New campaign to strengthen language skills in Flemish primary education
Flemish education minister Zuhal Demir and the Flemish Language Platform have on Monday launched the new Klim in Taal campaign at the primary school Klim-Op in Sint-Truiden. On a new website, primary school teachers can find numerous scientific insights, initiatives and practical examples to improve their pupils' language skills.
The primary education curricula in Flanders are currently being reviewed. As a result, the bar will be set at the same level for children in primary education throughout Flanders. International research shows that reading skills in primary and secondary education are currently not particularly strong in the region.
"The focus should not lie solely on reading, but also on speaking, writing and listening"
To raise the bar for language skills, teachers must “possess all the tools to ensure that pupils can reach that bar, or enjoy and understand language to such an extent that they can aim even higher,” said professor Lieven Buysse of KU Leuven university, core group member of the Flemish Language Platform.
According to Buysse, the focus should not lie solely on reading, but also on speaking, writing and listening. “If you focus on all four at the same time, you achieve much greater learning gains,” he said.
Language as the foundation
For Flemish education minister Zuhal Demir, the new Klim in Taal (Climb in Language) platform is one of the means of improving language education in Flanders, now that the minimum targets have been rewritten.
"It is very valuable to have a platform like Klim in Taal, where resources are available and schools receive tips"
“We are also going to place real emphasis on a richer vocabulary and better reading comprehension,” said Demir. “So it is of course very valuable to have a platform like Klim in Taal, where resources are available and schools receive tips on teaching materials and didactics — to teach language to children in a good and creative way.”
Demir stressed that “language is more than just a part of learning”. “It is the foundation that makes all other forms of learning possible,” she declared. “Processing information and communicating with each other is something we all do.”
More information about the campaign can be found at www.klimintaal.be.
#FlandersNewsService | Illustration © BELGA PHOTO BELPRESS
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