Center for Teachers’ Language Competences

Teachers’ language competences play a key role in successful language teaching. The competence center focuses on the development, research, assessment and counseling related to the language requirements for teaching.

The competence center combines the know-how of the St.Gallen University of Teacher Education (PHSG), the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), the Lausanne University of Teacher Education (HEP-VD) and the University of Lausanne (UNIL). The Institute of Multilingualism (IFM), a joint institute of the University of Fribourg and the University of Teacher Education, Fribourg acts as main consultant. This national cooperation guarantees the expertise across Switzerland’s language regions. Moreover, the close cooperation with the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) of the Council of Europe in Graz ensures the center’s international collaborations. 

Competences and services

The center

• is the point of contact for consulting and further education for profession-related language competences
• conducts research and development projects to promote profession-related language competencies of language teachers (foreign languages, language of schooling, language in all subjects)
• cooperates with the Swiss centers for education in projects relating to the promotion of young researchers
• supports the Working Group for Foreign Languages of the Chamber of Universities of Teacher Education of swissuniversities with the implementation of the recommendations on the use of profession-related language competences
• coordinates development work on a possible future frame of reference for teachers’ language-specific competences as part of the project Towards a Common European Framework of Reference for Language Teachers (European Centre for Modern Languages ECML of the Council of Europe in Graz)

Profession-related language competence profiles

In terms of content, the work the competence center is linked to the project "Profession-related language competence profiles for foreign language teachers", which was carried out during the period 2011–2014.
Within the context of this project, language competence profiles differentiated by language level were developed by the Institute for Language Teacher Education (IFDS) of the St.Gallen University of Teacher Education in cooperation with the HEP-VD and the SUPSI and in close cooperation with the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) and the Swiss Conference of Rectors of Universities of Teacher Education (COHEP).