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- Five years of ReCLes.pt: building a national network in Higher EducationPublication . Arau Ribeiro, María Del Carmen; Moreira Silva, Manuel; Gonçalves, AnaReCLes. pt 2014 International Conference on Languages and the Market: Competitiveness and Employability, Escola Superior de Hotelaria e Tourismo de Estoril, Estoril, Portugal
- Languages and the market: a ReCLes.pt selection of international perspectives and approachesPublication . Arau Ribeiro, María Del Carmen; Gonçalves, Ana; Moreira Silva, ManuelReCLes.pt – the Association of Language Centres in Higher Education in Portugal – was honoured to host the ReCLes.pt 2014 International Conference on Languages and the Market: Competitiveness and Employability at the Estoril Higher Institute for Tourism and Hotel Studies (ESHTE – Escola Superior de Hotelaria e Turismo de Portugal). This topic is pivotal for the development and improvement of specific language skills that serve different areas in the labour market. Indeed, according to the report Languages for Jobs: Providing multilingual communication skills for the labour market, a report set up under the Education and Training 2020 framework, language learning should be “better geared to professional contexts and the needs” of the job market since doing so will then benefit not only learners but also “those seeking to employ people who are well-trained and properly qualified to assume their professional responsibilities” (2011: 4). Although the working group did include representatives from Italy and Ireland, it did not include Spain or Portugal, meaning that only two of the five most troubled countries in terms of their employment and economic situations contributed to the final report. This lack of representation motivated, in part, the conference theme for the ReCLes.pt 2014 International Conference, with the dual need for ever-improving research results for language teaching and the increasing relevance of language learning at a time of staggering austerity and rising rates of youth unemployment. Indeed, the ability to speak a number of foreign languages not only generates economic benefits and fosters employability but also promotes the mobility of professionals and diverse business activities, enabling companies to perform successfully on the global stage. From the confluence of educators, researchers and representatives from the business world debating languages as competitive assets in professional contexts, a selection of authors were invited to publish their papers in this volume. The collection comprises eleven relevant papers in Portuguese and in English divided in five topics: Languages, Culture and Employability; Languages and Technology; Languages and New Technologies; Languages for Tourism Purposes; and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). On the topic of Languages, Culture and Employability, Monika Hrebackova’s article on “Intercultural Communicative Competence and the Management Dimension of Culture” explores the impact of intercultural contexts on communication competencies in a foreign language, specifically English. The author describes the clear competitive advantage of intercultural competence in the corporate sector, covering perceptions of stereotypes, time and negotiating as well as issues of hierarchy, individualism and indulgency, among others. She brings her personal experience as a Czech to her outline of Czech cultural values to determine sources of cultural clashes and suggest some strategies for applying intercultural competence in management situations. On the same topic, Abdelaziz Kesbi’s “Foreign Language Mastery and Glocal Employability” reflects on the linguistic map of Morocco and the functional specializations of each language of the country’s patent multilingualism to determine the economic relevance of teaching their various foreign languages for the global market. This analysis is made within the context Moroccan language planning policies, concerning Arabization, Arabic and Amazigh as well as the status of French and English. Kesbi concludes with the proposal of English as a lingua franca to support the country’s most recent progressive free trade agreements. On the topic Languages and Technologies, the volume offers five articles, the first of which is “The Status of EFL Teaching in Moroccan Vocational Schools: A case study at the Meknès School of Technology”, Mohamed El Kandoussi argues the inadequacy of the linguistic competence of recent graduates and their challenges in the labour market. His research is based on a case study of local English language courses to ascertain the compatibility of the course content with the students’ vocational orientations while uncovering teachers’ attitudes and opinions towards a number of pedagogical practices, including the corporate culture of their school, course material, the students’ needs for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) versus general English and the perceived need for further teacher training. In line with technical concerns for future Engineers, Milan Smutny’s article on “The Language of Science and Technology: Linguistics as a part of a multidisciplinary study program” examines terminology, especially the formation of adjectives using premodification to effectively and precisely communicate within a specific discourse community. The author provides examples of the shared profession knowledge as part of the language of Science and Technology so that English language teachers can better understand the ways specific terminology is created as a precise