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WORLD NEWS: No. 52 October 2001 THE LATEST ON LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGES |
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From the Editor This special issue starts with the Note From The President, Denis Cunningham, who celebrates languages upon FIPLV reaching its 70 years. Letters of congratulation from the FIPLV's former Executive Officers follow. We present profiles of three Honorary Counsellors of the FIPLV - Edward M. Batley's, Reinhold Freudenstein's and Bengt Henningson's. As usual accounts of formal and informal activities performed by some FIPLV officers are given in the FIPLV News. Our Congress Calendar informs about conferences and congresses planned between the years 2001 - 2003. The Member Associations, as well as the institutions co-operating with us, discuss about their recent and future activities (News and Views). In Forum on Controversial Issues, Francisco Gomes de Matos encourages all the readers to compile a list of salient features of language. A continuously growing list of journals issued by and for language teachers, sent to the Editor's address, is published in Books and Journals: Publications Received. Teresa Siek-Piskozub, Editor of Publications-FIPLV
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FIPLV has further reason to celebrate upon reaching the specific anniversary of its 70 years. Few of us, let alone associations, can say that we have reached this mature age; fewer still with the affirmation of excellent health, robust strength and lasting potential to grow . . . This is the case for FIPLV as new associations are encouraged to form, do form, and realise the benefits of unity across languages, peoples, creeds, geographical locations and other factors, all of which motivate us to celebrate difference and build upon the wealth and beauty that these offer the globe. FIPLV was, is and will be devoted to furthering the cause of cultural and linguistic diversity, joining and mobilising others committed to the cause. This, it cannot be underestimated, is at a time when linguistic diversity and the languages teaching profession face formidable challenges in many areas of the globe. Deriving strength from a solid international foundation, FIPLV is well placed to join with - and lead - others whose causes are our own. Recent instances of note include the excellent European Year of Languages-2001 initiative and program, UNESCO's World Languages Report, the organisation of a UNESCO International Conference on Languages in the Pacific, and representation on the Scientific Committee for a World Congress on Language Policies to take place in 2002. All of these activities and events reflect and complement priorities of FIPLV, and we are happy and proud to be involved in all. We would also hope to further promote the cause of languages, linguistic and cultural diversity, language policy and planning, and the teaching and learning of languages. Your input would be welcome on future activities and initiatives to pursue. FIPLV celebrations, therefore, both mirror and promote the excellent activities in the cause of languages. With this Special Issue of FIPLV World News, we savour the present, plan confidently for the future and celebrate the past. This is why we have turned to several FIPLV luminaries of the past - evergreen, nevertheless - to share with us their reflections on FIPLV past, present and future. Thus, we turned to Président d'Honneur Joseph Hendrich, Honorary FIPLV Counsellors Ted Batley, Reinhold Freudenstein, and Bengt Henningsson, and to former FIPLV Secretary General György Szépe, to write a few words for this Special Issue. I hand over to them, now and in the future, to further inspire us, as I wish you every success and satisfaction in celebrating languages! Denis Cunningham, President, FIPLV |
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Congratulations to the Federation on its Seventieth Anniversary! The maintenance and strengthening of a tradition which started in Paris at the Sorbonne in 1931, which even a World War could only disturb and never break, is a remarkable achievement. More than just the achievement of venerated longevity, the Federation has made a massive contribution to the teaching and learning of living languages in these seventy years. It has done so both quantitively and qualitatively. In terms of quantity and volume, the Federation's all-important mission of teaching and learning foreign languages in order to build bridges between nations is nowadays reaching millions more throughout the world, not only as a result of the rapid expansion of satellite technology and electronic communications but also through the personal and organisational networking that characterised the work of the Federation right from the start. A global Federation of national multilingual modern language associations and international unilingual associations, it is the individual members of the Federation's associations who themselves pass on the mission to other learners and teachers of modern languages, to participants in national and international conferences, to colleagues at work who will often specialise in other disciplines, to both the new and the older generations of language learners. Given that modern technology is as yet neither widely nor equally distributed to all nations, this personal networking continues to play an indispensable role in disseminating the Federation's mission and in reaching people all over the world. Significantly and symbolically, the characteristic modus operandi of the Federation is BY WORD OF MOUTH, putting to full use what we are, - 'an international Federation of teachers of living languages'. WORD OF MOUTH is rightly acknowledged as the best form of advertisement, and this thousandfold multiplication of personal contacts, which en route overcome divisions of all kinds, is more influential by far than the relatively small-minded market forces of pyramid selling. Past President Michel Candelier will be pleased to learn that of the 500 or so mini-Montgolfiers which he arranged to have dispersed through Parisian skies in July 2000, symbolically during the XXth FIPLV World Congress and from the grounds of the Sorbonne, mine landed four hours later on the banks of the Danube and I now have an invitation - from a French person teaching languages in Germany - to call in when I next pass through the region. Knowing WORD OF MOUTH to be more influential than HOT AIR, I telephoned the gracious recipient from London! In terms of quality, the Federation has always valued most highly the humanitarianism which lies at the heart of all foreign-language learning, the urge to open minds and hearts to the long-term process of understanding other languages, cultures, races and religions, of conversing with OTHERS in THEIR tongue so as to learn from THEM and see the world from THEIR perspective. True understanding leads to the acceptance of differences, indeed to the glorification of differences, for what a boring world it would be without them! We sacrifice neither our personal, our cultural nor our national identity in the process, yet our own perspectives do change as a result and we are enriched. In the same way as individual teachers and learners are affected by this process, so are the officers of the Federation. Not long ago, member assocations from the Southern hemisphere perceived the Federation as being 'eurocentric', and they said so! The Federation was indeed eurocentred in terms of its birthplace and of the several European midwives who had brought it into this world in 1931. Although the Federation had achieved Status B as a Non-Governmental Organisation of Unesco by 1965, the criticism from the Southern hemisphere rang out long after that. Unesco was saying one thing, but our friends and colleagues in the South had a different perception. So what happened? The Federation held a General Assembly in Sydney and, with the assistance of the Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations, a World Congress in Canberra. A network of contacts with member and non-member countries in Latin America was established in Chile de Santiago, where an International Conference on Second Language Learning was held in 1992, and five years later FIPLV celebrated its 19th World Congress in Recifé. It is ironic that, during its inevitably and, at that time, rightly 'eurocentric' years, the Federation enjoyed a far closer working relationship with Unesco, albeit receiving only meagre financial support even then, and that, now that the Federation is an effective global force, Unesco is capable of giving the Federation, at best, only moral support and nothing more. Regrettably, Unesco must no longer be the force it once was (forgive the pun, but it is perhaps a SPENT force!) while the Federation, dependent, as it continues to be, on the voluntary membership fees of its member associations, swims ever more strongly against a tide which, if unchecked, could so easily undermine the foundations upon which Unesco itself was originally built. A glance at recent reports of FIPLV Officers and Contacts all over the world bears testimony to the globalisation of the Federation's activities (the Linguapax and the Human Language Rights projects, to name but two of many) under the Presidency of Denis Cunningham and before him of Michel Candelier. The Federation has strengthened relations with