The project region (Vienna, the border region Slovakia-Lower Austria-the Burgenland) is characterised by a variety of languages and cultural diversity. That is why multilingual education and the reciprocal learning of the languages of the neighbouring countries as well as intercultural knowledge is so important. The development of these competences from early childhood opens up for those who have grown up in itthe possibility to fully exploit the socio-economic as well socio-cultural potential of the region. The main goal is to increase the quality of language programmes for multilingual education by the development and piloting of new methodological concepts and materials, which will be linked by common cross-border content.

A common cross-border education programme and in-service training concept will be developed by the partner institutions for ongoing language learning with a particular emphasis on outdoor education. A special focus will be put on the transition phase from Kindergarten to primary school and from primary school to lower secondary school as well as the development of social and communicative competences. This new approach to multilingual language learning in the border region will become a sustainable part of integrated learning in the partner institutions through an ongoing drive to qualify teachers by new forms of in-service training. In addition, the dedicated cross-border activities involving children, young people and teachers will strengthen intercultural exchange. An important factor is an active cooperation with educational authorities, teacher pre- and in-service training institutions and parents. This will ensure the sustainability of the project’s success.

The final outcome of the project will be a complete didactical-methodological programme for on-going multilingual language learning and outdoor education that has been piloted and evaluated and is ready for implementation in the whole of the programme region and further afield. A new digital knowledge platform free of cost and open to everyone has been created where the innovative methods and materials can be accessed and downloaded for immediate implementation.

Project sites:
BIG Wissensplattform
BIG Vernetzungsplattform

Results
Parent brochure
Educational program recommendations for action