description of reality in the daily professional lives of Electrical Engineers. Another contribution involving new technologies is by Maria de Lurdes Martins, Gillian Moreira and António Moreira on “Aprendizagem dialógica, dialética e autêntica da língua inglesa com recurso à Web 2.0”, where the authors discuss the open, participatory and social nature of Web 2.0 and the challenges it brings to foreign language classes. This paper, which describes the design and implementation of an action research project in English language courses, focuses on the interactional tasks that were implemented using Web 2.0 tools and their results, which led to the creation and maintenance of dialogic processes for the production of collaborative outputs through an active involvement of students in solving authentic activities, while developing their capabilities to manage individual and collaborative learning processes. Luisa Salvati and Luana Cosenza’s article on “Teaching Foreign Languages for Specific Purposes in Mobile Learning for the Internationalization of SMEs” reflects on the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as enablers of foreign language learning and facilitators of internationalization. Their paper focuses specifically on the results of LSECON, a project that dealt with the implementation of language courses to support SMEs in the Tuscany region of Italy. To conclude the technologies section, the volume offers the results of a joint project that has dealt with working across cultures in tandem-learning situations albeit in a readily available online source, presented in Regina Mügge and María del Carmen Arau Ribeiro’s article on “Language Learning with the SEAGULL Tandem Database”, which delves into this rich European Union-funded project, an acronym for Smart Educational Autonomy by Guided Language Learning. The result of collaboration between 18 partner institutes from 11 countries, SEAGULL provides language learning material for 13 languages with a number of special online features. This tool for tandem partners who aim to continue working together after their first exchange offers linguistic support, suggested issues for discussion and a myriad of cultural information about the countries involved in the SEAGULL project. The authors provide a guided visit of the wealth of material available at http://SEAGULL-tandem.eu/ that can be easily accessed by teachers and students alike. On the topic of Languages for Tourism Purposes, Gisela Soares and Teresa Pataco examine the specificities of language learning in the hospitality sector, namely in the areas of catering and restaurant service. In “‘Eu nem sei o que é um badejo em Português!’: um projeto de desenvolvimento de vocabulário específico em língua inglesa para a indústria hoteleira”, the authors reflect on the teaching methodologies and results of an interdisciplinary project developed by higher education students in TV Cooking Show, an English language course that aims to develop the specific vocabulary of students through research and task-based activities which enhance learner autonomy. In the following article by María del Carmen Arau Ribeiro and Florbela Rodrigues, these researchers consider the plethora of materials available from Tourism Marketing as an authentic source for teaching English, Spanish, Portuguese and French in higher education, drawing on commercial goods and promotional material on the respective countries to enhance intercultural awareness and to practice language skills based on maximizing communication and theories of visualization. The relevant and timely teaching strategies in their article, “Making Tourism Marketing Work for You in the FL Classroom” cover, among others, the value of fostering positive attitudes toward error in foreign language use, problem-centeredness, and motivation. The authors find that, while simultaneously promoting student strategies for developing skills in global effectiveness in their future professions, discerning teachers can take steps to ensure that language users are immersed in a graphic and semiotic richness of cultural and linguistic messages. The final topic in the volume is dedicated to Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), beginning with an article by Margarida Coelho on “Scaffolding Strategies in CLIL Classes – supporting learners towards autonomy”, in which she deftly attributes scaffolding and scaffolding strategies the key roles in CLIL teaching. She presents a brief overview of the origin of the concept as a teaching strategy, focusing on some recent studies, and systematizes the most relevant approaches and conceptual frameworks to scaffolding presented in those studies. As a conclusion, she argues for a broader, more extensive, continuous and innovative use of different scaffolding strategies in CLIL classes as an effective means to foster learner autonomy and progressively build their confidence in using a FL language for effectively dealing with content. The volume then concludes with “The State of the ReCLes.pt CLIL Training Project”, by María del Carmen Arau Ribeiro, Ana Gonçalves, Manuel Moreira da Silva, Margarida Morgado and Margarida Coelho, which provides an update to the developments in research and publications in the national project, from a collaboratively written book to numerous articles, presentations and posters, culminating in first place at the friendly competition in the strand From research to practice at the XIV CercleS International Conference on Enhancing Learners' Creative and Critical Thinking: The Role of University Language Centres in September 2016.