Australia and New Zealand: the Association of South African Language Teachers is now a member after the long-awaited abandonment of 'apartheid': the Central European Region of the Federation has been created, activated and expanded in the wake of the 'quiet Revolution' of 1989; revising the Statues and enacting the revisions has brought the member associations and the individuals it serves closer together: and, perhaps the most significant and most enduring feature of all, the work of the Federation continues to be distinguished by integrity, by acting according to Statutes formally agreed by all member associations, by the proper election of Officers and the preservation of democratic processes which have been there right from the inception of the Federation in Paris 1931. Look to the past with pride and to the future with hope! Edward M. Batley FIPLV at 70: Younger than Ever! When I was born in 1931 in a provincial German town neither my parents nor anybody else had ever heard of FIPLV. It was only later in the same year that dedicated professors and teachers of modern languages came together in Paris in order to create what would become FIPLV, the Fédération Internationale des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes. Because the event took place in Paris, the name of the federation was coined in French and it has stayed that way until today. I feel quite privileged to have had the chance later in my life to serve this organisation first as the Secretary General, then as the Editor of its publications. I did this for more than twenty years and thus became the officer who has worked for FIPLV longer than anybody else. So for me it is a happy event and a cheerful coincidence that both FIPLV and I turned 70 in the same year and are still around. Looking back at my years with the international federation I think there are two distinct and unique features which are characteristic of it. FIPLV - a Global Village FIPLV has always been a "global village" for the language-teaching profession long before this term was invented in order to describe our situation in a world which is one in spite of different languages and cultures. In 1931, the "I" for "international" in FIPLV was mainly used for countries within Europe; only in the seventies it slowly but surely changed to "outside Europe" as symbolised by the constantly increasing numbers of members and officers on the board from countries all around the world. During the years of the "cold war" following the Second World War in the second half of the last century, FIPLV served as a meeting-place not only for associations but also for individuals in a politically divided world of East and West that could otherwise not have come together. Today FIPLV is in a position where it can unite different races, religions, cultures and societies and help to further cross-cultural contacts. This is why I think FIPLV is still necessary. One could argue that FIPLV can do this on a small scale only. But nevertheless language teachers have a vital role to play in this challenging process. Their work can become a solid basis for intercultural exchanges, cross-cultural communication, global responsibility and for a world at peace. FIPLV - a Melting Pot of Ideas When I served on the Executive Committee of FIPLV I was often asked what the benefits of membership were. Of course, there are many answers to this question, ranging from the reasons just given above to personal relationships that could last a lifetime. However the most convincing reply for me has always been: "If FIPLV did not exist, it would have to be invented." This is because there is a vital need for the exchange of ideas and recommendations across boundaries which can help to solve problems of language teaching, language learning and language policy which otherwise would remain isolated and hidden. Sometimes simple slogans are a good way to illustrate a point. In America I once came across the message "The family that prays together stays together". In a way, this applies to the language profession as well. Isn't it true that language associations that combine their expertise can achieve a lot more than individual national or local groups of people with similar interests ever could? FIPLV is a true melting pot for ideas which collects its input globally so that it can be felt locally. A Final Thought In the past, people often thought that international organisations had only a limited chance of reaching individual language teachers. World congresses which take place in South America or in Australia can hardly be attended by large numbers of teachers from other continents. However, this handicap can easily be overcome. With the internet becoming as popular with individuals at home as the blackboard is in an ordinary classroom, it will easily become possible to get in touch with thousands or even millions of teachers around the globe. This kind of get-together can certainly not replace live personal contacts, but it can help to reach more individuals in the teaching profession than one could ever have imagined. This is my wish then for the coming 70 years of FIPLV: that it achieves the goal of bringing even more language teachers in touch with one another than it has done already in the past. This is now electronically possible. FIPLV could definitely make it practical for many modern-language teacher generations to come. Reinhold Freudenstein The author can be contacted under the following address: Professor Dr.
Reinhold Freudenstein, Am Weinberg 72, D-35096 Weimar/Lahn, Germany. Fax:
+49 6421 78431. |
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Honorary Counsellors of the FIPLV The FIPLV awards the individuals who have served the Federation with distinction the title of Honorary FIPLV Counsellor. Conferment of the title has to be approved by the FIPLV World Council. Persons on whom these titles have been conferred may be asked to perform special tasks on behalf of the Federation. We would like to present the profiles of those who have been awarded the title: Edward Batley, Reinhold Freudenstein and Bengt Heninngsson. Edward M. Batley: Conseiller Honoraire de la FIPLV In 1993, Edward M. Batley was unanimously elected as "Honorary Counsellor" of the FIPLV by the World Council of the Federation. This was done in appreciation of twelve years of dedicated service to the FIPLV. He served as its President from 1980 to 1992. During his periods of office he managed to facilitate communication between member associations in politically different parts of the world, particularly in Europe, and after the end of the East-West conflict he helped to reorganize the Federation by suggesting the establishment of FIPLV Regions. The following portrait is presented in German because Batley's professional career was and is closely connected to the teaching and learning of German as a foreign and second language. En 1993, le Conseil mondial de la FIPLV a élu Edward M. Batley à l'unanimité conseiller honoraire. Par ce geste, le Conseil a voulu le remercier pour ses années d'engagement inlassable au service de la FIPLV. Il a été le Président de la Fédération de 1980 à 1992. Pendant ces années, il a encouragé la communication entre les membres associés appartenant à des mondes partagés par la politique en camps opposés, surtout en Europe, et après la fin du conflit entre l'Est et l'Ouest, il a contribué à la réorganisation de la Fédération en proposant l'établissement de régions. Le portrait suivant est rédigé en allemand, la carrière professionelle de Edward M. Batley étant étroitement liée à l'enseignement et l'apprentissage de l'allemand comme langue étrang·re et seconde. Gern erinnere ich mich noch daran: es war im Jahre 1972, als ich Edward M. Batley anläßlich eines FIPLV - Kongresses in Saarbrücken (Deutschland) persönlich kennenlernte, ihn aber noch nicht so gut kannte, daß ich gewußt hätte, wie er mit Vornamen hieß. Ich var damals zum Generalsekretär der FIPLV gewählt worden, und es war u.a. meine Aufgabe, bei den Sitzungen Protokoll zu führen. Als ich meine Sekretärin fragte, ob si· vielleicht Batleys Vorname wüßte, antwortete si·: "Nein, leider nicht, aber abends an der Bar nannte man ihn 'Ted'!" Das kennzeichnet ihn: Kontaktfreudigkeit und menschliche Wärme - und das neben den wissenschaftlichen Verdiensten, die er als Hochschullehrer erworben hat. Seit jener Zeit verbinden uns nicht nur berufliche Interessen, sondern auch eine persönliche Freudenschaft. Edward M. Batley - kurz: Ted - wurde im September 1935 geboren, ist verheiratet, hat eine Tochter und zwei Söhne. Er wohnt in London. Als "Reader in German" arbeitet er am Goldsmiths College der London University, und zwar im "Departament of European Languages", dessen Leiter er von 1987 bis 1993 war. Schon seit den siebziger Jahren vertrat er den britischen Fremdsprachen-lehrerverband bei FIPL-Veranstaltungen, aber seine eigentliche aktive FIPLV-Zeit begann im Jahre 1980, als er zum Präsidenten des Weltverbandes gewählt wurde. Er wurde 1983, 1986 und 1989 wiedergewählt. Neben seiner Präsidententätigkeit investierte er Zeit und Kraft in viele FIPLV-Projekte, die neben den Aufgaben der Präsidentenschaft anfielen: er leitete Symposien, war Redaktionsmitglied und Herausgeber vieler Publikationen, und vor allem war er immer darum besorgt, in schwierigen Zeiten politischer Krisen die Fremdsprachenlehrer in Ost und West zu einem damals nicht einfachen Dialog zusammenzuführen. Er war ein