To celebrate the European Day of Languages, eleven Irish projects were awarded the European Language Label for innovative ways of teaching and learning languages by Professor Tom Collins, Dean of Teaching and Learning at NUI Maynooth, at an awards ceremony recently.
Dr Muiris Ó Laoire, Chair of the Irish National Jury, commented that, as in previous years, innovation and excellence are clearly recognisable in the eleven projects awarded this year. Award-winning projects like these provide a potential source of inspiration for others working with different languages and in different contexts. Dr Ó Laoire observed, "As we continue to confront economic obstacles, we need more than ever to identify and award the innovators in our field and to learn from those who create flexible responses and encourage initiative."
The Department of German, UCC, received the European Language Label award for its role in establishing innovative connections between the performing arts and foreign language education as well as striking new paths towards performative teaching and learning through the new bilingual (English - German), peer-reviewed online journal SCENARIO (http://scenario.ucc.ie). The journal which appears twice a year (summer/winter) and is based at UCC is edited by Manfred Schewe, Department of German, UCC and Susanne Even, Department of Germanic Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, in close cooperation with Peter Flynn, Electronic Publishing Unit, UCC.
“The journal responds to the needs of language teachers, scholars, theatre professionals and drama- and theatre-in-education specialists for a platform within which they can engage in interdisciplinary and intercultural dialogue”, said Dr Schewe.
The members of the 16 strong Advisory Board represent language teaching institutions in 5 EU countries (plus Canada) and different research disciplines and fields of practice, including English, German and French as a Foreign Language, Education, Literature Studies, Intercultural Studies, Applied Linguistics, Drama and Theatre in Education and Drama and Theatre Studies.
Picture: Founder and co-editor of SCENARIO Dr Manfred Schewe, Head, Department of German, at awards ceremony in NUI Maynooth.
MMcS
