Continuity of traditional and new tendencies in L1 teaching: A scientific essay on the challenges and projections

The study focuses on the basic dimensions of the teaching of mother tongue (L1) in relation to new challenges and prospects in the European context. The introductory part of the paper highlights some stimuli and inspirations from Polish professional provenance in the second half of the 20th century. The core of the paper focuses on four basic dimensions in L1 teaching set against the background of a variety of rele- vant educational documents and decrees, current scientific knowledge, the author’s research an d authentic pedagogical practice. The dimensions are: 1. A reference framework for education in the EU focusing on the competences a person requires to function in the 21st century. 2. The training and lifelong education of an L1 teachers, including the evaluation of the results of their work. 3. Educational programmes and standards for the teaching of L1, including the output measurement tools. 4. Comprehensive cognition, diagnostics and pupil’s personality development which respects the pupil’s learning a bilities and uti- lises the influence of the educational system and the overall circumstances of the pupil’s life.