Präsident des Ausgleichs. So konnte er, der Germanist, nach der Wiedervereinigung Deutschlands mit Genugtuung auf die Zeit zurückblicken, in der er nicht nur dafür gesorgt hatte, daß die Geschäfte des Weltverbandes reibungslos abliefen, sondern in der er sich auch um die Internationalisierung der einstmals lediglich auf Europa konzentrierten FIPLV verdient gemacht hatte. Die heute weltweit in Gang gekommene Regionalisierung des Weltverbandes, der Bekanntheitsgrad der FIPLV bei internationalen Organisationen, die Zukunftsorientierung einer neuen Satzung- Edward M.Batley hat sie angeregt, aufgegriffen, in Gang gesetzt und oftmals gegen nicht unerhebliche Widerstände realisiert. Daß dies freiwillig und ehrenamtlich erfolgte, sei nur am Rande vermerkt. Darum wurde er 1993 einstimmig zum "Honorary Consellor" der FIPLV ernannt und steht bis heute dem Vorstand und den Gremien des Weltverbands mit Rat und Sachverstand zur Verfügung. Kein anderer hat der FIPLV als Präsident länger vorgestanden als Edward M. Batley, und niemand außer ihm hätte es vermutlich vermocht, den Weltverband in turbulenten Zeiten ideologischer Gegensätze - auch unter Fremdsprachenlehrern - in eine erfolgversprechende Zukunft zu führen. Hätte es den Titel eines Ehrenmitglieds noch nicht gegeben - für Ted hätte er erfunden werden müssen. Er hat ihn wohl verdient! Reinhold Freudenstein, Marburg (Deutschland) Prof. Dr. Reinhold Freudenstein: Honorary Counsellor of the FIPLV I believe that Reinhold Freudenstein holds the record for being the longest serving officer of the Federation. He was an exceptionally dynamic Secretary General and teasingly confessed how he preferred the Presidents under whom he served to leave everything to him. In that capacity he served for two terms, first under President Paul Hartig (Fachverband Moderne Fremdsprachen, Germany), 1971-73, and then under President Gerard Hardin (Association des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes, France), 1974-76. During this period, relations with North American language associations in particular were strengthened, specifically with TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) and ACTFL (American Council for Teaching Foreign Languages), while FIPLV Contact, a bulletin on foreign languages, was developed under different editors. Some thought at the time that the several duties undertaken by the Secretary General were made all the easier for his simultaneously holding the office of Director of the Informationszentrum für Fremdsprachenforschung at the Philipps University of Marburg. Admittedly there were overlaps of interest which worked to mutual benefit, but the sheer volume of work undertaken by Reinhold Freudenstein at that time should not be underestimated. He could process work at an extra-ordinary rate (and still does) and found tasks little more than a challenge, which others found daunting. In short, he relished working for the Federation. Proof of this was his willingness to accept the more specialised and less directorial office of FIPLV Editor after six years as Secretary General. He continued in this post for many years, first under President Josef Hendrich (Kruch Modernich Philologu, CSSR), 1977-79, then under my own Presidency (Modern Language Association, United Kingdom), 1980-1992, and finally under President Candelier (Association des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes, France), 1993-1997. Among the growing number of FIPLV publications which he edited and published during that period, to name but two instances of many, were the English and German editions of Teaching Foreign Languages to the Very Young (1979), a collection of papers given at an FIPLV symposium in Switzerland, which he was always delighted to recall, and a revision of FIPLV Contact, which was restyled to become FIPLV World News. Reinhold Freudenstein was delighted to see the editorship of FIPLV World News pass into the hands of its current editor, Teresa Siek-Piskozub (Modern Language Association of Poland) upon his retirement from office. Reinhold Freudenstein's work for the Federation, for Praxis des neusprachlichen Unterrichts and for the Council of Europe, his research in the theory of modern language learning, the role of language laboratories (in the early days), communicative language teaching and English as a foreign language, made him known and respected world-wide. He was by far the most widely travelled among a group of already well-travelled FIPLV officers and was proud to have worked on every one of the world's continents. FIPLV's current President, Denis Cunnigham (Australian Federation of Modern Language Associations) is the only FIPLV Officer I know who might beat his record, and I suspect he has already done so. Reinhold Freudenstein was a staunch advocate of extending the universal role of the Federation beyond the European base of its origins in Paris in 1931. One of my indelible memories is of the underbelly of a sheep he sheered on an Australian farm not far from the FIPLV World Congress held in Canberra in 1988. I was never able to work out the significance of why Reinhold's hair seemed to match the shorn fleece, but in retrospect it probably symbolized his odyssey for Federation. That odyssey included close cooperation with Unesco, an organisation which truly reflected Reinhold's world-wide interests and also subsidized FIPLV projects and FIPLV World News for several years, and with Eurocentres, which provided the Federation with its Head Office in Zurich, Switzerland, and over the years supported a significant number of FIPLV symposia and publications. Communicative in terms of his preferred methodology, Reinhold was also communicative by nature. He made many lasting friends among his professional colleagues, but the strength of his convictions also antagonised them from time to time. He did not willingly concede ground in these circumstances but, when pushed to extreme, he had the tolerance and benevolence to live with the difference without sacrificing his own standards and beliefs. He and I had a number of heated, off-the-record arguments - in both languages - but they actually strengthened and deepened our friendship. In other ways too Reinhold Freudenstein provides a role model for FIPLV and its Officers. Sensitive to the embarrassment of others and - I believe - fundamentally a romantic, he once walked alone down the long centre aisle of a huge conference hall in Dresden - I believe it was on the occasion of the IDV conference there in 1997 - to walk on to the stage and present a rose to a soprano whose singing he had appreciated but who had otherwise gone unheard and unheeded by her intended audience, her solitary voice virtually drowned out by the clatter of crockery and conversation round the tables of the auditorium. Reinhold knew instinctively how to build bridges. One of the Federation's strengths is its capacity to cater for the professional interests of the wide variety of foreign language teachers who are members of the FIPLV unilingual and multilingual member associations, whatever their status, the source of their interest or the educational sector in which they work. Reinhold Freudenstein had the personal ability and the professional know-how to speak persuasively to all, whatever their station or office: politicians, governmental officers, international agencies, language teachers in all sectors of education and in all countries. He once gave me a piece of advice which, on that particular occasion, I had not fully appreciated, but the importance of which I soon came to value: 'Ted, you must always remember that people usually work for FIPLV out of friendship rather than for any other reason'. I learned a lot from working with Reinhold Freudenstein over several years. His contributions to the Federation were on occasions of immeasurable importance. I am delighted to observe how his principle of critical but lasting friendship continues to hold true and bear fruit, as it did during his many years of office in the Federation. Edward M Batley Bengt Henningson: Conseiller Honoraire de la FIPLV I have been asked by the Editor to write a few words about Bengt Henningsson in view of his nomination as Honorary Counsellor of the FIPLV. Bengt has been Treasurer of the Modern Language Teachers' Association of Sweden (LMS) for many, many years, ever since 1972, and he has devoted a tremendous amount of time to this office. One can say that Bengt is Mr. LMS because there is nothing worth knowing about the association that Bengt does not know. Part of this time I had the pleasure of working together with him on the executive board of LMS in my capacity of Secretary General of our association. It was a very interesting time, for Bengt's experience of the Swedish association and the work of a language teacher in Sweden is enormous. But it is not the only reason why I can look back on these years with pleasure. For, as an individual, Bengt is a pleasant, enjoyable and sociable person. During meetings and conferences he was a strict, logic thinking, very careful officer who checked every subject in a scrupulous and factual manner. One might think that such a person would be a bore. Nothing could be more wrong, in his leisure time Bengt is a witty, humorous person, an inveterate teller of jokes. Noteworthy is his curiosity for all languages and cultures. He taught English and German in school, he speaks good French and at the age of sixty learnt Portuguese which