Category: Teaching

Refresher course in teaching Portuguese as a Foreign Language

May 26, 2022 / Sophie Bennett

The Faculty of Arts at the University of Porto (FLUP) and Camões Instituto da Cooperacao e da Língua, IP, is jointly offering a remote refresher course in teaching Portuguese as a Foreign Language (CAPPLE). The course is open to teachers of Portuguese as a Foreign Language who wish to update their professional knowledge in teaching Portuguese as a Foreign Language and teachers of Portuguese who wish to train in teaching Portuguese as a foreign/second language. Holders of a degree at a Portuguese university (with preference being given to degrees that integrate Portuguese Studies) or a degree obtained at a foreign university with a component of Portuguese Studies may also apply. Applications are open between March 24, 2022 and June 8, 2022.

The course is accredited by the Conselho Científico-Pedagógico da Formação Contínua (CCPFC), which is relevant for the career progression of teachers in teaching groups associated with the Portuguese language, and awards 3 ECTS in the European System of Accumulation and Transfer of Credits. The main objectives of the course are

to reflect on the key linguistic areas for learners of Portuguese as a non-native language
to perceive language as a means of social interaction and the identity of individuals in their interactions and relationships with the learning environment
to know the current cultural and social elements of the Portuguese language
to know the regulatory documents of the disciplinary domain in question
to familiarize trainees with techniques and procedures for the development of teaching Portuguese as a non-native language

Candidates may also apply for one of the 10 grants of €250 from Camões, IP to attend this edition of the course. Candidates wishing to apply for a Camões, IP scholarship must submit their application for the course online and indicate their intention to apply for the scholarship. The course application documents must include a CV and qualification certificates, as well as a motivation letter justifying the scholarship application. These must be submitted as part of the online application and also sent to the following email address: uec@letras.up.pt . The documents will be sent to Camões, IP, the institution responsible for the decision to award the scholarship.

For more information, please click here .

Event poster and sessions calendar

Conference: Principles and Practices of Training in Foreign Languages

April 26, 2022 / Sophie Bennett

On 20^th and 21^st June 2022, the IV Conference on Principles and Practices of Training in Foreign Languages will take place at the Auditório da Escola de Letras e Ciências Humanas, The University of Minho, organised by the directorates of the Masters in Spanish as a Second Language/Foreign Language, Portuguese and German Studies, and Portuguese as a Second Language/Foreign Language. Its purpose is to bring together students from these courses and from other ELACH Masters, as well as researchers and teachers interested in issues related to foreign languages and the learning, acquisition and teaching processes that underlie them. Thus, these Conferences are, since their first edition, a space for reflection and debate, with a multilingual, multicultural and intergenerational focus.

Registration for Portuguese heritage language classes open

March 11, 2022 / Patrick Rebuschat

The Camões Institute, one of the constituent organizations of HL2C, has recently announced that the period for registration for Portuguese heritage language classes is now open.

If your child is a heritage speaker of Portuguese, independently of the proficiency level, you can register online until April 30, 2022.

For more information, please visit these websites: Portuguese version or English version.

For questions, please email the Coordinator of the Portuguese heritage language network in your region. The information can be found on the websites above.

The original news item can be found on this page of the Camões Institute.

PFMO project supports the second edition of the training program for Timorese judges in Portugal

February 2, 2022 / Sophie Bennett

On 31st January 2022, the Camões Institute, IP, welcomed six Timorese judges who started a training programme in Portugal. This programme will run for a period of six months and includes a theory component to be taught by the Centre for Judicial Studies in Lisbon, and an internship period in Portuguese courts.

This is the second edition of the programme, and the first in the post-pandemic period, which will not only involve specialising in technical legal matters, but also developing and strengthening techniques for the application and use of legal terminology in Portuguese. This experience is also intended to build and strengthen the relationship, in the long term, between Portuguese and Timorese institutions, and between their professionals.

The training program is supported by the PFMO project – Reinforcement of Public Finance Management and Supervision in Timor-Leste, funded by the European Union and co-financed and managed by Camões, IP.

Translated from the original news item, published by Camões Institute.

Children’s literature festival celebrated in Berlin: “Os Dias do Conto”

December 9, 2021 / Sophie Bennett

On Friday, November 5, 2021, the 32nd “Os dias do Conto” children’s literature festival was celebrated as part of the Berliner Märchentage at the premises of the Camões Institute, Centro Cultural Português, in Berlin.

The Berliner Märchentage is one of the largest children’s literature festivals in the world, celebrating traditional fairy tales, legends, myths and fables. The theme of this year’s festival was “The Purple Flower”.

The Portuguese Embassy in Berlin, together with the Portuguese Education Department in Germany, organised the presentation and reading of a Portugese short story, “Beatriz e o Plátano”, by Ilse Losa. The story was translated into German by Isabel Remer and edited in a bilingual version by Oxalá, with illustrations by Lisa Couwenbergh. Carla Gago and Patrícia Santos, teaching staff from the Elizabeth-Shaw Grundschule school in Berlin, read the story to a class of 24 pupils aged between 7 and 8, in the presence of translator Niki Graça.

The event aimed to promote Portuguese literature, to raise awareness of multilingualism and diversity in Europe and to encourage children to learn the Portuguese language.

For additional information, please visit the Coordenação Ensino Português Alemanha Facebook page or see the original news source.

Heritage language teacher receives Portuguese Medal of Merit

December 4, 2021 / Patrick Rebuschat

Last month, Isabel Geyer, a teacher of the Camoes Institute’s extensive heritage language network (rede EPE), received the Portuguese Medal of Merit in recognition for over forty years of service to the Portuguese community residing in Germany.

