Objectives

Social inclusion: VInDOW aims at assessing and developing new sustainable approaches that reduce disparities in foreign language education by attempting to provide comprehensive teaching/learning resources (thematic modules for virtual learning) for inclusive practices in the field of foreign language education. The project focuses on, but is not limited to, pre- and in-service foreign language teacher education at the tertiary level. It also aims at involving the practical perceptive and experiences of local schools and policy makers, thereby strengthening the local links between various educational organizations in different member states. Because of their virtual nature, the modules can be accessed (and downloaded) by all interested individuals allowing for distance learning.

Supporting individuals in acquiring and developing basic skills and key competences: The project offers opportunities for individuals interested in inclusive foreign language education to acquire and develop key teaching competences that they need in heterogenous learner groups. The project does so in that it delineates sustainable solutions for inclusive foreign language classrooms that cater to the needs of ALL students, but focus on students with special needs who require additional support because of a range of conditions stemming from biological, environmental, and psychosocial causes that affect their cognitive development and educational attainment. Because the outputs of the project are digital, they are suitable for virtual learning.

Tackling skills gaps and mismatches: The project aims at creating flexible modular educational resources for tertiary foreign language teacher education that focus on inclusive principles. The modules are supposed to meet the needs of students and future teachers in a comprehensive way, by providing them with sufficient interdisciplinary theoretical, empirical, policy-related as well as practical/real word application knowledge and skills. The modules are also digitalized and take modern ICT solutions into account, including virtual tertiary learning. In addition, the modules are versatile and applicable in various national contexts. To that end, the modules capitalize on the synthesis of experiences that particular project partners bring to the table and their insights from their educational contexts.