Supporting Multilingual Classrooms VI.

Title

Grant scheme

The initiative is carried within the framework of the Innovative Methodologies and Assessment in Language Learning cooperation agreement between the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe and the European Commission. (https://www.ecml.at/ec-cooperation)

Partner organizations

European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe (ECML)
National Institute of Education and Youth, Slovak Republic

General objective

To strengthen and further develop participants’ professional competences in the area of supporting multilingual classrooms.

Specific objectives

To promote access to quality education for children of foreign origin and to bridge the gap between them and their peers.
To enhance the quality of teaching and support the development of all learners’ plurilingual competences in multilingual classrooms, building on their linguistic and cultural diversity.
To raise awareness of the development of plurilingual and intercultural competences.
To explore strategies and tools for supporting multilingual classrooms.
To provide a platform for international networking and the exchange of experience.

Summary

Supporting Multilingual Classrooms is a joint initiative of the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe (ECML) and the European Commission, aiming to support the ECML member states in ensuring access to quality education for children of foreign origin. The initiative is implemented through a series of national and regional workshops focusing on inclusive approaches to plurilingual and intercultural education for democratic culture.

In 2026, Supporting Multilingual Classrooms is organised in cooperation with the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) and a relevant partner institution in selected countries: Greece, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and Italy.

In the Slovak Republic, the activity took place on 25 – 26 June 2026 in the form of an interactive workshop combined with group work and discussions, focusing on the education of children of foreign origin and their inclusion in the educational system.

This initiative was implemented as a special international follow-up training module, primarily intended for graduates of one of the Supporting Multilingual Classrooms workshops previously held in the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic.

Main topics of the workshop programme

Valuing plurilingual identities and attitudes – Challenging assumptions towards diversity
Developing teacher competence in drawing on learners’ plurilingualism as a resource in the classroom
Exploring multiple identities and intercultural competence
Supporting teachers to appreciate the benefits of using pluralistic approaches with their learners from a motivational perspective
Assessment issues in multilingual schools – Exploring approaches and tools
Developing teacher competences and confidence in supporting learners with the language of schooling – Scaffolding and differentiation
Developing and presenting (collaborative) projects – Reflecting on dissemination

Workshop programme

Press release (in Slovak) – Praktické a inšpiratívne príklady jazykového vzdelávania – Národný inštitút vzdelávania a mládeže

Selected ECML resources for supporting multilingual classrooms

Workshop Coordinator

Workshop Coordinator:

PhDr. Denisa Ďuranová, Governing Board Member for the Slovak Republic
denisa.duranova@nivam.sk

Workshop Facilitators/ECML Experts:

prof. Terry Lamb, PhD., profesor, University of Westminster, United Kingdom
Chantal Muller, HENALLUX — Haute Ecole de Namur-Liège-Luxembourg, Belgium

Expert and Organizational Team:

PhDr. Janka Píšová, PhD., Mgr. Anna Krnáčová, Mgr. Zuzana Lichá

Supporting Multilingual Classrooms

Initiative carried out within the framework of the Innovative Methodologies and Assessment in Language Learning cooperation agreement between the European Centre for Modern Languages and the European Commission.
www.ecml.at/ec-cooperation