Professor Hanna Komorowska—an acclaimed expert in the field of language education
Hanna Komorowska is a Professor at SWPS University’s Department of English Studies at the Faculty of Humanities in Warsaw. She is a renowned expert in the field of foreign language teaching and language pedagogy. Throughout her career, Prof. Komorowska held various positions, including Vice-Rector of the University of Warsaw and President of the Polish Association of Modern Languages (PTN).
Her doctoral dissertation on interference in learning English as a foreign language (1972) was the first Ph.D. in Poland submitted in this field of study. Prof. Komorowska is also the author of the first empirical research in the field of language learning and teaching in Poland. As the Head of the Curriculum Development Centre for Languages, she has built a team of specialists responsible for implementing functional communicative syllabuses into language education in Polish schools.
FIPLV International Award Certificate of Honour
After the fall of Communism in Central Eastern Europe (1989), she was heading the Expert Committee for foreign language teaching and teacher education reform in Poland (1989-1993). Thanks to the committee’s efforts, foreign languages, namely English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, were included in the curriculum for secondary schools. Those languages have replaced Russian which, until then, was obligatory for all students.
Prof. Komorowska is also known for her work abroad. She served as the Polish delegate to the Modern Languages Project Group at the Council of Europe. She was also a member of the High Level Group on Multilingualism established by the European Commission and a consultant to the European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe.
Prof. Komorowska is the author of numerous publications on language teaching methodology and teacher education. The European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages, which she co-authored, was translated into 15 languages. Her accomplishments have been recognized and appreciated at the academic and ministerial level. For example, she is a recipient of the National Education Committee Medal, the highest honor awarded to educators by the Polish Ministry of Education and Science.
International Federation of Language Teacher Associations
The International Federation of Language Teacher Associations (Fédération Internationale des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes) was founded in Paris in 1931. It is the only international multilingual association of language teachers. The Federation aims to promote teaching and learning of languages to facilitate and improve communication, understanding, cooperation, and friendly relations among all nations of the world. Furthermore, FIPLV attempts to develop the continuity and cohesion of multilingual education in primary, secondary, further, higher and adult education.
The key authority of FIPLV is the World Assembly, which brings together the representatives of member associations every three years. The World Congress is an occasion for presenting FIPLV International Awards. This year the event took place on June 27-29, in Warsaw. The theme was Language education in the times of global change: The need for collaboration and new perspectives.