EFNIL Annual Conference
Brussels, November 24/25, 2005
November 24
- 9.30 – 9.50: Welcome and opening addresses
Welcome and opening by the president of the Federation Prof. Dr. G. Stickel
Opening address by F. Vandenbroucke Ph.D., Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the
Nederlandse Taalunie and Minister of Education and Labour of the Flemish Community of
Belgium
- 9.50 – 11.00: Plenary speeches:
Chaired by Prof. Dr. P. Beltrami, Vice president of the Executive Committee of EFNIL
· Prof. (emer.) Dr. A. Raasch (University of Saarbrücken): Vom Fremdsprachenlernen und
–lehren: Wege nach Europa und zurück (Foreign language learning and teaching: ways to
Europe and back again). Question and answer session.
· D. Senez (European Commission): Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity in the
European Union. Question and answer session.
- 11.00 – 11.30: Coffee Break
- 11.30 – 12.30: Plenary speeches (continued)
· Prof. Dr. F. Grin (University of Geneva): Peut-on faire confiance au ‘modèle 1+2’? Pour
une évaluation critique des scénarios de communication dans l’Europe multilingue (Can
we be confident about the ‘1+2 model’? For a critical evaluation of the communication
scenarios in Europe). Question and answer session.
· Discussion
- 14.00 – 14.15: Special Address
Address by Lic. M. Arena, Prime Minister and Minister of Education of the French
Community of Belgium
- 14.15 - 16.30: Cases: The state of affairs regarding foreign language learning
and instruction in three European countries.
Chaired by M. Garsou, Vice General Director of the Service of Literature and Books
of the Ministry of the French Community of Belgium
Belgium:
· G. De Samblanc, Inspector of Education of the Ministry of the French
Community of Belgium
· Prof. Dr. P. Van de Craen, Professor in Sociolinguistics, Linguistics of
the Dutch language, language acquisition and Bi- and Multilingualism at the
Free University of Brussels
Denmark – Prof. Dr. P. Harder, Professor of Modern English Language at the
University of Copenhagen
Italy – Prof. Dr. C. Robustelli, Professor of Italian Linguistics at the University of
Modena and Reggio Emilia, and member of the Accademia Della Crusca of
Florence.
Discussion
- 16.30 – 17.00: Coffee Break
- 17.00 - 18.30 Working Session 1:
Chaired and introduced by Prof. O. Josephson, member of the Executive Committee of
EFNIL
a. The organisation of foreign language teaching
kindergarten, schools, and institutions for adult learning, the number and sequence of
foreign languages taught, obligatory or optional languages, primary instruction
methods with their advantages and disadvantages.
b. Goals of foreign language instruction and learning
practical communicative or cultural aims, active or receptive competence, models and
reality of intercomprehension (e.g. experiences of the Nordic and the 'Latin' model).
c. Discussion
20.00 Dinner offered by the Service de la langue française and the Nederlandse Taalunie
November 25
- 9.00 - 10.30: Working Session 2:
Chaired and introduced by ir. E. Fernhout, senior project manager of the Nederlandse
Taalunie
a. Teaching national languages as foreign languages abroad.
Comparison of 'smaller' and 'larger' languages (e.g., French, German, Spanish,
English vs. Hungarian, Swedish, Slovakian, Lithuanian), differences between
institutions, quantities, political aims.
b. Discussion
- 10.30 - 11.00: Coffee Break
- 11.00 - 12.30: General Assembly (first part)
Chaired by Prof. Dr. G. Stickel, chairman of EFNIL
- 14.00 - 16.00: General Assembly (second part) and concluding plenary session:
Chaired by J. Simpson MA, member of the Executive Committee of EFNIL
Discussion and adoption of a brief resolution explaining the importance of foreign
language learning, identifying the major current problems of foreign language instruction
in Europe, and pointing at ways and means to overcome them.
