice organised with twinned towns or institutions, cooperation with local business, or learning outside the classroom.

The maximum score for this criterion is 25 points.

  1. Added value

Initiatives should provide added value in their national context. They should lead to a quantitative and qualitative improvement in the teaching and learning of languages. In quantitative terms, this might mean involving several languages, particularly those which are less widely used, and/or a greater scope of teaching/learning, beyond one class. In qualitative terms, it might mean the use of a better methodology than before. Teaching should be competence-oriented and enable learners to use the language in real-life contexts. What also may bring added value and greatly contribute to the quality of teaching is a cross-curricular approach (desirable but optional). The envisaged learning outcomes should be evaluated in some way, and achieved. The project should lead to high-quality results/products.

The maximum score for this criterion is 25 points.

  1. Motivation

Initiatives should provide motivation, for learners and teachers. Learners should be interested in the proposed activities and motivated to participate. Encouragement and motivation of learners to improve their language skills outside the classroom and beyond the set activities is an advantage but not a prerequisite.

The maximum score for this criterion is 20 points.

  1. Originality and creativity

Initiatives should be original and creative. They should explore previously unknown approaches, appropriate to the learners concerned, or use a methodology that is commonly used in other contexts.

The maximum score for this criterion is 10 points.

  1. European dimension

Initiatives should have a European dimension. They should be based upon the reality of the European Union and its linguistic diversity and use the potential which that offers (for example, contacts across national borders, language learning between the neighbouring countries, etc.) to improve understanding of other cultures by means of language learning. In addition to this, it is desirable, but not mandatory, to promote the values of empathy and tolerance through teaching.

The maximum score for this criterion is 10 points.

  1. Transferability

Initiatives should include innovation which is transferable. They should be a potential source of inspiration for others in different countries and/or in different contexts. They might, for example, be adaptable to the learning of other languages or to learning by different age groups than those originally involved.

The maximum score for this criterion is 10 points.

The maximum score for an application is 100 points. In order to be considered for the ELL award, an application has to score at least 60 points in total, with at least half of the maximum points for each award criterion and each mandatory subcriterion referred to in the description of criteria.

Selection of winners

All eligible applications will be assessed by a panel of experts, who will award points for each of the selection criteria described above, after which a joint decision will be made on the winning projects/initiatives. The number of Labels awarded will depend on the quality of projects/initiatives.

Award ceremony

The European Language Label award ceremony will take place on 26 September 2019, the European Day of Languages, and the winning entrants will be expected to attend the event held in Belgrade.

For more information, please contact us at office@tempus.ac.rs.