About the project

The ALADIN project aimed to collect, create and test participatory and creative activities that specifically target educators and families from migrant backgrounds. Based on artistic, creative and cultural learning methodologies, as well as participatory and blended processes, the project aimed to help bridge intercultural, inter-generational and social gaps in partner countries.

Through these activities, the partners aimed to encourage young people and children to learn their family languages, while also promoting the transmission of their family languages and cultures.

You can find out about the four main objectives of the ALADIN project, the activities implemented in relation to them, and the results below.

Objective

The project aims to enhance the teaching of ‘rare’, ‘small’ and underrepresented family languages, such as Arabic, Hungarian, Polish and Romanian, within Western European educational systems. It also offers flexible learning solutions for various family languages that encounter similar challenges. This is achieved by developing engaging, playful and creative learning materials that address the specific needs of heritage language teachers and learners.

Actions
  • Extensive background research on family language teaching in France and Germany, with case studies focusing on Arabic, Hungarian, Polish and Romanian.
  • Interviews with educators and learners to gain a better understanding of their needs and challenges.
  • Search for the best practices in art-based language education.
  • Co-design and test art-based teaching and learning activities adapted to local contexts and needs.
  • Develop flexible, engaging, playful and creative learning activities, materials and tips that can be adapted to various family languages and the specific needs of language teachers and learners.
Results
  • This study aims to expand the understanding of teachers and educators of the challenges surrounding family language education, from three distinct perspectives: the institutions’, the teachers’, and the learners’.
  • It is a collection of art-based learning resources that use interdisciplinary tools and gamification. Visual and digital art tools are used not only to practise writing skills, but also to memorise vocabulary, while musical practices are used to practise pronunciation, intonation, accent and sonority. Elements of drama and other performing arts are employed to foster oral and non-verbal communication abilities.
Objective

Helping young people and children to maintain a strong connection with their culture and language of origin in order to strengthen their self-esteem and adapt better to the host society.

Actions
  • Integration of culturally and artistically relevant resources and references in the teaching activities supporting inclusion
  • Adaptation of the learning materials to divers cultural contexts through co-designing process
Result

Learning tools centered around cultural content along with guidance on adapting them to diverse cultural and learning contexts with resources and recommendations.

Objective

Encouraging teachers and educators to use creative language teaching methods adapted to inter-generational and blended learning processes through offering easy to implement teaching activities adapted to their needs and challenges.

Actions
  • Collaboration between artists, social science researchers and teachers to develop efficient teaching tools from divers points of views
  • Local implementation and testing of the learning activities within workshops and languages courses in Paris, Marcelle and Berlin.
Results
  • A collection of testimonials on the benefits of the use of art-based practices in language education 
  • A series of recommendations on how to prepare and conduct art-based workshop in different learning and cultural contexts 
Objective

To support migrant parents to support their children in the learning process and to gain teaching skills that can be used in their communities.

Actions
  • Co-creating inter-generational co-creative exercises for small groups that can be repeated regularly at home with the participation of other family members.
  • Formulating specific recommendations for parents on how to implement the activities at home
Results
  • A collection of learning activities arousing interest in divers cultures of origin
  • Advises and recommendations to parents on how to participate more actively in their children’s education and to transfer knowledge for members of their community.