- Proceedings of the International Meeting on Languages, Applied Linguistics, and Translation – LALT 2012Publication . Arau Ribeiro, María Del Carmen; Guerra, Luís; Gonçalves, Ana Cláudia; Moreira Silva, Manuel; Silva, Ana Alexandra; Gonçalves, Olga; Llinás, SusanaWhen representatives Luís Guerra and Olga Gonçalves said that they were hoping to be selected by ReCLes.pt for the next conference, the Board was pleased with their enthusiasm to participate and offer up their traditional conference on Language, Applied Linguistics, and Translation (LALT) for the year 2012 to be remolded under the auspices of a ReCLes.pt event. This exciting challenge was approved for a very busy year of activities: on 27-28 April of the same year, this budding national Association of Language Centers in Higher Education in Portugal had successfully hosted the annual seminar for their European counterpart – CercleS (the European Association of Language Centers in Higher Education). Having been identified as the newest and most burgeoning national member, with 15 member universities and polytechnics in such a small country, CercleS was keen to give ReCLes.pt the opportunity to show its mettle. Based on the pan-European recognition received for the fruitful seminar at the University of Minho, Braga, Portugal, the ReCLes.pt Board approved the offer and the local organizers at the University of Évora began to lay the groundwork for the conference, seeking further support from Aprolínguas, the Portuguese Association of Foreign Language Teachers in Higher Education, whose experience with ReCLes.pt had proven to be rewarding, thus linking once again two associations with similar missions – one with individual membership and another which is institutional. The colossal efforts of this Cerberus resulted in the International Meeting on Languages, Applied Linguistics, and Translation (LALT) 2012, from which these proceedings are drawn and which aimed specifically to provide “an overview of the current theory and practice, exploring new directions and emerging trends, sharing good practice, and exchanging information regarding foreign languages, applied linguistics and translation” (cf. http://llat2012.blogspot.pt/2012_09_01_archive.html). The opportunity to meet with other researchers is always met with zeal although this time the response was even greater than we had hoped. Sessions were organized to explore each of the three areas and four keynote speakers – Rafael Alejo González...
- Promoting dynamic CLIL courses in portuguese Higher Education: from design and training to implementationPublication . Arau Ribeiro, María Del Carmen; Silva, Manuel; Morgado, Margarida; Coelho, MargaridaThis article demonstrates the method, procedures and results of a national research project aiming to implement Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) courses in Portuguese higher education (HE). ReCLes.pt, the Network Association of Language Centres in HE in Portugal, carried out a review of the literature and an extensive needs analysis based on interviews with administrators and subject teachers to substantiate this need for CLIL in HE. The irst 10-hour CLIL teacher training pilot courses, conceived of as Communities of Practice, involved learning to deal with approaches to teaching language and content by scaffolding and applying a terminology-based approach, all of which was systematized in a collaboratively written training guide. Data gathering instruments were created for observation, questioning and documenting, which served to analyse the results and assess the sustainability of the interrelated objectives of creating
- (Re)Criação de uma formação em CLIL para professores em modalidade mista: aspetos logísticos e didáticosPublication . Arau Ribeiro, María Del Carmen; Morgado, María Margarida; Gaspar, Marcelo; Régio, Mónica; Moreira Silva, ManuelO projeto de formação em modalidade mista/blended learning de professores do ensino superior na abordagem CLIL, decorrido no ano letivo 2016/17 em três IES, foi sujeito a um processo crítico de autoavaliação com incidência sobre as potenciais barreiras e desafios de adaptação à modalidade mista de ensino/aprendizagem de uma formação inicialmente pensada como presencial. Com vista à reconstrução deste projeto da ReCLes. pt (a Associação em Rede de Centros de Língua no Ensino Superior em Portugal) para eventual disseminação e projeção nacional e internacional, o artigo relata a investigação e os desenvolvimentos do grupo de trabalho ReCLes. pt na (re) criação da formação em modalidade mista. O enfoque deste artigo recai sobre a gestão da sala de aula, o tríptico língua-cultura-especialização, o recurso às TIC, a extração de terminologia específica e a comunicação, bem como ao scaffolding adequado e ajustado às aprendizagens. Com os resultados obtidos no processo de autoavaliação, pretende-se reforçar as comunidades de aprendizagem e prática ativas e a motivação dos aprendentes e ainda potenciar o contacto com o professor formador e o próprio trabalho exigido na progressão da formação. Aliados a uma melhor gestão do tempo, estes resultados apontam para a necessidade de procurar novas abordagens quer à inclusão da aprendizagem de língua-cultura, quer à análise da área de especialização.
