Empower Refugee Women through XR supported Language learning
Project acronym: XRWomen
Duration: 1.1.2023 – 31.12.2024
Project Partners:
Centre for Advancement of Research and Development in Educational Technology (Cyprus)
University of Aegean (Greece)
University of Lodz (Poland)
SEMwell a Motion Digital s.r.o. (Czech Republic)
Short summary
The increasing number of migrants and refugees arriving in Europe places new demands on European education systems. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that over 70 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide. The main area which may occur problematic regarding civic engagement and participation of refugees is education. It is considered that quality education is not easily accessible by those affected. In many EU countries, linguistic education is limited and generally designed to let refugees reach only a basic level of language knowledge. As a consequence, more appropriate materials and methods are needed. Textbooks and lessons should be built on refugees’ needs and daily life in order to provide immediate and useful help to their daily needs. For example, language lessons should provide basic lexical knowledge, covering issues such as the asylum procedure, documents, medical needs, job seeking, etc. The importance of education relies on recognizing their qualifications and their overcoming of language barriers, increases the potential of refugees to contribute to the socio-economic progress of the receiving country and thus avoid marginalization.
General project aim
XRWomen aims at involving immigrant women with fewer opportunities, such as women with low skills as well as women that face discrimination and fewer opportunities in a professional and educational world based on their age, sexual orientation, abilities, skills, educational background, professional background, family background etc. By improving the language skills of refugee women through innovative digital language teaching tools, it is assumed that their integration into society will be easier.
Objectives
1. Promote language learning for communication through XR tools for inclusion, civic engagement, and participation and support adult educators/language teachers in improving their teaching practices.
2. Create upskilling pathways and improve accessibility in education for refugee women and women with fewer opportunities.
3. Empower women refugees esp. women with fewer opportunities through education and the use of innovative digital language teaching tools.
Target groups
1. Refugee Women and women with fewer opportunities: the main target group are refugee women that move to a foreign country and don’t know the language of the country they are going to study and live in.
2. Teachers, educators, instructors, researchers, school leaders, adult education staff: that already work in public or private language schools or centres that offer language courses for the specific target group of learners. Furthermore, education centres staff that offers language courses.
3. Education Decision Makers/Policymakers/NGOs, and officers from relevant Ministries and offices.
Expected results
An innovative and practical toolkit to promote the use of XR in language learning and teaching for specific purposes, in a particular case to empower refugee women and women with fewer opportunities in improving their language skills and communication in their daily lives.
Innovative quality pedagogical material and resources (training package) through 4 interactive learning modules, to promote language learning in specific communicative situations.
A user-friendly and interactive learning space available to any person interested in applying the project’s innovative methods and tools.
If you would like to know more about the project contact Veronika Vesela: veronika.vesela@motiondigital.eu
This project is cofunded by Erasmus+. Project number: KA220-ADU-D40A8F95
Comments