Interreg

This project focuses on the implementation of high-quality language education on neighbouring languages at primary schools, Grundschulen and Schulen der Sekundarstufe I in the EUREGIO. Stumbling blocks that schools face on the road to implementing language education on neighbouring languages will be removed by offering educational courses and by developing or continuing to improve upon didactic concepts and materials.

The Dutch and German schools will enter into cross-border partnerships and will work together to make sure that pupils as well as teachers are intensively exposed to their neighbouring language and culture. Additional investments were made in the form of a EUREGIOnal expertise and coordination centre for language education on neighbouring languages to improve networks and substantive and strategic cooperation. A feasibility study on this topic was conducted in the second half of 2018. In 2020, the business case was prepared for a euregional expertise centre for neighbouring languages. The final decision on the establishment of such a centre will be included in the preparations of the euregional education chain.

In 2017, the courses began in the neighbouring language, both German and Dutch, and the course didactics in early foreign language teaching. The courses were offered by Radboud in’to Languages. A second bid for the schools involved in this project followed in the second half of 2018, after the third and final round was completed in 2019. A total of 117 teachers took part in the training.

A material list N / D was created in 2017. Schools had the opportunity to order materials for a fixed amount from this list. In order to be able to start teaching neighbouring languages at a young age, new teaching materials for both German and Dutch (basic) schools were developed and made available in 2020. A digital version of the teaching material can also be found under www.sprichdeinenachbarsprache.de.

Cooperation between participating schools has been intensified by the establishment of a geographically organised N/D cluster consultation. Here, knowledge and experience are exchanged between the neighbouring language coordinators of the cluster schools.

The Project Speak Your Neighboring Language won the first Borderland Prize on December 2, 2020, awarded by Secretary of State Raymond Knoops.

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