- The ReCLes.pt CLIL project in practice: teaching with results in higher educationPublication . Arau Ribeiro, María del Carmen; Morgado, Margarida; Chumbo, Isabel; Gonçalves, Ana; Silva, Manuel; Coelho, MargaridaBased on the project partially funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the ReCLes.pt CLIL initiative created communities of practice and learning for Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) in Higher Education. The project was implemented in six polytechnic institutes in Portugal to support and develop teaching in English based on a methodology that integrates content and language while attending to learners’ needs in both areas. Despite the growing number of English as a Medium of Instruction classes in Higher Education, there remains a paucity of CLIL in the country, both at this and at other levels, although neighboring Spain, for example, has demonstrated an ample use of the CLIL approach, especially in primary and secondary schools. This paper provides an opportunity to get to know these communities of practice and learning in Higher Education to better understand the various ways of dealing with this concept, involving not only the English teachers but also the specific subject teachers in training. This contribution also covers the basis for this training, how the groups are formed, ways to make them work, and best practice as well as results related to monitoring and assessment over the initial three years of the project. The variety of topics and tools created for the 33 piloted modules by these communities of CLIL practice and learning have been published as part of the project. In many cases, continue to be specifically designed and then implemented and assessed in Portuguese Higher Education based on the ReCLes.pt CLIL Training Guide (Morgado et al., 2015).
- CLIL training guide: creating a CLIL learning community in higher educationPublication . Morgado, Margarida; Coelho, Margarida; Arau Ribeiro, María Del Carmen; Marina Nunes Albuquerque, Alexandra; Moreira Silva, ManuelThe ReCLes.pt CLIL Training Guide presents the theoretical and practical basis for the creation of a CLIL Learning Community of foreign language teachers and subject teachers with the topics organized across four chapters. In Chapter 1, the objectives and structuring of the ten hours of sessions and the learning outcomes are presented with an introduction to CLIL design in higher education (HE), forms of interdisciplinary cooperation/collaboration, and a number of models for classroom management. Chapter 2 provides enriching material to help teachers bett er understand the principles of a CLIL Learning Community and CLIL itself, including interactive and student-centered methodologies, a focus on oral interaction and critical dialogue, suggested activities, and the key points for organizing a successful CLIL module. In Chapter 3, on CLIL materials and resources, sections cover the defi nition and examples of scaff olding and activating prior knowledge as well as the selection and adaptation of scaff olding materials, including the use of electronic media and a terminology-based approach. The proposed terminology-based approach focuses on the collection, description, processing, and systematic representation of concepts and their designations. As such, the use of terminology can become a key construct in CLIL teaching, involving the search, production, use, and dissemination of information. International organizations, networks, and multinational professional communities are involved in these steps within the global communication process, providing real motivation for students participating in the CLIL learning process. The final chapter …
- The State of the ReCLes. pt CLIL training projectPublication . Arau Ribeiro, María Del Carmen; Gonçalves, Ana; Moreira Silva, Manuel; Morgado, Margarida; Coelho, MargaridaContent and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), an area that has only recently been more thoroughly explored for appropriate use at higher levels of education, has been one of the research areas identified by the Association of Language Centers in Higher Education in Portugal (ReCLes.pt). ReCLes.pt members – administration and research professors are striving to make a difference in the paucity of scientific publications in this area with the creation of their national program for training content teachers in Portuguese higher education. To best learn from each other in a collaborative network and apply well-informed teaching and learning methodology to English-taught classrooms, the underlying concepts range from classroom management and scaffolding to learner autonomy and from Web 2.0 tools to terminology-based learning. As an update of the current state of the art as interpreted in this project, the outreach and reception will be described in full with attention to some detailed examples of the more successful aspects as well as others where we have found room for improvement. Recommendations will be made for other networks and individual schools aiming to effectively prepare their students for the market by using an integrated approach to content and language learning. This paper reports on the current state of the ongoing ReCLes.pt CLIL Training Project, financed in part by the FCT (the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology), with project members from a number of universities and polytechnics across Portugal.
