European language ambitions: where are we, and how can technology help?
Learning new languages is a wonderful thing. Doors are opened, new cultures are appreciated, and the brain gets a great workout. So what is the European Commission doing to foster language learning and diversity?
The Importance of learning new languages
The European Commission wholeheartedly agrees about the benefits that learning different languages brings. In 2002, with the support from the EU member states, the commission laid out an ambitious target:
to enable citizens to communicate in at least two foreign languages by encouraging language education from an early age.
Speaking and writing different languages within the EU can act as a barrier to integration and cooperation, so it makes sense that the Commission would want to foster multilingual populations within the EU. And that’s why programmes such as Erasmus, which promote language learning and cultural understanding, exist.
It is noteworthy to mention that learning English is not seen as the solution to language barriers in the Union, but rather linguistic diversity and advances in language technology.
The Commission aims to reach its goal by starting language teaching early, and for good reason. There are clear advantages of language learning at a young age:
- Children learn faster and have a better chance of reaching fluency
- Cognitive benefits such as enhanced memory and better problem solving skills
- A second language gives children an advantage in learning to read
- Language learning can boost confidence and self-esteem
Indeed, it is hard to argue the case against starting early!
What should be improved?
A 2012 report by the Commission on European language competences showed that there is still considerable room for improvement. Only 42% of secondary school students achieved the level of ‘independent user’ in their first foreign language and just 25% in their second.
Meanwhile, there are big differences between countries: while in Malta and Sweden over 80% of students were independent users of their first foreign language, it was only 14% in France and just 9% in England.
There have, in some areas, been improvements in recent years: the Commission says that in 2014, 60% of secondary school students were learning at least two foreign languages, up from 47% in 2004. Nevertheless, there is clearly much work to be done to reach the original target.
Fortunately, emerging technologies and their increasing use in classrooms and at home offer an opportunity to vastly improve the situation; evidence shows that technology has a positive impact on language learning.
One study found that schools in Denmark, Iceland, Slovenia and Estonia were most likely to use ICT in language teaching — all countries with a high standard of English (of course, technology is just one of many important factors).
What can the EdTech Community do?
In my view, the greatest challenge facing the European Commission is closing the vast gap between countries whose students score well in foreign language competence and nations where students struggle.
Currently, students in Europe are relatively better at English than other second languages due to the wide availability of English media. This underlines the importance of having good access to resources in the target language, and suggests that EdTech developers could focus on offering platforms with access to rich and educationally valuable foreign media.
Netflix for learning French, anyone?
Equally, tools that allow students to improve cultural understanding — and therefore motivate language learning — are valuable. Excitingly, the number of options, ranging from immersive VR experiences to Skype-style online exchanges, is growing.
More generally, EdTech developers should ask themselves some of the following questions as they design and launch language learning solutions:
- What specific challenge in language learning is your tool trying to overcome?
- Is it flexible (can it be used to teach more than one language)?
- Is the technology scalable, and affordable for schools?
- To which European markets is it best suited?
Each of these basic questions merits a very robust answer from the edtech tool or idea in question.
What is magikbee’s role in all of this?
As a European (Portugal-based) EdTech startup, it is our aim to contribute positively to improving standards across the continent (and beyond). We do this with our video-quiz tool, kiddZtube Academy, on which teachers layer quiz questions on top of YouTube videos. It offers teachers a method of testing children on visual media while actively engaging students more effectively than using video alone.
From a language perspective, that could mean reinforcing vocabulary learnt during a video of a news report or challenging students understanding by asking questions on the key arguments in a foreign-language documentary. Data is collected on all responses and will help teachers better understand their classes.
The feedback we’ve had on kiddZtube Academy here in Portugal, and its efficacy in English classes, has been strong. Students are enjoying learning with the tool and teachers are refining their approach thanks to the statistics the platform provides.
And with over 40 languages supported on kiddZtube Academy, we are excited for it to be used in schools across Europe and worldwide and are delighted to be able to contribute positively to the promotion of linguistic diversity.
Conclusion
In the six years that have passed since the aforementioned 2012 report (the European Survey on Language Competences), the wider EdTech sector has risen fast, growing to be worth $18bn last year and forecast to reach $41bn in value by 2022. Hopefully language technologies will make up an increasingly large portion of that sum.
Currently, there are no plans for another report on language competences in Europe. The Commission however has committed to agreeing on a common benchmark and to regularly monitor the progress. They are also supporting the introduction of innovative methods such as ‘bilingual teaching’ and the use of digital tools.
It is worth noting that EdTech will not provide all the answers — but it is undeniably — and justifiably — becoming a crucial piece of the puzzle. It is the responsibility of the Commission to help all parties involved better understand how that puzzle fits together.
This story is written by Max Hains from magikbee on The EdTech World. You can contact Max at max@magikbee.com
