Elders learning English for Europe

"<< Background >>The Council of the European Union is committed to the right of elderly people to a dignified life, to promote their independence and participation in social, economic and civic life, as well as to ensure that older groups remain active as citizens, workers, consumers, caregivers and volunteers. Thus, one of the measures proposed is the participation of the elderly in training and lifelong learning activities. It is clear that the group of elderly people travels more and more to other countries and establishes relationships with people who speak other languages. We applied because Elderly population in partner countries are increasing and need support: Spain (19.2%), Portugal (21.5%), Slovenia (21.4 %), Poland (17.5%) and Turkey (7.8%), (Source Eurostat). This gives us a clear idea of the ageing of the population. It is evident that the group of older people travels increasingly to other countries and establish relationships with people who speak other languages. In addition, for the teaching of languages, a digital training/learning tool was needed to implement blended learning activities. Needs addressed:- Improving the competencies of educators and other adult education staff. - Inclusion and diversity in adult education<< Objectives >>The consortium wanted to achieve the following objectives:- To improve and expand the offer of high-quality learning opportunities adapted to the needs of older people. - To improve their multilingual skills (English language learning) and digital skills.- To expand and develop the skills of trainers and other staff that support older people, especially to motivate them to participate in foreign language learning and effective teaching.- To develop intercultural communication competence to increase tolerance, respect and communication between people of different ages, countries and cultures.- To disseminate intellectual results generated during the execution of the project, allowing an adequate transfer of capacity to different environments and levels.The target group targeted is twofold:- Teachers/staff who support the teaching of foreign languages to the elderly.- Elderly people with an interest in learning languages and having a low level of knowledge of English.All objectives were achieved successfully thanks to the full engagement of the consortium<< Implementation >>The main activities implemented during the ELENE project life were:- Implementation of an e-learning platform for elderly people who are learning English as a foreign language, - Creation of a study material (textbook) for learners (seniors) and interactive PDFs for self-learning - Creation of a methodology manual for trainers- Building the structure and ELENE APP - Multiplier events and dissemination activities- Workshops, Seminars and LTTA- Meetings with stakeholders and analysis of their needs.-Participation in International conferences and publishing the results in Zenodo, ResearchGate, and EPALE.-Exchange of good practices at national, regional and international levels.The e-learning platform served as a means of support for learning the language and verifying what they did in regular (face-to-face) classes. Therefore, it complemented their learning activities, since their need for repetition and revision is greater compared to other age groups.The textbook and interactive PDFs mainly focused on everyday situations and took into account the target group's needs. The main objective was to develop the communication skills of the elders (without taking care of grammar issues). It covered topics such as introducing yourself to family and friends, in a café, shopping,asking for directions, at the train/airport station, at the doctor, in a hotel, at a bank, my hobbies and my free time, etc.The e-learning platform includes pictures and links to videos created to support the previously mentioned communication situations. In addition to the sample situations, the e-learning platform also includes phrases, vocabulary and some more common exercises to practice the English language. The platform will remain active for at least five years after the project has finished. Of course, it will be adapted and updated if necessary.The activities also included training for trainers on how to use the e-learning platform, how to deal with problems that are specific characteristics of the teaching of older adults, etc., as well as the creation of an ELENE manual to teach them how to incorporate the CLIL methodology correctly and apply it to the teaching of their senior learners.<< Results >>The results of the project included the development of two intellectual products:R1. English Textbook for Seniors + E-learning Platform: The English learning textbook was adapted to situations that elderly people face while travelling across Europe. It was designed for elderly people with low English skills who wanted to learn this language to improve their multilingual skills. The manual has interactive PDFs, which are very visual and friendly for the elders, with basic vocabulary and practical situations. - Manual for Elders: Elders learning English for Europe: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376889420- Elene e-learning platform: https://mooc.eleneproject.eu/- Interactive PDFs: https://www.eleneproject.eu/interactive-pdf/- ELENE APP: https://www.eleneproject.eu/elene-app/ R2. Practical Manual for Language Trainers for Seniors: It should include a methodology aimed at language teachers, and innovative elements should be introduced that allow a greater interconnection between learners and teachers, taking into account methodological tools such as proactive tutoring, collaborative work or Kolb cycles.- Manual for Language Trainers: Elders learning English for Europe: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376888769- ELENE CLIL Methodology: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370659330- ELENE Situated learning Methodology: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362213717In addition, a ""Course on language teaching methodology for the elderly"" was conducted for English trainers. The staff were trained on the methodology necessary to teach this language to the elderly with a low level of knowledge.Five multiplier events were organized [one per partner] in which the intellectual [results] products were announced to different groups of stakeholders. In addition:- Scientific reports were published on EPALE, to make the ELENE project well known not only in the scientific environment but English trainers and learners.- ELENE App was implemented and promoted in all dissemination activities in different partner countries. - ICT tools and resources to support language teaching for elders: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374867972- Zenodo ELENE Community was created to give the possibility to researchers and Institutions from around the world access and add value to our project: https://zenodo.org/communities/eleneAn important aspect is that we published and made available our outputs with Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International and acknowledged the support from the ERASMUS+ program."