Context/backgroundThe increasing ageing of the population is a topic of actual importance that most European countries have to face. In the near future most citizens in Europe will be over 60 years old. This will affect the economical and social life. New challenges will occur by keeping them socially and educationally active to avoid social exclusion. Therefore the partnership considers it as important to focus on this target group and deal with the problem from the perspective of general adult education and training as well as from the perspective of the target group itself. Neuroscience carried on many studies on the aging process.Now a new study suggests that mental activity can offset the effects not just of degenerative diseases, but of normal aging as well. In an article published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, Nina Kraus and her colleagues at Northwestern University measured the ability of subjects to respond quickly and accurately to sounds that they heard.The learning partnership aims to elaborate a specific methodology to teach foreign languages to seniors (over 60) according to the abilities, learning capability, pace and time specific for this target group, without considering social and education backgrounds.ObjectivesA Manual for seniors’ teachers and trainers will be developed by the partnership. The Manual aims at supplying a sound methodology with pedagogical consideration and practical suggested activities. The partnership will involve the staff of adult education organisations and stakeholders in general to pilot the guidelines for trainers of this target group, to obtain a final version of the Manual resulted from the piloting feedbacks and outcomes.An initial research for good and bad practice collections from different European countries will be the basis of the Manual.Number and profile of participantsAll partners have a great experience to teach languages and they will bring their expertise and methodology in the project to produce a brand new methodology based on already existing and effective ones .The Italian partner Lingua Più, few years ago, started the application of the Montessori principles to foreign language teaching, with the aim of improving the quality of its educational programs, both with children and adults. The application of the Montessori Method in language training, is actually a very new methodology: researches in 9 EU countries have demonstrated that such a structured application does not exist anywhere else. The participation in EU projects improved the methodology and resulted in two Manuals written by Lingua Più. So, Lingua Più will bring in the project its expertise in language teaching, pedagogy and writing of teachers’ guidelines.Description of activitiesWe will organise 3 project meetings:Oct.2016 Vienna, Manual part oneJan 2017 France, Manual part twoMay 2017 Italy, Manual part threeWe will work on the Manual during the project meetings using different formats of presentation tools, round-table-discussions, group work, lectures.Methodology to be used in carrying out the projectAll partners have a great experience to teach languages and they will bring their expertise and methodology in the project to produce a brand new methodology based on already existing and effective ones.We will work intensively during the project meetings: Group work, round-table-discussions, exchange of written papers before the meeting.We will use the grant "Project management"- for the production costs of the Manual- for the organisation of the project meetings- for the establishing of a projects websiteA short description of the results and impact envisagedThe learning partnership aims to elaborate a specific methodology to teach foreign languages to seniors (over 60) according to the abilities, learning capability, pace and time specific for this target group, without considering social and education backgrounds.A Manual for seniors’ teachers and trainers will be developed by the partnership. The Manual aims at supplying a sound methodology with pedagogical consideration and practical suggested activities.Longer term benefitsAn increase of courses and participants 60+ who are attending our new language courses.We will involve local stakeholders in our project activities, among them representatives of other educational institutes: Hopefully these institutes will use our Manual for their offers of language courses.We see this project and the resulting Manual as one contribution to the discussion about activities for people 60+ in Europe.The direct group, 60+, will be shown the reasons why to learn a foreign language and also that the learning process it is easy also at this age. This will foster the request of language learning and consequently the active aging.