Partnership with ECML and RELANG initiative

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As part of international partnerships, we established cooperation with The European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) – centre to promote quality language education in Europe. 

The ECML, an Enlarged Partial Agreement of the Council of Europe, situated at the interface between policy, research, teacher education and practice, is in a unique position to act as a catalyst for reform and to help member states implement quality language education. 

The ECML embraces and actively encourages plurilingualism whenever and wherever possible, both formally and informally. 

The ECML recognises the importance of pedagogical approaches which are differentiated according to learner needs and to specific language contexts (home/first, second, foreign, regional, of migration, in subjects etc.). It values all those working in the field from early years through to adult education and contributes to their professionalisation by providing access to innovative resources and to transformative development opportunities. Through its networks at national and international level and through dialogue and exchange with relevant stakeholders, the ECML is ideally equipped to act as a pioneering institution in the teaching and learning of languages. (source )

Within the ECML the National Pedagogical Institute has recently joined the RELANG initiative.  

What is the initiative about? 

In recent years the Council of Europe‘s Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has become a powerful instrument for shaping language education policies. The growing acceptance and use of the CEFR levels of language proficiency has created a situation in which, all over Europe, public bodies, examination institutes, language schools and university departments seek to relate their foreign language curricula and examinations to the CEFR. 

The RELANG initiative offers training to stakeholders in the Member States of the European Union and the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) in relating language tests and examinations to the CEFR in a valid way and exploring relationships between foreign language curricula and the CEFR. (source) 

In cooperation with ECML we are organizing a training for foreign language teachers at secondary and language schools on 28-30 August 2023. 

Tha aim of the workshops will be:  

  • understand the CEFR model of language use  
  • understand an action-oriented approach supported by the CEFR  
  • get practical guidelines and revise tasks based on assessment materials provided by Czech participants,  
  • develop valid items related to the CEFR to be used in language testing 

Initiative co-funded by the European Centre for Modern Languages and the European Commission. 

Lenka Crouchley & Martina Weigertová