UNITA LABEL for Romance languages and Intercomprehension

This document tries to identify the best methodologies, the most adequate materials and the most useful ways of working together to offer the best experience possible in learning languages and practising IC. To ensure lessons and courses’ quality, these standards must be adopted as a UNITA identifier and be spread.

En este documento se identifica la metodología más apropiada, los materiales más adecuados y los medios más convenientes de trabajo en equipo para ofrecer la mejor experiencia posible en el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras y en la práctica de la incercomprensión. Para asegurar la calidad de los cursos y de las clases, se deben adoptar y difundir estos estándares en toda la comunidad UNITA.

Acest document identifică cea mai adecvată metodologie, cele mai potrivite materiale și cele mai utile modalități de lucru în echipă pentru a oferi cea mai bună experiență posibilă pentru învățarea limbilor străine și pentru utilizarea intercomprehensiunii. Pentru a asigura calitatea cursurilor, aceste standarde trebuie să fie adoptate și difuzate în întreaga comunitate UNITA.

Questo documento si propone di identificare le migliori metodologie, i materiali più adeguati e le modalità più utili per il lavoro in gruppo e per offrire la migliore esperienza possibile nell'apprendimento delle lingue e nella pratica dell'IC. Per garantire la qualità dei corsi e delle lezioni, questi standard devono essere adottati e diffusi in tutta la comunità UNITA.

Este documento tem o propósito de identificar as melhores metodologias, os materiais mais adequados e a forma mais conveniente de trabalhar em equipa para oferecer a melhor experiência possível na aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras e na prática da intercompreensão. Para assegurar a qualidade dos cursos e das aulas, devem adotar-se e difundir-se estas normas em toda a comunidade UNITA. 

The UNITA label signifies a commitment to promoting linguistic diversity, intercultural understanding, and effective communication in the context of Romance languages and intercomprehension.

The UNITA label can be defined as a quality assurance designation for courses focusing on intercomprehension (IC) and Romance languages. It signifies adherence to specific principles and standards aimed at enhancing learners' plurilingual and pluricultural competence.

At its core, the UNITA label emphasizes the following key principles:

1. Plurilingual and pluricultural competence

2. Prioritization of communicative and interactive methodologies

3. Fostering collaborative learning communities

UNITA courses are based on an interactive and communicative approach, centered on the student as a "social agent" and as an active participant in his/her own learning. They promote and enhance the Alliance's linguistic and cultural plurality through practice and inclusiveness . 

Learners:

· Make links between the various languages in their repertoires;

· Develop cross-cultural communication and intercultural competence;

· Develop positive attitudes towards linguistic and cultural diversity;

· Capitalize on their knowledge and experiences when learning a new language;

Teachers :

· Encourage holistic approaches to language learning and teaching;

· Encourage a variety of learning approaches and contexts for continued learning;

· Guide and facilitate the learning process and the acquisition of skills and competences;

· Employ and allow students to use other languages in the romance language classroom.

In particular, the aim of IC courses is to communicate in/through diverse plurilingual and multimodal resources, prioritizing the students’ national and regional romance languages, either reference language or mother tongue.

In Romance language and IC courses both oral and written skills are developed through a didactic perspective which has to take into account the three dimensions of intercomprehension: reception, interproduction and interaction. With these trainings students broaden their perspectives and develop metalinguistic awareness and learning skills allowing them undertake autonomous further language studies. Furthermore, the communicative skills are enhanced through task and project based collaborative learning (see the UCIL section below). All these courses promote the learner’s autonomy.

On the one hand, syllabuses and materials for IC courses are developed according to the REFIC framework (De Carlo, 2019) and they take into account the diversity of languages and cultures of the Alliance. On the other hand, every Romance language course in necessarily based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), which is an international standard for describing language ability, It aims to promote plurilingual and intercultural education and to enhace intercultural dialogue while supporting social inclusion, democracy and cultural diversity.

While the material employed in the classroom has to be authentic, in IC courses it also must encompass a diverse range of national, regional and/or creole Romance languages within the same teaching unit or lesson (at least 3 languages per lesson). Suggested textbooks for IC:

· Eurom 5, http://www.eurom5.com/

· Panromanic, https://www.zanichelli.it/ricerca/prodotti/panromanic

· Les sept tamis https://www.shaker.de/de/content/catalogue/index.asp?lang=de&ID=8&ISBN=978-3-8322-1221-6&search=yes

Both IC and Romance language courses aim to train learners to communicate with each other and to work in plurilingual "connected learning communities" (Moriau & Angouri 2023). This enhances students engagement, motivation and learning outcomes (Lubicz-Nawrocka & Bovill, 2021), while also empowering teachers and promoting continued professional development (e.g. Burrell et al., 2015). 

IC courses are built around UCIL (UNITA Collaborative International Learning) programmes. The teaching methods are hybrid, based on face-to-face courses and online interaction, both written and oral, in plurilingual teams. Training is developed:  

1) locally, in each partner university, to practice written and oral reception and for moments of teacher-student mediation (local group, LG); 

2) online, in a Moodle forum, to practice written comprehension, interaction and interproduction (international group, IG); 

3) online, in pairs or small thematic working groups (WG) who practice written interaction and meet by videoconference to engage in oral comprehension, interaction and interproduction. (Garbarino & Lesparre, in print)

For Romance language courses, UCIL is suggested as a way of proposing virtual mobility to local students.

Burrell, A. R., Cavanagh, M., Young, S., & Carter, H. (2015). Team-based curriculum design as an agent of change. Teaching in Higher Education, 20(8), 753–766. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2015.1085856

Castellotti, V., Courtaud, L., & Debono, M. (2024). Plurilinguisme et interculturalité dans l’enseignement supérieur. https://doi.org/10.18452/28033

Council of Europe (2001). Common European framework of reference for languages: Learning, teaching, assessment. Modern Languages Division, Strasburg.

Council of Europe (2018). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: learning, teaching, assessment. Companion volume.

Crăciun, D., & Orosz, K. (2018). Benefits and costs of transnational collaborative partnerships in higher education. (EENEE Analytical Report; No. 36). European Union. https://doi.org/10.2766/395704

De Carlo, M., & Anquetil, M. (2019). Un Référentiel de compétences de communication plurilingue en intercompréhension. Refic. Educazione Linguistica Language Education, 8, 163-234.

Garbarino, S. & Lesparre G. (in print).  Comment former une communauté d’apprentissage par et pour la communication multilingue. Analyse SWOT du dispositif COIL “UCIL-IC”, RDLC.

Gilardoni S., Sartirana L. (coord.) (2023), Approcci integrati plurilingui all’università. Metodi, formazione, esperienze, EDUCatt, Milano.

Lubicz-Nawrocka T. & Bovill C. (2021): Do students experience transformation through co-creating curriculum in higher education?, Teaching in Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/13562517.2021.1928060

Moriau, L., & Angouri, J. (2023). Participatory curriculum development: The case of EUTOPIA, a European university alliance. The Curriculum Journal, 00, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1002/curj.243

Ollivier, C., Bonvino, E. & Capucho, F. (coord.) (2016). EVAL-IC. Evaluation des compétences en intercompréhension. Partenariat stratégique de l’enseignement supérieur, 2016-1-FR01-KA203-024155. https://evalic.eu/

Piccardo, E., Germain Rutherford, A., Lawrence, G. (2022), The Routledge handbook of plurilingual language education. Routledge, London

Zanola, M.T. (2023). Language Policy in Higher Education, in M. Gazzola, F. Grin, L. Cardinal, K. Heugh (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Language Policy and Planning. Routledge, London, 483-496.