Language Learning Games for migrants and refugees

Communication is the key for integration. EU countries are experiencing a massive flow of migrants and asylum-seekers that urgently need to be integrated in our societies. Differing from children, adults don’t have many opportunities to socialize in their host countries and the chances to learn and practice language skills are very limited. EU countries vary in the language integration programs offered but commonly courses follow traditional learning patterns that many participants unfortunately fail to follow and understand. Learning opportunities offered to migrants need to be tailored to their most urgent needs following patterns that will motivate and empower adult participants with less learning experience to actively participate in the language learning process. Game On addresses the need to understand and promote the informal game-based learning methodology as an alternative that will engage vulnerable learners in physical and digital games specifically created to practice and master elementary communication strategies that will facilitate their social integration in the host countries. The final games for elementary learners and the ready to use game-based methodology and TATs benefit both trainers and learners.

FINAL OBJECTIVE =to create elements that will empower migrants & refugees to improve their most frequently needed language skills in the host countries facilitating thus their social inclusion process. To reach the goal, it focused on the improvement of trainers’ professional skills for the creation of game-based language learning activities. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: *Build the capacity of language teachers to better understand & use games as didactically powerful & motivating activities: R1 (guide) offers the framework, R2:TAT piloted with 50 teachers & program created as OER, R3 creates the games & tests them with 136 migrants, analysing feedbacks & rethinking. *Develop & test the language learning game-based methodologies for migrants & refugees compiling results in R1 & in the manual for trainers created in R2. *Experiment in a European framework & create physical & digital games for language integration programs at level A1&A2: 24 games for each language * Improve digital skills of trainers &learners & to develop &pilot 13 additional digital learning games in 6 languages that are ready to be used autonomously or in existing regular language integration programs.*Enhance free qualitative teaching materials to improve lang. classes

The main activities were focusing on the development of the project results._ R1/METHODOLOGICAL GUIDE: all countries contributed to the development of the R1 with the desk researches on the national contexts on the kind of games that were used in language learning classes and the prerequisites and the obstacles for the integration of games into the adult learning process. The 6 countries also conducted 6 focus groups with 60 participants, 3 groups with teachers and experts in language learning and 3 groups with migrants to provide the necessary input to create a 56 pages methodological guidebook for language learning through games in 6 languages. In order to recruit participants for the focus groups and to start working with the respective local networks, partners contacted hosting centers for migrants and refugees, migrant associations, libraries and integration centers in their communities. The development and implementation of this result involved at least 10 internal staff members (2 per country) in the content structuring and development, 3 staff members to organize and moderate the migrants' focus groups (1 per country), 3 members to organize and moderate the trainers focus groups, 30 migrants/refugees to participate in the migrants' focus groups including feedback, 30 trainers to participate in the trainers' focus groups including feedback, 10 external trainers to feedback the created content (2 per country), 1 staff member for the layout. Total participants: INTERNAL= 10 creating materials, researching and evaluating + 6 conducting focus groups and evaluating + 1 layout = 17 and EXTERNALS= 30 focus groups with migrants + 30 focus groups with trainers/experts + 10 evaluating = 70 _R2/ TEACHERS' TRAINING: Each country contributed to the development of the training curriculums and created different handouts, slides and specific parts of the guidebook for language teachers. The final teachers’ training courses (TAT) were created in 6 languages (first pilot was in English). The courses were piloted in five countries and covered 16 hours local training courses involving migrants’ teachers and youth workers (50 participants in total; 10 per country). The validated final courses include a guide for teachers, the course curriculum, the prepared handouts for the course and the presented slides. Everything in 6 languages. All materials have been installed in the website ready to be downloaded. The final layout of the materials was prepared by the IT partner. The development and implementation of this result involved at least 10 internal staff members (2 per country) in the content structuring and development, 5 staff members to organize and conduct the training with the trainers (1 per country), 50 trainers to participate in the trainers' course including feedback, 1 staff member for the layout. Total participants: INTERNAL= 10 creating materials, and evaluating + 5 delivering the national courses with trainers + 1 layout = 16 and EXTERNALS= 50 trainers participating in the 5 courses in the different countries and giving feedback = 50 _R3: Partners have developed a total of 37 games in English that were adapted and translated into 5 languages creating in total 222 versions of the games. 24 are physical games and 13 online games targeting the elementary levels A1 and A2. The topics covering are the following: 6 games on Education & training, 6 on health, 6 in the market, 7 on social relationships, hobbies and entertainment, 7 on personal identity and housing and 6 on professional life and social services. All games were developed by trainers and other pedagogic staff members and focus on one or several of the following linguistic skills: vocabulary, grammar, reading, writing, speaking and listening. The final games were integrated and piloted in five language courses for migrants. The testing sessions included 24 hours classes and a total of 136 migrants/refugees were engaged in the fun activities of the courses; more than the expected 20 migrants/ country. The physical games have been printed in the different countries and the digital games can be reached through the game instructions that have been installed in the project website. The development and implementation of this result involved at least 10 internal staff members (2 per country) in the content structuring and development, 5 staff members to organize and conduct the training with the trainers (1 per country) (some countries involved several trainers including external trainers), 136 migrants/refugees attending the courses where the games were tested including feedback from trainers and learners, 1 staff member for the layout and printing the materials. Total participants: INTERNAL= 10 creating materials, researching and evaluating + 5 delivering the courses to migrants and testing there the games + 1 layout = 16 and EXTERNALS= 136 migrants participating the testing of the games in their language courses and giving feedback + min. 5 external trainers testing some of the games in their running classes. = 136 All materials have been produced under CCBYNCSA licenses. In addition to the activities carried out for the development of mentioned main project results partners have implemented numerous background activities that have contributed to successfully reach the project's goals: AT THE MANAGEMENT LEVEL: The signing of the partner agreements at the beginning of the project span, the setting up of a Steering Committee, the setting up of the national working groups inviting also external institutions. Creating the communication plan including the setting of the structure of the Admin Project Platform that assured a clear management plan including milestones and deadlines and the creation of a transparent communication strategy with regular communication notifications at internal and external level. Regular staff meetings in the different countries, team online meetings and 3 face2face international meetings (Berlin, Paris and Palermo) attended by each partner. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE QUALITY STRATEGY that includes regular monitoring activities and evaluation reports at internal and external level after each working step and open activity. The creation of the risk management plan and its regular control, the creation of the management reporting tools including timesheets, budget control, project timelines and generating the semester partner reports that were regularly shared in the consortium. IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECTS’ DISSEMINATION, EXPLOITATION AND SUSTAINABILITY strategies that include the project CI, the logo, the templates, Website: https://gameonproject.eu, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gameonproject.eu, Leaflet, 4 nicely designed Newsletters distributed among 2500 recipients, organisation of 5 national multiplier events engaging further 169 participants in the project aims, regular contacting of partner institutions and involving them in the project developments. Inviting internal and external participants to discover the project’s results and to use them in their classes. Including the created courses, teachers’ materials and games in the regular learning programs of the involved institutions in the project. Total recipients more than 123.000 and 143 dissemination actions.