- Desafios e barreiras à formação de formadores CLIL no Ensino Superior em blended learningPublication . Arau Ribeiro, María Del Carmen; Morgado, Margarida; Moreira Silva, Manuel; Coelho, MargaridaA Associação de Centros de Línguas no Ensino Superior em Portugal (ReCLes.pt) pretende partilhar com a comunidade de investigadores desenvolvimentos recentes na área de formação de formadores CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) em modalidade mista, presencial e online (blended learning), com base numa experiência decorrida no segundo semestre o ano letivo de 2016/2017. São quatro os institutos politécnicos (IP) – de Castelo Branco, Guarda, Portalegre e Porto (ISCAP) – que participaram no design deste curso de formação de formadores CLIL em modalidade mista, com sessões de formação online assíncronas e sessões presenciais, acompanhamento individual e de tutoria, a partir das linhas orientadores propostas no manual escrito pela equipa intitulado CLIL Training Manual (Morgado et al. 2015). Nesta experiência de formação piloto, em modalidade mista, participaram docentes do ensino superior dos IP de Castelo Branco e da Guarda na qualidade de formandos e formadores das quatro instituições acima referidas, prevendo-se o seu alargamento, nacional e internacional, no próximo ano letivo. O artigo descreve os objetivos da formação que são técnicos (como ensinar eficazmente em inglês, ativando e consolidando as competências linguísticas em inglês dos alunos, utilizando a abordagem CLIL); a razão da configuração da formação de formadores em modalidade mista, dado o escasso tempo em comum de que os docentes dispõem para assistir a formações presenciais e a sua autonomia; o design das quatro unidades a partir dos especialismos dos formadores e do manual supracitado; as formas de gestão e articulação da formação a distância e decentralizada (em termos dos formadores, das avaliar a experiência em termos da coesão da formação, do trabalho solicitado aos formandos (número de horas efetivamente usado para a formação), da eficácia das aprendizagens, e do grau de satisfação dos formandos, usando para o efeito entrevistas com alguns dos formandos. Enquadra, finalmente, alguns obstáculos sentidos no decorrer da formação, procurando a sua correção, como a gestão do tempo individual de cada docente ou o não cumprimento das tarefas sugeridas, apontando metas para a sua resolução.
- CLIL in portuguese higher education – building a community of practice and learningPublication . Morgado, Margarida; Arau Ribeiro, María Del Carmen; Gonçalves, A.; Moreira Silva, ManuelO capítulo reporta os resultados de um projeto, em desenvolvimento, sobre o estudo paralelo e comparativo da utilização de CLIL (abordagem integrada de conteúdo e língua) em cinco institutos politécnicos portugueses, objeto de uma subvenção da FCT, durante sete meses, para Partilha e Divulgação de Experiências em Inovação Didática no Ensino Superior Português. O estudo, que decorre desde 2013, subdivide-se em três etapas de investigação: a primeira, que decorreu em 2013-2014, consistiu num levantamento de necessidades em diversas instituições do ensino superior de modo a perceber a receptividade das mesmas para aceitação de modalidades de ESP (ensino de inglês para fins específicos), EMI (utilização do inglês como língua de ensino) ou abordagens CLIL, como estratégias de apoio à sua internacionalização. Durante a segunda etapa de investigação, que decorreu em 2014-2015, construiu-se uma comunidade de prática entre as diversas instituições de ensino superior politécnico envolvidas no projeto. O capítulo relata essencialmente como se constituiu esta comunidade, como foi apoiada e desenvolvida, os recursos criados e partilhados, as linhas de orientação que apoiaram o trabalho interativo e colaborativo de um grupo de professores de língua estrangeira e de professores de outras áreas científicas no desenvolvimento de módulos CLIL. Descrevem-se outras ações concomitantes ao desenvolvimento da comunidade de aprendizagem CLIL, como sejam a escrita colaborativa de um Guia de Formação de Formadores CLIL por um grupo de professores de língua estrangeira, para apoiar os cursos de formação implementados em cada instituto politécnico; a investigação aplicada decorrente deste processo que sublinhou: a importância da constituição de comunidades de prática CLIL locais, apoiadas na ReCLes (Associação em Rede dos Centros de Línguas do Ensino Superior) enquanto comunidade de prática mais alargada, à escala nacional; a importância de técnicas de scaffolding no ensino superior por oposição ao scaffolding proposto para outros níveis de ensino; e a utilização de estratégias de identificação de terminologia no contexto de práticas de CLIL ou TerminoCLIL. O capítulo inclui ainda alguns dados recolhidos na terceira etapa do projeto (2015-2016), durante a qual se implementaram módulos CLIL piloto; os dados foram recolhidos tanto junto dos professores que os lecionaram, como junto dos alunos, e incidiram sobre a recolha das suas reações e perceções aos módulos CLIL implementados. Estes são apresentados sob a forma de estudos de caso em cada instituição de forma a evidenciar as perspetivas dos sujeitos envolvidos.