The European Year of Languages (EYL) in 2001 generated a lot of enthusiasm about language teaching and learning. The EYL, in which 45 European countries including Malta participated, was organised by the European Union and the Council of Europe.
Viviane Reding, European Commissioner responsible for Education and Culture, insisted that the EYL should serve as a platform on which to build in years to come. Indeed, thanks to the EYL, languages and language learning have a higher profile in Europe than ever before.
As a result, September 26 has been declared the European Day of Languages. The idea is to continue to celebrate and share good practice on a local and European level.
To mark the occasion, for the second year running, the Education Division through the Department of Curriculum Management in conjunction with the National Curriculum Council, organised the Best Language Practice of the Year Award, the aim being to celebrate good language practice in general and to reward the school with the best language practice of the year in particular. The rationale behind this award is to celebrate good practice, to sharpen inquiry, share visions, collaborate and positively contagiate one another.
The competition was open to all schools in Malta and Gozo, from kindergarten to secondary. Eighteen schools took up the challenge: 16 primary schools, of which six from Gozo, one girls' junior lyceum and one boys' Church school.
The 18 participating schools were asked to send a detailed write-up of their language project. Schools were judged on the organisation at school level, teachers' and learners' contribution, knowledge, skills and attitudes generated, link of project to the National Minimum Curriculum (NMC) and the School Development Plan (SDP), originality and transferability.
All 18 schools were then visited by members of the panel made up of Chev. Frank Gatt (chairman) and Anthony Degabriele, Frank Muscat and Carmel Tabone (members). Materials produced by the teachers and the learners were also sent to the adjudicating panel.
Originally, three prizes were to be awarded: Lm200 for the overall winner, Lm150 for the first runner-up and Lm100 for the second runner-up. But given the high standards of the projects presented, it was also decided to award special prizes to participants with good practices but who did not place among the first three.
Eleven primary schools received special prizes, namely: Xaghra (Respect for diversity), Victoria (Interdisciplinarity), Marsascala (Artistic Skills), Msida (Child-centredness), Sliema (Materials Production), Nadur (Literacy through Multimedia), Kercem (Creativity through Poetry), Luqa (Functional Language) Salvino Spiteri Hamrun (Literacy through Multimedia), San Lawrenz (Literacy Skills), Stella Maris Balzan (Multisensory Practices), and the Archbishop's Seminary, Tal-Virtù (Oratory Skills).
The third overall prize was shared by two schools: Karmnu Sant Gharghur Primary and St Albert the Great College, Valletta. Gharghur Primary came up with a project entitled "It must be Spring", where singing was used as motivation to encourage children to use language and to practise it in public.
The main objective was to instil basic listening skills fundamental to future linguistic development. In the case of St Albert the Great College, the very distinctive attribute of the project was the partnership created between parents and teachers in raising the literacy skills of young children. This project saw, among others, the creation of booklets, hands-on literacy packs and user-friendly and interactive computer-based learning materials which parents could share with their children.
The second prize was jointly awarded to Rosa Magro Primary, Xewkija, and Anthony Valletta Primary, Birkirkara A.
The Xewkija project, entitled "Rivers", had two main aims: the broadening of children's reading experiences and the encouragement of creative writing. The project involved the whole school and culminated in a presentation of the children's work both on stage and in an exhibition.
Very evident were the holistic, thematic and cross-curricular approaches. Besides increasing their knowledge of rivers, children practised IT skills, enhanced their literary skills, learned to work as a team, gained more self-confidence and increased their self-esteem.
Birkirkara A competed with a project called "Learning Maltese and English is fun", intended to raise the level of spoken and written English and Maltese, and at the same time instill in children a love for reading. Both kindergarten and primary were catered for in the project.
The main features were a course in "paired and shared reading" well-attended by parents, Staff Development sessions for teachers on the same topic, visits to the school by specialised literacy personnel, presentation on the Birkirkara community radio of a weekly literacy programme, two book fairs, enrichment of the school library and the production of a Christmas CD with English and Maltese carols sung by pupils.
The first prize and the shield went jointly to two schools: Leli Camilleri, Zurrieq Primary A and Carlo Diacono Girls' Junior Lyceum, Zejtun.
Zurrieq Primary A presented a project entitled "The Literacy Hour", aimed at developing a linguistic strategy that reflected the particular linguistic needs of the pupils. This project centred around a case-study of school-based curriculum review, evaluation and development which gave rise to a thorough action research of pupils' linguistic competences in this school.
Using review data, the project focused on the development of the school's SDP priority in the curriculum area which stipulated "the implementation of an effective literacy strategy that opens the doors for differentiated teaching, active learning and continuous assessment".
The project stood out for the co-operation and collaboration it engendered among pupils, teachers, parents and the school council, the professional use of multimedia and ICT and the "play-way" methods employed. The school atmosphere was conducive to learning and this helped the project achieve its stated general aims and specific objectives.
The title of the project presented by Carlo Diacono junior lyceum was "Teaching through drama", the stated aim being that language teaching and learning could become more enjoyable if sought through the medium of drama. It was the firm conviction of the teachers and students alike that a language, being a living phenomenon, cannot be taught in a flat, boring way and that poetry, idioms and proverbs could take a new lease of life if animated through drama, singing and movement.
These aims and objectives were reached to a very high degree. Creativity was, in fact, the rule of the day. Little by little a process of constant research was developed in which all students participated. In this process, poetry, idiom and metaphor assumed a more meaningful interpretation, and students could feel that they were really living the language they spoke and wrote. At the same time, learners made discoveries of personal abilities they were unaware of.
The experience started on the stage and continued in the classroom where the blend between the academic and everyday experience was very apparent. The project was also a clear example of how the four linguistic skills could be achieved in a more creative and stimulating manner. Besides, students realised that, in this creative process, the journey is without destination. The project has in fact triggered new attitudes of learning to learn and self-directed learning, which are indispensable in the new paradigm of life-long learning: of learning from the cradle to the grave.
The audience, which included representatives of the participating schools including pupils and students, were also addressed by Mr Degabriele, Mr Muscat and Mr Tabone, Education Officers, Chev. Gatt, assistant director, Training and Staff Development, Ray Camilleri, director, Curriculum Management and chairman of the National Curriculum Council, Dr Cecilia Borg, director-general of education and Charles Mizzi, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Employment.