was of great use to him when he attended the FIPLV World Congress in Brazil in 1997 where he acted for the last time as a member of the FIPLV World Council. Furthermore, he has always striven to know a handful of words of the mother tongues of his pupils at school - there could be more than ten different nationalities represented in his classroom - something that made him especially accepted by pupils from abroad. I also saw him several times in foreign countries buying small phrase-books from which he learnt some phrases of yet another language. One might think the job as a teacher and as treasurer of the Swedish association would have filled up all his time. On the contrary, Bengt had enough spare time to take over duties - such as auditor - and offices in the FIPLV. He was Vice President of the Federation from 1978 to 1980, Treasurer General from 1984 to 1994 and Member of the World Council from 1995 to 1997. Since the 1970s he has represented LMS at the FIPLV General Assemblies. He was deeply devoted to the FIPLV and the cause of international understanding, always raising himself above a narrow national horizon. But it would be unfair not to pay acknowledgement to the support given to Bengt by his wife and his family. Without their tolerance towards Bengt's commitment to the work both in the national and the international associations he would hardly been able to fulfil all his duties. Therefore, the congratulations from his many national and international friends for his appointment as Honorary Counsellor should also be addressed to his wife Wendy and his two sons Claus Ohrt |
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Les Associations et l'Europe en devenir - Associations and Emerging Europe Die Rolle und die Bedeutung der Verbände (Vereine, Vereinigungen) im künftigen Europa. Als Vertreter unseres Verbandes habe ich am 19. Februar an einer ganztägigen Konferenz in Brüssel teilgenommen: (Das Programm war zweisprachig, die Tagung mehrsprachig in allen Amtssprachen der europäischen Gemeinschaft.) Rund vierhundert Vertreter/innen waren der Einladung der Präsidentin des Europaparlamentes gefolgt. Unterschiedlichste Verbände waren anwesend: Sportvereine, Frauen an Universitäten, Zimmerleute - diese drei Beispiele mögen die Bandbreite andeuten. Das interessante und informative Vortragsprogramm von Spezialisten aus mehreren Ländern, von Mitarbeitern der europäischen Behörden ließ leider kaum Raum für eine Beteiligung der Repräsentanten, so daß deren - unsere - Erfahrungen nicht eingebracht werden konnten. Als Fremdsprachenverband verfügen wir national und international über konkrete Erkenntnisse bei der Beratung öffentlicher, politischer Gremien, denn dieses Ziel wurde immer wieder herausgestellt: den Erfahrungsaustausch mit den Fachleuten vor politischen und für politische Entscheidungen zu nutzen, und zwar auf allen Ebenen (lokal, regional, national, europäisch). Eine gesetzliche Grundlage ist auf europäischer Ebene leider bisher noch nicht von den Regierungen akzeptiert worden, wohl aber von den europäischen Parlamentariern schon lange gefordert. Aus der Einladung zitiere ich den englischen Text: The Peoples' Europe cannot happen without the active participation of the civil society itself. Whatever the legal translation inherited from the national context, throughout Europe the associations are the relays and partners of the public authorities for anticipating or accompanying the process of modernising societies. The centenary celebration of the French law guaranteeing freedom of association as one of the fundamental constituents of the Republic is the opportunity for putting national developments into perspective with the results of the comparative research that are now available at the European level. It is in this spirit that Nicole Fontaine, ..., and Jean-Michel Belorgey, Chair of the Interministerial Mission (France) are inviting the associative European platforms plus their entire networks to meet at the European Parliament for an in-depth exchange on the diversity of associative development and on the future perspectives of reaffirmed partnership. This encounter will enable: · Enhanced knowledge of the civic and political benefits of associative dynanism; · Contemplation of the concept of association through the terminology employed from one Member State of the European Union to another, but also in candidate countries; · Promotion of the most fruitful associative practises in order to reinforce the social link at the various levels of territorial politics (local, regional and national). Dieter Herold Trésorier Général de la FIPLV Personal address of the new Secretary General Prof. Dr. Eynar Leupold (Germany) It is a real pleasure for me, to work as Secretary General of FIPLV and I would like to acknowledge the confidence expressed to my person by the President, M. Denis Cunningham, the members of the Executive Committee and all those approving my nomination for this honourable and ambitious task. There are some of you who know me quite well, and there are other persons I would be delighted to meet and to come into contact with in the near future. Just for a better understanding, let me sum up some facts belonging to my autobiography. I was born at the seaside in the Northern part of Germany in 1947. I started my university studies in German and Romance languages and literatures in 1969. After my studies, always guided by a high interest for applied linguistics and didactics, I prepared my thesis at the University in Saarbrücken. Then I returned to the Northern part of Germany, where I became successively teacher at a Grammar School, teacher trainer and adviser of the Ministry of Education in the Schleswig-Holstein for French as a foreign language. And it is this priority for French which is responsible for my handicap in English. But as golf-players prove, there is always a way to reduce a handica. In 1993, I was nominated as the head of the Language Department of the Graduate School of Management of Troyes in France. I decided to finish my job as Vice-Director in France in 1998, because I was nominated University Professor for Didactics of Roman languages in the ancient and very famous University of Halle, Händel's town, situated near Leipzig in the Eastern part of Germany. My interests of research, documented by about 50 publications and my being co-editor of a didactic review in Germany, cover the whole range of didactics of modern languages and especially the pedagogical aspects involved in teaching and learning. I became involved in FIPLV for the first time in 1980 in Sintra in Portugal, where I had the chance to participate for the German association and to replace the former president of German's FMF, Frank Zapp. I remember very well this meeting in October not only because of the fine weather - a real "Indian Summer" - but also because of the spirit of leadership in the work done, mainly influenced by our wonderful Portuguese colleagues, Maria-Manuel Ricardo and Maria-Arminda Breganza, and widely shared by all the delegates working under the auspices of President Ted Batley. What about this spirit which impressed me so much? I am not very keen on cooking, but I like cocktails. And the ingredients of this FIPLV cocktail were the following: a very serious concern of everybody in language policy, an impressive degree of scientific competence in the field of language teaching and learning, a high interest in shared substantial decisions far away from any national aspects. And last but not least an atmosphere of mutual respect, politeness, confidence and friendship. Starting my career within FIPLV in Sintra, I have worked within the Western Europe Region in different functions from 1992 and, beyond all the problems, we have had and we have in our work, I want to say that the noble ingredients of the FIPLV cocktail have always been present. My decision to work as a member in the Executive Committee was immediate, because I appreciate the competence, the personal engagement and the high responsibility of those managing the Federation. I would like to express my gratitude to the President for the warm welcome within the World Council. I will keep in mind this moment and come back to it if I need an encouragement for the ambitious task as the Secretary of our Federation. I will give my best to strengthen the profile of FIPLV and to promote the ideas and principles leading the work of the Federation. Let's do a good and successful job together! Eynar Leupold
To Russia in Friendship April - May 2001
Russia has been prominent on the agenda in recent months with
invitations to visit Moscow from Prof. Irina Khaleeva, Rector of the
Moscow State Linguistic University, and Prof. Svetlana Ter-Minasova, Dean
of the Faculty of Foreign 2 Meetings in Moscow (Russia) in April Invited by the Rector of the Moscow State Linguistic University (MSLU),
Prof. Irina Khaleeva, the stay was impeccably organised and the
hospitality quite stunning. 2.1 Meeting with Personnel of Moscow State Linguistic University
(MSLU) 2.2 Meeting with CIS Representatives A return to MSLU the next morning, saw a rich, impressive meeting of MSLU personnel, delegates of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the RALMLT, LATEUM and MAPRYAL and delegates of tertiary institutions of the CIS, from as far afield as the Caucasus and Siberia. Reports were interspersed with discussion of issues in an atmosphere of collegiality and collaboration.
