National Projects

International Projects

JOYN 2.0

The Department is a partner in the EU-funded project JOYN2.0.

The project objectives are:
1) "learning to learn languages" by effectively using on-line tools, collaborative learning and autonomous learning opportunities;
2) enhancing the role of media, particularly on-line media and social media, in language learning;
3) strengthening cooperation between social media/networks, commercial providers of on-line learning opportunities and language teaching professionals;
4) Using more fully the potential of (a) on-line learning resources, including those created in EU-financed projects; (b) collaborative learning in social networks; (c) such tools as CEFRL and European Language Portfolio.

The aims of the project are:
1) to initiate several virtual language learning communities in social networks like Facebook, MySpace, or local networks, to support collaborative and autonomous learning of Latvian, Lithuanian, Greek, German, Russian, Finnish, Swedish and English languages;
2) to prepare language teachers for the role of moderators-facilitators of virtual groups of learners;
3) to try out language learning through interaction virtual communities, in addition using on-line tools proposed by moderators, including videos developed by LTV;
4) to introduce CFRL and European Language Portfolio to learners, so that they learn setting learning objectives, organizing their learning in stages, assess their own progress;
5) create situational videos corresponding to levels A1 and A2 of CFRL and ELP;
6) demonstrate to a larger number of teachers and learners the richness of attractive and interactive on-line learning resources, and ways of using them;
7) To generate feedback about effectiveness of these learning approaches through successful learners' stories.

The Department's role in the project is to provide training for language teachers for the role of moderators / advisors in an informal online learning environment. This will be achieved by means of a two-day training event at the University of Hull (November 2011), with online follow-up.

For more information about the project, please see the project website.