R1: The METHODOLOGICAL GUIDE for teachers and trainers to implement games in language learning trainings: It defines the framework for introduction of game-based learning in language classes. It is addressed teachers and trainers who teach the local language to migrants and refugees. The guide provides theoretical and practical support. For the development of R1 the partnership created: 5 NATIONAL DESK RESEARCHES regarding the use of games in language learning 6 reports of the focus groups: 3 with trainers and 3 with migrants to analyze the teachers’ experiences and learners’ needs and expectations on the topic. 1. draft of the guidebook a final draft of the guidebook including layout and translations from English to the 5 partner languages. Involved participants: FOCUS GROUPS: 60 externals + 6 internal / CONTENT R1 10 internal creating R2: THE TEACHERS’ TRAINING PROGRAM. TAT aiming at building the capacity of language teachers to incorporate games into their foreign language classes that addresses migrants’ learning needs. It includes a material pack with a 16 hours CURRICULUM of the piloted TAT (23 pages divided into 2 days activities à 8 hours including timing for handouts and slides), 11 HANDOUTS, 91 PPT SLIDES to present and the final 98 pages GUIDE FOR TEACHERS that summarizes the activity and the background. Further, R2 implements 5 pilot courses as first test of the developed materials and methodology with 50 trainers. The curriculum is conceived as an in-class intensive teacher training; 8 hours per day 2 day long. The participants of the courses were migrants’ teachers/coachers delivering courses at elementary levels. The experiences of the pilots were recorded in 5 NATIONAL REPORTS OF THE PILOTS WITH TRAINERS and the conclusion added to the methodological guide in R1. The internal national reports were created in English and course materials and courses have been created in 6 languages and allocated in the website as OERs. The materials created here are part of the info pack that was delivered to NGOs, language trainers, training and migrant centers. Involved participants: 50 externals + 5 internal course delivery + 10 creating R2 R3: LEARNING MATERIAL/GAMES: It is composed by 37 language learning games that have been created by partners’ trainers. They have been presented in the TAT R2 to the 50 participants for a first evaluation before they were tested in regular (integration) language courses for 24 hours with 136 refugees/migrants. They cover topics of personal daily life most needed interactions and promote interactions at elementary level. Games in 6 languages (total 122 versions). The games include 24 physical games and 13 games digital in each language covering writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary and grammar. Involved participants: 136 externals + 5 internal course delivery + 10 creating R3 R1, R2 and R3 materials have been created as OER (CCBYNCSA). To the outputs of the main results the project has created the following: PROJECT LOGO, project WEBSITE, FACEBOOK page, regular POSTS on the project’s development and related topics in SM channels, LEAFLETS in 6 languages, INFO PACK TO DELIVER THE TAT for trainers and NGOs including the different materials developed, 4 NEWSLETTERS in 6 languages. STRATEGIES for: COMMUNICATION, DISSEMINATION, RISK management, EXPLOITATION&SUSTAINABILITY, EVALUATION&MONITORING Tools (internal and external): Questionnaires and forms; MANAGEMENT REPORTS: Interim and final Reports, ALLOCATION of a digital project MANAGEMENT SYSTEM system created in the Admin Project Platform including all working steps, communication, structures, financial documents, dissemination proofs and final outcomes AGENDAS and MINUTES for the regular online meetings and the 3 international meetings Final internal reports on dissemination activities, evaluation activities and exploitation plan. All internal communication materials have been created in English. PPT PRESENTATIONS and AGENDAS for the 5 multiplier events in different languages.