Gate to Languages ( cs, Brána jazyků, ) is a project of
lifelong education
Lifelong learning is the "ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated"Department of Education and Science (2000).Learning for Life: Paper on Adult Education Dublin: Stationery Office. pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons ...
of teachers, organized in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
by National Institute for Further Education (NIFE) since 17 October 2005. It is aimed at the development of foreign language skills and methodological competence of Czech
teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
s. The name of the project was inspired by the book ''Janua linguarum reserata'' (Gate to Languages Unlocked) by
Jan Amos Comenius
John Amos Comenius (; cs, Jan Amos Komenský; pl, Jan Amos Komeński; german: Johann Amos Comenius; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is consider ...
.
NIFE organizes the
methodology
In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for br ...
and
language courses for three target groups of teachers at Czech elementary and secondary schools and higher education institutions:
*Teachers without specialized qualification for teaching a foreign language, who, despite this fact, teach or are going to teach the language. This group involves mostly elementary school teachers of
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
and
French language who partly speak the language, but who were originally qualified in teaching different subjects. The course consists of 200 lessons and focuses on both teaching the participants the foreign language and provide them with some methodology training.
* Teachers qualified in teaching a foreign language. This group involves qualified teachers of the above-mentioned languages, who want to improve their methodological competence. The course consists of 30 lessons.
* Teachers of other subjects or non-teaching experts working at a school. In this group participants of the courses have a possibility to learn a foreign language, but the courses are not designed to present the methodology of its teaching. The course consists of 150 lessons.
7,173 teachers from the Czech Republic take part in the project, among them 6,340 in the English courses, 700 in the German courses and 133 in the French courses. 75 per cent of the expenses are financed from the
European Structural Funds and the rest by the Czech Republic Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The courses for qualified language teachers were finished in June 2006, the whole project is planned to finish in the end of June 2007.
References
{{Authority control
Czech educational programs
Language teacher training
English-language education
Education in the Czech Republic