The Medal of Merit of the Portuguese Communities (Medalha Mérito das Comunidades Portuguesas) was awarded by the Portuguese Secretary of State for the Portuguese Communities Berta Nunes during the annual language teaching workshop organized by the Camões Institute and the Portuguese Embasssy in Berlin.

Ms Geyer began teaching Portuguese as a heritage language on September 12, 1979, until she retired on November 30, 2020. Throughout this period, she served the Portuguese community in several German cities with exceptional dedication, merit and professionalism.

The Medal of Merit recognizes individuals who, regardless of their nationality, make a valuable contribution to strengthen the affective and cultural ties that bind all Portuguese citizens, living in Portugal or abroad.

For more information on learning Portuguese in Germany, please visit the following website or contact Rui Vicente de Azevedo. To read more about the event, please see the original news source on the Camões Institute website.

From left to right: Embassador Francisco Ribeiro de Menezes, Isabel Geyer, Secretary of State Berta Nunes, and Rui Vicente de Azevedo, Coordinator of Camoes Institute network in Germany.

British Council award for Lancaster team’s comics app to support language learners

December 2, 2021 / Sophie Bennett

A Lancaster University-led project team have won a highly prestigious British Council ELTons Innovation Award for work on an imaginative comics app to help dyslexic and non-dyslexic learners learn a second language.

The project was also given a Judges’ Commendation for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

The CIELL App project was led by Dr Julie-Ann Sime from Lancaster’s Department of Educational Research and also included Professor Judit Kormos, Professor of Second Language Acquisition at Lancaster and HL2C Scientific Advisory Board member, as well as colleagues from Germany, Greece and Cyprus. The project was co-funded by ERASMUS+ Programme of the European Union.

This very important award in the world of English language teaching is given in recognition of their international project “Comics for Inclusive English Language Learning” (CIELL) which aims to develop the competences of second language learners by promoting the use of comic art and other visual representations. The project also aims to enhance the quality of language teaching materials used for teaching writing in a second language by supporting the needs of dyslexic learners in a socially inclusive manner.

The CIELL App offers an inclusive, gamified approach to learning how to plan an essay at intermediate and advanced levels of English language proficiency. The award recognises that the app is designed to support students, with and without dyslexia, and offers an inclusive, gamified approach to learning how to plan an essay.

Dyslexia is a specific learning difference characterized by difficulties with word decoding, spelling, handwriting, reading, memory and attention span which affects around 10% of the population.

Many congratulations to all those involved in this important project!

For additional information, please visit the the CIEL app website, the original news source (Lancaster University website), or contact Dr Julie-Ann Sime.

Enrolment opens for free Armenian language and culture courses

December 2, 2021 / Sophie Bennett

avc website banner eng 1

Earlier this academic year, the University of Lisbon, one of the HL2C founding institutions, established a new cooperation agreement with the Armenian Virtual College, Yerevan State University, and the Portugal-Armenia Friendship Association.

As a result, we are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for those interested in learning a new language. The Armenian Virtual College (AGBU) invites anyone interested in Armenian language and culture to enrol in various free online courses, from 3rd until 19th December 2021. The language courses start from 10th January until 15th March 2022 and provide the opportunity for students to enrich their knowledge of Eastern Armenian, Western Armenian, the history of Armenia, Armenian architecture, Armenian music and chess. More information about the courses can be found here.

The courses stem from a set of initiatives laid out in the cooperation agreement; they aim to strengthen the links between the various educational institutions and to promote Armenian language and culture in Portugal and Portuguese language and culture in Armenia.

For more information, please visit the original news source (University of Lisbon).

Porto series of public lectures

November 13, 2021 / Sophie Bennett

The University of Porto is hosting a series of two public lectures as part of their Master’s Degree in Portuguese as a Second Language/Foreign Language, with the support of CLUP. The lectures focus on Portuguese and its relationship with other languages in CPLP countries. For more information, please contact Professor Isabel Margarida Duarte.

Session 1:

Date: 28th September

Presenter: Professor Karin Noemi Rühle Indart (National University of East Timor)

Title: A Oficialização da Língua Portuguesa em Timor-Leste e os Desafios de Implementação da Política Linguística no Sistema de Educação

Click on this link for more information

Session 2:

Date: 16th November

Presenter: Professor Liliana Inverno (University of Coimbra)

Title: Contacto linguístico e restruturação da gramática da língua portuguesa em Angola.

Porto MOOC receives IELA Honorable Mention

October 29, 2021 / Sophie Bennett

We are pleased to announce that Porto University’s Introduction to Portuguese MOOC has received an Honorable Mention in the Academic Division of the 2021 International E-Learning Awards under the E-Learning category. Congratulations to all colleagues involved!

The MOOC (Massively Open Online Course) was co-produced by Porto’s Faculty of Arts and by the Educational Technologies Cluster. The MOOC is a free online course hosted by the AcademiaUP platform, and the scheme of work aims to explore first contact with Portuguese in everyday situations. The course is based on a fiction series consisting of 8 episodes, recorded by TVU Networks, involving professional actors in different areas of the city of Porto. The teaching materials were developed by a team of trainers with experience in teaching Portuguese as a Foreign Language, and the audiovisual work was carried out by the Educational Technologies Nucleus.

Below you will find a brief video introduction to the course.

The International E-Learning Association (IELA) hosts the annual competition to recognise candidates who show an outstanding ability to promote learning, professional development and job performance through the use of technology. Successful candidates in this Award demonstrated this through the application of E-learning, blended learning and mobile learning, and were evaluated based on criteria such as “soundness and effectiveness”, “usability”, and “overall significance”.

The Faculty of Arts and the Educational Technologies Cluster at the University of Porto deserve a huge “congratulations” for their achievement. For more information on the MOOC, please contact Professor Fátima Silva, mhenri@letras.up.pt.

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