A more personal meeting followed. Upon visiting the State Duma, I was honoured to meet the Deputy Chairman, Dr Arthur Chilingarov and discuss issues ranging from the CIS language policy and attention to regional languages, the Victorian School of Languages as a potential model to address language needs of students in the CIS, to the FIPLV promotion of Russian internationally. 2.4 Informal Meetings
As one could expect, the socio-cultural activities in Moscow matched the quality of the meetings. From the visit to Poktonnaya Hill to appreciate the city of Moscow, to the walk around the Red Square, GUM and Arbat Street to the performance of "La Bohème" at the Bolshoi Theatre, the few days in Moscow were complete, admirably so, with Alexander Dolotov (almost) always at my side. Then there were the lunches and dinners, where he "took me under his wing", training me in Muscovite traditions.
Upon the kind invitation of Prof Svetlana Ter-Minasova, Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the Moscow State University, I arrived a day early with the specific purpose of catching up with other RALMLT and MAPRYAL colleagues. Telephone problems and miscommunication, however, prevented this. I did, nevertheless, participate in a tour of Moscow the following evening, meeting Indra Odina of LATE (Latvia).
This exciting conference, organised by Prof Svetlana Ter-Minasova, attracted some 500 participants to enjoy and benefit from 214 presenters of plenaries, workshops, panels and other sessions. Following the official opening and student dances, the conference boasted the richest array of plenary speakers I have had the good fortune to experience on the one day. The opening plenary starred David Crystal on "Global Understanding for Global English", Svetlana Ter-Minasova on "Global English : a Global Problem" and Tej Bhatia (of Syracuse University, USA) on "English in Global Advertising". The afternoon plenary continued with Rebecca Oxford on "Teaching and Using Global English in the New Millennium", Elena Lenskaya on "Language Teaching Policies in Changing Russia", while I presented a token plenary on behalf of languages other than English, "Globalisation, Languages and Technologies : an Agenda for Action". Catherine Walter of IATEFL also presented a session on "The Second Language Reading Threshold and Working Memory". Panel discussion proliferated the balance of the program, also
punctuated by further excellent plenary sessions by Martin Parrott on
"What Grammar Should The wealth of the program speaks for itself, ensuring that this extremely well-organised international conference was a resounding success. Another contributing factor was the ready presence and charming willingness of guides/interpreters, tertiary students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the Moscow State University. I was allocated Irena Varyushina and her friend Lena Sukhina. We were soon joined by Irena's twin sister, Lena, whose task of looking after David Crystal was short-lived, as he disappeared on the first day to attend other conferences in Vienna and Bratislava. 6 NATE Annual Meeting I also had the pleasure of attending the NATE Annual Meeting and, impressed by its informality and friendly nature, was delighted to note that a major topic for discussion was NATE membership of FIPLV.
The highlight of the socio-cultural program was the Conference Dinner where the replete repast and number of toasts was exceeded only by the number of those who attended. Other events included a Students' English Theatre and cocktail party.
Annual Conference in Bloemfonten and Visits in South Africa 1.Background 2.Introduction 3 SAALT 2001 While I provided the keynote address on 'Languages, Teaching and Technology: Challenges and Solutions for the 21st Century', participants also benefited considerably from further keynote addresses by Dr Fredricka Stoller and Prof William Grabe - former Editor of the American Review of Applied Linguistics - both from the Northern Arizona University. Other presenters were local, providing a range of perspectives related to the teaching of French, German, and especially English, Afrikaans and the nine other official languages of South Africa. These presentations covered a diversity of topics embracing: distance learning through web-based or interactive satellite television delivery; CD-ROMs and 'new age' technologies; cultural identity and attitudes; problem-solving curriculum and problem-based learning assessment; language use and teaching of disadvantaged learners; writing and reading; Englishes and ESL learning, among other topics. 4. Socio-cultural Activities The Conference and stay in Bloemfontein were memorable, characterised by charming hospitality, friendship, and collaboration. Again, Willfred and his team are to be congratulated for a superbly organised Conference which encompassed fascinating socio-cultural events. 5. Visits to Johannesburg and Environs (July 7-12) 5.1 Official encounters and visits in Johannesburg (July 7-12) 6. Visit to the Kruger National Park (July 9-11) 7. The Return (July 12-13) Denis Cunningham |
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2001 29 Nov. - 1 December 5th IAWE Conference. Theme: The globalisation of Englishes: partners or adversaries? Venue: potchefstoom University, South Africa. Information: Bertus van Rooy nffajvr@puknet.puk.ac.za and Daan Wissing nffdpw@puknet.puk.ac.za 30 Nov. - 1 December TESOL Italy 26th National Convention. Venue: Auditorium Del Massimo, Congress Center, Rome. Tel: 06 54396359/360/361, Fax: 06 5925650 2002 1 - 3 February IATEFL's Joint TD and TT SIG event. Venue: ESADE Barcelona, Spain. Information: IATEFL Headoffice, 3 Kingsdown Chambers, Whitestable, CT5 2FL, UK. Fax: +44 1227 274415. Email: iatefl@compuserve.com 21- 24 March FMF Kongress. Thema: Mehr Sprachen - mehr Europa. Venue: Martin Luter Universität, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. Information: StD Dr. Hans-Ludwig Krechel, Auf der Berghecke 14, 53639 Königswinter. Tel.: 0 22 44 / 87 19 61, Email: H.L.Krechel@t-online.de 23-27 March 36th IATEFL International Conference. Venue: University of York, York, UK. Information: IATEFL Headoffice, 3 Kingsdown Chambers, Whitestable, CT5 2FL, UK. Fax: +44 1227 274415. Email: iatefl@compuserve.com 9-13 April 36th TESOL. Theme: Language and the Human Spirit. Venue: Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. 16-20 April LINGUAPAX's World Congress on Language Policies. Venue: Barcelona, Spain. 10-11 May 7th IATEFL Chile Conference. Venue: Santiago, Chile. Information: Paula Jullian pjullian@puc.cl 16-21 December 13th World Congress of Applied Linguistics. Venue: Singapore. Information: Anne Pakir, E-mail: aschead@nus.edu.sg 2003 21st FIPLV World Congress. Venue: South Africa, further information not yet available |
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Influence of Features of Language on Language Teaching by Francisco Gomes de Matos 1. Introduction: from features of language to the influence of linguistics A look at introductory Linguistics books and at specialized dictionaries published since the 50s, shows that language - the key concept-term in that science - has been variously described or characterized, thus reflecting the different theoretical and/or applicational, subjective views of the definers. Cf. Hockett (1958), Bolinger and Sears (1981), Harris & Hodges (1995), Crystal (1999), Trask (1999), Brown and Attardo (2000), to mention some sources in English. If, as Johnson and Johnson (1998: 198) cogently state, " In the twentieth century, it is the influence of linguistics which has been pre-eminent", one of the ways of documenting such influential role in Language Teaching would be examining what views of the nature of language have been prioritized by teachers, teacher-educators, and materials designers all over world, a formidable task which perhaps FIPLV could take on, with the assistance of its expanding network. Something of a very much smaller range was done by Gomes de Matos (1976), in a doctoral dissertation on the influence of principles of linguistics on teachers´ manuals published in 17 countries. Having written on that problematique for 30 years, I feel the time may be ripe for a checklist to be shared with colleagues, so that every reader of the Newsletter compile his/her own enumeration of the salient features (the late U.S. anthropological linguist Hocket used "design features" in his now "classic" 1958 work; interestingly, Brown and Attardo adopted the same label, 42 years later; Bolinger and Sears (1981) opt for "traits of language" ). 