Foreign language teaching in schools today navigates a complex landscape, balancing pupils’ everyday plurilingualism, curricula that emphasize the development of plurilingual and intercultural competences, and the traditional focus on individual target languages. The rich linguistic potential that learners bring is not always fully harnessed. However, when languages are connected through plurilingual approaches, opportunities for synergy and knowledge transfer emerge, leading to more effective and deeper language learning. While most foreign language teachers are open to plurilingual education, they report not applying it systematically (Bredthauer & Engfer, 2018; Daryai-Hansen et al., 2019). The primary barriers cited are limited time and a lack of expertise in the relevant languages. The Erasmus +-funded project Multilingualism-enhancing modules for foreign language teaching (MEMO) – Examples of language- and culture-sensitive initial French lessons addressed these challenges by developing textbook-independent materials for multilingual French lessons. In collaboration with a transnational consortium, these materials were tested in a school context and subsequently revised. The project’s outputs aim to enhance both teachers’ and students’ plurilingual and intercultural competences while promoting multilingual foreign language teaching.
Conference 2025
Plurilingualism in foreign language education.
Teaching concepts, methods and materials.
Conference at the University of Innsbruck
16.1. – 17.1.2025
This conference will feature presentations and workshops showcasing the MEMO project’s outcomes, including a transnational textbook analysis, internationally tested teaching materials and a professional development module for foreign language teachers on didactics of plurilingualism. The event will also serve as a platform for sharing and discussing related initiatives such as innovative concepts for multi-/plurilingualism-orientated teaching, multil-/pluriingualism-orientated materials for other foreign languages at school, new task formats and possibilities for including heritage languages. We are pleased to announce that the conference will open with a lecture by Prof. Dr Christian Ollivier (Université de La Réunion) entitled: ‘Teachers and didactics of plurilingualism – attitudes, practices and digital perspectives’.
The conference team cordially invites both foreign language didactics experts and foreign language teachers to discuss the MEMO project and the teaching materials developed. Your own contributions are very welcome.
Programme of the conference, 16/01/2025
| 16:00 – 16:45 h | Registration |
| 17:00 h | Keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Christian Ollivier (Université de La Réunion)
Teachers and didactics of plurilingualism – attitudes, practices and digital perspectives |
17/01/2025
| 8:30 – 9:00 h | Registration |
| 9:00 – 10:00 h | Presentation of the MEMO project |
| 10:30 – 12:30 h | Presentations / Workshops |
| 12:30 – 13:30 h | Lunch break |
| 13:30 – 15:30 h | Presentations / Workshops |
| 15:30 – 16:00 h | Closing of the conference |
- How can plurilingual foreign language teaching be promoted?
- What is needed to provide teachers with the best support for implementing multi-/plurilingualism-sensitive foreign language teaching?
- How can pupils’ plurilingual and intercultural competences be further developed?
- How should teaching materials be designed to promote plurilingual and intercultural competences of students and teachers in foreign language lessons?
- How can a bridge be built between target language competence development and didactics of plurilingualism?
Timeline until the conference
| Until 31/10/2024 | Period for submissions |
| 14/11/2024 | Review results |
| 15/11/2024 | Start of the registration period |
| 30/11/2024 | End of registration (with contribution)[1] |
| 20/12/2024 | End of registration (without contribution) |
[1] Please note that a hotel contingent in Innsbruck is open until 30 November 2024.
Hotel allotments for the MEMO conference
Period 15-18 January 2025
Booking code ‘MEMO’ until 30/11/2024
Hotel Innsbruck (10)
5 double rooms attic for single use € 113.58 including breakfast
5 double rooms design for single use € 126,60 including breakfast
Stage 12 (5-10)
5-10 rooms at € 140 each for a double room for single use with breakfast excl. local tax
Goldener Adler (10)
10 double rooms ‘Classic’ for single use (138€), double occupancy (163,50€)
Basic Hotel (15):
under ‘book now’ top right enter booking code ‘MEMO’ and book room online:
15 rooms: single room at € 110.00 / double room at € 150.00
Registration
You can register via info@memo-project.com. If you have any questions, please also contact us at the above e-mail address. No conference fees will be charged to participants. The costs for lunch are covered by the participants.
We look forward to your participation!
The conference team
Eva Maria Hirzinger-Unterrainer, Carmen Konzett-Firth, Sira Weber, Belgin Amann, Astrid Daucher, Linda Grimm-Pfefferli, Barbara Hinger, Tobias Hordan, Steffi Morkötter, Christiane Neveling, Julia von Rosen, Anna Schröder-Sura, Jana Tichauer, Odile Vandermeersch
Literature
| Bredthauer, S. & Engfer, H. (2018). Natürlich ist Mehrsprachigkeit toll! Aber was hat das mit meinem Unterricht zu tun? S. 1-20. Online unter: https://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/8092/1/Manuskript_BredthauerEngfer-2.pdf., zuletzt aufgerufen am 23.9.2024. |
| Daryai-Hansen, P., Lindemann, B. & Speitz, H. (2019). Mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktik im frühen DaF-Unterricht in Dänemark und Norwegen – Lehrer- und Schülerperspektiven. Gfl-Journal, 1, 45-71. |
The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
KA220-SCH-0000480062