Articles

The project

MMLT (Montessori Methodology in Language Training) is a project which is funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission (Key Activity 2: Languages) which aims to transfer to the language learning of adults over 20 the Montessori educational method which has been proved very efficient and successful with children until 16 years old and deals very effectively with the personalization of the education methods and the consideration of the blocks of the learners.

Language teachers often meet the same problems, above all with adults (or university students over 20), such as refusal to learn new languages and trainees’ early abandon of their training course, often due to the lack of time and the idea that in adult age, a language learning is much more difficult. This is mainly due to an obsolete approach to languages, often too standardised, without keeping in due consideration the adults’ psychological blocks and individual learning times.

The project has developed a manual for the transfer of the Montessori method to language learning for adults and university students. In this manual the Montessori method was adapted in order to fit the needs of language learning. The manual is available in all the partners' languages (Greek, Italian, English, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish). On the basis of this manual, the project has organised workshops and e-learning courses in order to train language teachers all over Europe to use the Montessori method when delivering their language courses. The training of the teachers included the practical implementation of the method in language learners.

The project had a significant impact in many fields: it produced a new innovative methodology for teaching foreign languages to adults, it enriched trainers’ curriculum with a distinctive and modern updating , it facilitated trainers’ exchange of good practices, using a common method and enhanced trainees’ motivation in reaching their goal (learning a foreign language) more successfully.