2. Features of language : a personal choice If you were asked to produce a listing of the most salient features/ traits of language, especially those which you feel have been most influential in language teaching in general and in your own personal teaching of languages, what would you include and why? The following enumeration reflects my own interpretation of what to me would seem to be the most influential features of language - which can also be taken as principles of language and/or of linguistics - in their interaction with language education. The sequence is not hierarchically motivated, since all of the features are taken as of equal importance for a holistic view of language. Note that some variant wordings are given. In formulating each statement, you are to make explicit whether language is /can be / could be ... Language is : - Structured / systematic / hierarchic / a structure / a system / a faculty / a cognitive system /cognitive arbitrary / conventional system; - spoken / written / signed / a multirepresentational system ; - social / a socialization system / cultural / a cultural system / an intercultural system ; - acquired / an acquired system; - learned / a learned system; - integrated / holistic / a holistic system; - variable / a variable system ; - user-centered / a user-centered system; - interactive/ interactional ; - humanizing/ a system for humanizing users; - translatable/interpretable; - contextual/context-based ; - universal/ universally available . What other features would you add ? Why ? How comprehensively has language been perceived and applied in the field of Language Education ? Herein lies a challenge to Teacher-Education in the next century. The humanizing feature - the outcome of insights derived from traditions in human linguistic rights, Peace Linguistics , etc. - is still in its applicational infancy. For a suggestive, recent example of how the "humanizing" perspective is expressed as "thoughtful" (socially responsible) language use", see Kern ( 2000), a literacy-centered approach to language teaching, written by an up-and-coming language teacher / applied linguist. What can we, as language educators, tell linguists about our own activity that will help them perceive and probe language more deeply ? May the influence be reciprocally seen, felt and practiced, so that linguists and language educators work cooperatively, for the communicative well-being of humankind. References Bolinger, D. & D. A. Sears (1981) Aspects of Language. 3rd. Ed. New York: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich. Brown, S. & S. Attardo (2000) An Introduction to Applied Linguistics and Sociolinguistics for Nonspecialists. Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan Press Crystal, D. (1999) Penguin Dictionary of Language. 2nd ed. London, Penguin Gomes de Matos, F. (1976) Lingüística Aplicada ao Ensino de Ingles. Sao Paulo, Brazil: Mc-Graw-Hill Harris Hocket,C.F. (1958) A Course in Modern Linguistics. New York, Macmillan Johnson, K. & H. Johnson (1998) Encyclopedic Dictionary of Applied Linguistics. A Handbook for Language Teaching. Oxford, Blackwell Publishers Kern, R.(2000) Literacy and Language Teaching. Oxford University Press. Theodore L. & R. H. Hodges (eds.) (1995) The Literacy Dictionary. The Vocabulary of Reading and Writing. Newark, Delaware: International Reading Association Trask, R. L. (1999) Key Concepts in Language and Linguistics. London, Routledge Editor's Note: Francisco Gomes de Matos is a professor in Department of Letters, CAC, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recifé, Brazil.fcgm@cashnet.com.br |
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FMF Mehr Sprache - mehr Europa Halle/Saale 21. - 24. März 2002 Herzlich willkommen zum FMF Kongress 2002 in der Martin-Luther-Universität, Halle-Wittenberg. Die thematischen Schwerpunkte: · Didaktik und Methodik der slavischen Sprachen · Fremdsprachenpolitik: Neue herausforderungen - Schule und Wirtschaft · Frühbeginnender Fremdsprachenunterricht und Übergang in die Sekundarstufe · Neue Vermittlungskonzepte des Fremdsprachenlernens in den Sekundarstufen I und II · Bilingualer Unterricht · Aus- und Fortbildung von Fremdsprachenlehrern · Erwachsenenbildung: Lebens - und berufsbegleitendes Fremdsprachenlernen · Fremdsprachen in der beruflichen Bildung · Spezifika des Lehrens und Lernens in den zweiten, dritten und weiteren Sprachen. Die Veranstaltungen des Kongresses sind für all in Deutschland eingeführten Unterrichtsprachen offen. Schwerpunktsprachen 2002 · Slavische Sprachen Partnerland · Russland Information beim Büro des FMF Prof. Dr. U. Bliesener Von-Graevemeyer-Weg 33, 30539 Hannover Fax: + 051/952 37 56; Email: U.BLIE@t-online.de ; http://www.fmf-deutschland.de/
NGO Forum 2001 Göteborg May 18 - 19 The NGO Forum 2001 was held in Folkets Hus, Göteborg and attracted more than 250 participants from countries all over the world. The opening ceremony was conducted by Elisabeth Rehn, former Minister of Defence in Finland, now the UN Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights in former Yugoslavia, and the closing ceremony by Lena Hjelm-Wallén Deputy Prime Minister, Sweden. In connection with the Forum a Citizens' Expo with an exhibition and Speakers' corner were arranged. Seminar 1: NGOs as a Policy Forming Force This seminar tried to give a broad picture of the work of NGOs from different parts of the world and with different aims. There were six speakers representing CIVICUS -the global NGO umbrella, the Red Cross, the European Network for Smoking Prevention, the European House, and the Göteborg Church City Mission. The seminar focused on the question of fund-raising and sponsoring both from the private and the public sector. There was also discussion on how to go on with a project when there is no more funding. This is a problem especially in Europe where EU often gives out money for a three-year period. Seminar 2: NGOs and Democracy: about Popular Education and Lifelong Learning The seminar had two speakers, one of them, Jarl Bengtsson, OECD Paris, was about to miss a plane and therefore spoke briefly for 5 minutes and then rushed off. The rest of the time was then given to Bengt Göransson, former Minister of Education in Sweden. His speech was more of a personal reflection on the concept of learning than on the topics that were announced: popular education and its connection with the interest and activity of democracy among the citizens, and the value of citizenship and its role in a world where media, new techniques and global conditions strongly influence the development. The seminar was also supposed to give a survey of the adult education field in Europe and the need for life long learning in a variable labour market. On the other hand, Mr Göransson was the only speaker I heard who mentioned foreign language learning. He referred to his own knowledge of languages when he said that even though he was rather good at English he could rarely express exactly what he wanted to say, "I often come close to what I like to say when I speak English". But he never came back to this in reference to popular education or lifelong learning. Seminar 3: NGOs and the Citizen's Safety The aim of this seminar was to focus on the importance of NGOs for the Citizen's safety. The chair of the seminar was Maj-Britt Theorin, Swedish member of the European parliament. Three main areas were covered in the seminar: · Violence against women. · Safety among children and young people. · Drugs. This was very much a seminar for NGOs dedicated to these specific questions and no role or room was given to representatives for other NGOs. Seminar 6: Migration and Integration, Efforts through NGOs "The correlation between migration and integration" The seminar gave a lot of facts and samples from the Balkan region, the southern and northern parts of Europe. It discussed possibilities and obstacles for a permanent peace, refugee aid, citizenship rights and European refugee policy. This was a very interesting seminar for me personally even though it gave nothing for the benefit of FIPLV. At the end of the day, a declaration was adopted, which I include in my report. Conclusion The NGO Forum was an opportunity to meet people from NGOs I didn't even know existed. Some of the seminars were interesting for me personally, but I feel that many of our priorities lie elsewhere. Ulricehamn July 2001 Jörgen Tholin Final declaration adopted by the NGO Forum 2001 and the Swedish Preparatory Committee. Millions of Europeans are involved in civil society organizations crucial to the construction of a democratic and responsible European Union. The Non-Governmental Organizations constitute a vital link between the citizens and the European institutions. They enrich the European political debate and improve the foundation for European legislation and action by giving voice to ideas and experiences among the citizens of Europe. More than 270 delegates representing NGOs in 29 countries participated in the NGO Forum 2001, A Citizens´ Assembly, offering representatives from European popular movements to meet with European top-level politicians, decision makers from different spheres of civil society and, most important, to meet with each other, discuss issues of common interest and arrive at common positions. The common positions of the conference can be summarized as follows. NGOs are important: - as complements to official public institutions on national as well as EU level, - for the promotion of broad public participation in the democratic process, - for the safeguarding of peace and a sustainable development, - for the effective enforcement of Human Rights , - for the promotion of lifelong learning , - for the promotion of equal opportunities for the disabled , - for the improvement of support to the unemployed and the underprivileged . NGOs are, furthermore, vital actors in processes of integration and co-operation in Europe. During the lively seminars the following was emphasized: The citizens are the foundation of democracy. They also constitute the body for the NGOs. In a participatory democracy the NGOs serve the important function as intermediaries between citizens and governments. Within the EU this is of special importance. We must share our local experiences in a more effective way. One recommendation was that we shall "think locally but act globally". We must make better use of local NGOs and networks for the improvement of living and working conditions in countries where democracy is still weak. In a democratic society education is of utmost importance. Citizens with a good educational background are good guardians of democracy. NGOs contribute in a substantial degree to the broadening of the citizens´ opportunities to acquire new knowledge through lifelong learning. The NGOs have played and will continue to play a fundamental role in the enforcement of Human Rights and for the protection of minorities. Human and social rights have for long been high on the agenda for many European NGOs and have lately been brought back to focus by the EU enlargement process. The NGOs will work for the prevention of a divided Europe based on new differences in the citizens´ human and social rights. In war-ravaged societies NGOs have proven their usefulness for people who have lost faith in traditional authorities and are trying to reorganize their everyday life. The NGOs bring together people with varying backgrounds, but with a common goal, to assist each other in the process of reconciliation. The NGOs teach the citizens about their rights, how to re-establish trust among and between people after a conflict, and how to prevent future conflicts. This important work must continue. Gender equality will continue to be a priority issue for many NGOs. They channel the voices of women from different walks of life. They serve as promoters of more women in leading positions in society. This is a vital task as in many countries there is found extensive and continuous violence against women and trafficking in women, and there is an urgent need for more effective legislation against this. However there is also a need for a broader understanding amongst men regarding a changed view of the relations between men and women. To move from a situation where we find extensive violence against women to one with gender equality might seem a long way to travel, but, as was argued during the seminar, gender equality is not just a political nicety. It is a necessity. Disabled people all over Europe have found that working through NGOs is a quite effective way of channelling their interests to the decision makers. There still, however, exists an urgent need for a change in the general attitude towards the disabled and for non-discriminatory legislation as well as the securing of equal opportunities for all citizens with any form of disability. NGOs have during the last decades been able to put many important issues on the political agenda. This includes the necessity to find new ways of communication between people representing different cultures and ages. NGOs have for many years demonstrated their willingness and ability to participate in the fight against racism, xenophobia and for the protection of minorities regardless of religion or ethnic background. They have also been instrumental in pushing for a more humanistic view on refugees and asylum-seekers. NGOs have proved very effective in mobilising public support against drug abuse and drug traffic and in increasing the pressure on the political decision makers to bring about changes in the legislation and to allocate additional resources for preventive measures, especially among the young. This is one among many aspects of increasing the safety for children and young people. The NGOs have a prominent place in this work. The Role of NGOs Voluntary organizations play a growing role in the forming of a modern democratic Europe. They provide people with a structure, which facilitates the development of their ideas as well as their practical work with many of today's most important social, economic, political and cultural questions. They can change people's perceptions and make them more open-minded. The rapidly growing NGO-networks thereby constitute one of the most vitalizing factors in Europe of today. In order to be able to continue playing this role in full they must be guaranteed open and wide-ranging relations with the European political decision making institutions. This must be publicly recognized and receive the full support of the institutions of the representative democracy. Future NGO involvement in European integration We welcome a creative and open dialogue with the European institutions and we confirm our readiness to extend and deepen our present co-operation. We have the capacity, knowledge and experience to be actively involved in the implementation of activities promoting a European Civil Society, which is beneficial for its citizens. Extended financial support is, however, needed to give us the opportunities to plan our work more on a long-term basis and provide us with better means to make us heard in the European political debate. We are important actors in the democratic society, as bridge-builders between the people themselves as well as between people and the decision-makers, and we have an ambition to enhance this role in the future. Adopted by the conference, NGO Forum 2001, Göteborg May 19 2001 Bengt Mollstedt Lotta Lidén Rutger Lindahl President, NGO Forum 2001 Secretary General, NGO Forum 2001 Rapporteur
NZALT National Biennial Conference Napier, New Zealand - 30 June to 03 July 2002 New Zealand is announcing their biennial conference which is planned for the year 2002. The theme of the conference is A Time to Reflect. Please register your interest in presenting a paper by contacting the organisers for more information. Abstracts should be sent by post or fax no later than 15 December 2001. Organiser: Lesley Parris, 135 Henderson Rd, RD5, HASTINGS, NZ Tel: +64 6 879 7550 Fax: +64 6 8797460 email: alparris@xtra.co.nz
SUKOL Campaigning for Languages in 2000 and 2001 EUROPEAN YEAR OF LANGUAGES 2001 By now, in the autumn of 2001, many language teachers all over Europe have certainly been involved in one or more activities of the European Year of Languages 2001. And there is more to come. Campaigning for languages in 2000 When we learned at SUKOL, Finland that 2001 would be celebrated as the European Year of Languages, we found this a great opportunity to start campaigning to promote the studies of foreign languages already during the year 2000. Here is a list of what we did at SUKOL during 2000: - a competition with the theme 'I Out in the World' was arranged to pupils - over 60 000 stickers were sent to schools all over Finland for free with the theme 'Invest in Languages' - a new Language Info Package was produced for schools, especially handy on the occasions where parents try to decide which foreign language their child should study next - the schools were recommended to arrange a theme week of languages in November - ´The Teacher of the Year' was nominated on November 25, 2000, this time a person teaching in a professional college - 10 travel grants were awarded to members to attend the NBR Nordic Congress in Iceland in June and XXth World Congress of FIPLV in Paris in July; SUKOL arranged group flights from Finland to both conferences and had some 30 teachers to attend both trips. All this campaigning was realized keeping in mind that the following year would be the European Year of Languages; therefore the happenings of the previous year were considered to be of great benefit to the European Year of Languages 2001. European Year of Languages 2001 The European Year of Languages 2001 has, of course, been even busier. The Grand Opening of the year took place in Lund, Sweden on February 18-20, 2001. In Finland the European Year of Languages was officially opened ten days later, on February 28, and the festivities were hosted by the Ministry of Education and the National Board of Education. SUKOL celebrated the Opening of the European Year of Languages while arranging a Seminar for foreign language teachers in Seinäjoki on April 20-21, 2001. Lots of activities are taking place this year all over Finland. We are especially proud of the fact that Finland is one of the very few countries that has published a stamp to celebrate the European Year of Languages in spring 2001. SUKOL is involved in following coming events: - The celebration of the European Day of Languages on 26th of September 2001, with activities all over Finland. The major event of the European Language Day is the BALLOON LAUNCH organized by the European Commission in 18 European cities. In Finland, the Balloon Launch takes place right in the center of Helsinki. A very well-known Finnish entertainer is going to be the speaker of this event and SUKOL is arranging a march of school children via the city centre to the place of the festivities of the Language Day. Furthermore, the teachers who cannot attend the Balloon Launch festivities in Helsinki Center, are encouraged to arrange special programs in their schools to celebrate the European Language Day. - October 6, 2001: SUKOL will arrange a whole-day Seminar to celebrate the European Year of Languages in Finlandia House situated in Helsinki - Two Honorary nominations by SUKOL will take place during the European Year of Languages: A prominent Finnish Foreign Language Teacher will receive the honorary title of the "Language Teacher of the Year" 2. "A Language Deed" will be rewarded with a grant EYL 2001 Projects: SUKOL is involved as coordinator or partner in following EYL 2001 projects receiving funding from the Commission: 1) An Info Booklet has been published for small children and their parents with information about the benefits of studying foreign languages 2) A TV-Commercial is to be broadcast in Finland in September, young people as target group, emphasizing the importance of understanding foreign languages 3) The University of Jyväskylä is distributing a booklet informing parents about Content and Language Intergrated Learning (CLIL) 4) The University of Tampere will arrange an educational seminar with the theme "European Vocationally Oriented Language Learning", E-VOLL. All in all, the European Year of Languages has offered us a great opportunity to promote the studies of foreign languages. Let's hope that our joint efforts in all European countries during this year bear ample fruit in the future! President Terttu Valojärvi SUKOL, Finland |
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Publications received ET Forum The USA Department of State for the teacher of English. Vol. 30 no. 1 & no. 2 2001. ETAI Forum. English Teachers' Association of Israel. Vol. XII No. 2, Summer, 2001. Global Issues in Language Education Newsletter. National Special Interest Group of the Japan Association of Language Teachers (JALT), Issue 42, April 2001 & 43, July 2001. IATEFL Newsletter. No. 161, June-July & No. 162, Augustl-September 2001. IDV Rundbrief Heft 66, April 2001. Les langues modernes. Bulletin de l'Association des professeurs de Langues Vivantes (a.p.l.v.), nu. 1 janvier-février-mars, 2001 & 2 avril-mai-juin, 2001. Le polyglotte. Supplément au bulletin de l'Association des professeurs de Langues Vivantes de l'Enseignement public. nu. 45 mai, 2001 Lingua. Boletín del Centro de Información y Documentación sobre Traducción y Terminología en Lengua Española, Victoria Ocampo, Biblioteca Nacional, No. 07, Mayo - Agosto 2001. LMS Lingua. Riksföreningen fór Lärarna i Moderna Språk. Nr 3, 2001. Neofilolog. Czasopismo Polskiego Towarzystwa Neofilologicznego. No. 20, 2001. Neusprachliche Mitteilungen aus Wissenschaft und Praxis, Herausgegeben vom Fachverband Moderne Fremdsprachen im Pädagogischen Zeitschriftenverlag (FMF), Heft 3, 2001. New Routes. DISAL S.A. Distribuidores Associados de Livros, São Paulo. 14, July, 2001. Polyglot. NZALT Newsletter. No 24: Spring 2001. SAVTO Tydskrif vir Taalonderrig/ SAALT Journal for Language Teaching. Vol. 34/4 December 2000 & Vol. 35/1 March 2001. Tempus, Newsletter of the Federation of Foreign Language Teachers in Finland SUKOL, No. 2, 2001. TESOL Greece. No. 70, April - June 2001. TESOL Matters. Vol. 11 No. 3 June - July - August, No. 4 September -
October - November 2001 |
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The Latest on Language and Languages A news service provided and edited by the Fédération Internationale des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes (FIPLV). FIPLV contact address: PO Box 216, Belgrave, 3160, Australia. FIPLV website address: http://www.fiplv.org/home.shtml FIPLV President: Denis Cunningham. PO Box 216, Belgrave, 3160, Australia. Telephone: Int. Code + 61 39 754 47 14. Fax: Int. Code: +61 39 754 64 19. Email: djc@netspace.net.au FIPLV Vice-President: Tuula Penttilä. Viherlaaksontje 24, SF-02710 Espoo, Finland. Telephone: Int. Code: +358 9 594 507. Fax: Int. Code: + 358 9 5023 460. Email: tuula.penttilä@mankkaaya.fi FIPLV Secretary-General: Eynar Leupold. Herderstr. 10, D-06114 Halle, Germany. Fax: Int. Code: + 49 345 53 22 732. Email: Leupold@romanistik.uni-halle.de FIPLV Editor: Teresa Siek-Piskozub. Editorial Office: School of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, al. Niepodleg·o·ci 4, PL-61-874 Pozna·, Poland. Telephone: Int. Code + 48 61 829 35 21. Fax: Int. Code+ 48 61 829 35 05. Email: piskozub@amu.edu.pl FIPLV Treasurer: Dieter Herold, Kulenkampstrasse 15 H, D-23566 Lübeck, Germany. Telephone: International Code+ 49 451 3 27 91. Fax: International Code + 49 451 3 55 43. Email: DieterHerold@t-online.de Subscription at the price of CHF 45 a year available from Dieter Herold. Advertisements inside the issue - CHF 100 full page, back cover - CHF 150. Orders sent to Dieter Herold. Any item may be quoted, reproduced or translated provided acknowledgement is given to FIPLV WORLD NEWS. Notes for Contributors Contributions, announcements and letters should be sent to the Editor's
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Dear Colleagues and Friends The recent events in the USA have shocked us all and, as many have said, the globe will never be the same again. On behalf of FIPLV, I must write to share with you our concern and sorrow and, equally as important, our condolences and comfort to those who have lost loved ones, friends or colleagues. As partners sharing the same globe, we mourn those who have departed, sympathise with the suffering and enjoy with others the very few happy stories arising from tragedy. We have all lost something as a result of the recent disaster and decry the use of terrorism, irrespective of the target. Such acts must harden our resolve to pursue the objectives of FIPLV and the majority of the globe's people. Teaching languages, which is our profession, has as its ultimate goals the creation of mutual understanding and fostering of peaceful relations. Cooperation, collaboration and friendship in the pursuit of peace must remain our priority. Kind regards Denis Cunningham, President FIPLV |