Course overview

Using innovative methods of teaching is a crucial skill for teachers and education staff. Scientific research has shown that innovative teaching methods and approaches can significantly enhance the student learning process. Innovating our teaching strategies is no easy feat. It can be scary because, just like our students, it places us out of our comfort zone in a position where we can fail. However, experimenting new methods and strategies we can improve student engagement, motivation and attainment and is a win-win for both students and teachers.
This course allows participants to get to know, experiment and practice the most relevant innovative teaching methods - such as project-based learning, non-formal education, outdoors education, new technologies - in a safe environment, discussing and sharing best practices and experience with fellow European teachers and education staff.

Main objectives

This course provides participants with an overview of the trending innovative teaching methods as well as a cooperative, inspirational and stimulating space where to experiment and practice new tools, strategies and approaches.
The general aim of this course is to foster excellence and innovation in education by empowering and inspiring teachers, trainers, headmasters and other education staff to use innovative teaching methods while sharing best practices and experiences with fellow participants and trainers throughout all Europe gaining as well  a broader understanding of education in Europe.
Thanks to this course the participants will:
  • Get an overview of the trending innovative teaching methods and their benefits for the student learning process and attitude;
  • Get acquainted with the key principles and components of Project-Based Learning;
  • Learn how to design, prepare and deliver interactive  Non-Formal Education learning activities;
  • Learn how to use outdoor education for personal, social and relational development;
  • Get acquainted with the key principle of Contextual Learning;
  • Get acquainted and practice the most relevant new teaching methods and approaches in an international inspiring environment with the support of the course trainers;
  • Exchange good practices and discuss challenges with fellow colleagues and the course trainers about innovative teaching methods;
  • Network with individuals and organizations working in the education field in Europe through everyday cooperation and team-building activities.

Sessions planned

Bologna, Italy
09/09/2018 - 15/09/2018
20/01/2019 - 26/01/2019
11/08/2019 - 17/08/2019
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If none of these dates suits you please mind that if there are at least 8 participants interested we may organize an additional session ad-hoc for your school.

Target audience

This course is open to: teachers, headmasters, trainers, educational staff, school and education managers, educational and  career counsellors, other school staff, other adult education staff, other higher education staff, other non-governmental organization staff, public servants, policy makers.

Language

The course is held in English. For groups with at least 8 participants, we can organize an ad-hoc session in a different language. 
Please write an email to staff@ifom.info to get more information about it.
"Changes call for innovation, and innovation leads to progress."

- Li Keqiang

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"The course is amazingly organized, very clearly allowed us to collect important tools to develop a project. Francesco helped us all the way through the process, making us improving and avoiding common mistakes."

- Vasco Pereira, Portugal

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"Great 5 days in hot Sicily with a professional staff and warmly welcoming locals."

- Satu Koistinen, Finland

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"A well organized course, with friendly and knowledgeable trainers. Nice way to learn a lot of new things but also make new friends and potential european project partners."

- Maria Papanagiotou, Greece

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"Course on preventing ESL was very informative, usefull not just in ESL prevention but for developing student motivation and engagement in general. I did learn a lot, the course was at the same time relaxing and fun!"

- Marko Fucek

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"Thank you! I enjoyed the positive atmosphere, active lessons and their content"

  

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"Great course with great trainers, and the topics were very interesting"

    

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Past participants say [E-learn]...

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“This course has provided me new knowledge and tools which I can implement to my classes and teaching methods. The organization and service were wonderful! I have always had the support that I've needed from everybody in IFOM and the hotel. It was an experience that I will remember for lifetime.”

- Dragana Gorički, Croatia

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"The course was tailored to our needs and expectations, the IFOM personnel was knowledgeable and well trained. The accomodation was excellent and the course was above and beyond my expectations."

- Athanasios Linardos, Greece

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"The course was very well-organized and well-planned. The trainer was perfect. It was easy to understand what he wanted to say and to follow his instructions. He gave us enough time to assimilate things and we had enough practice for every item."

- Irina Savova, Bulgaria

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“If you want to live with the XXIst century technology and upgrade your didactic work, a great place and method is IFOM with the wonderful team: Francesco, Giulia, Francesca, Elisa, Alina and Luisa.”

- Mihaela Seusan, Romania

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"The course was really practical. It was well structured and in that way met (often) demanding expectation that adults have when learning. I’m looking forward to my presentation at home about the course. Francesco is the best!"

- Anney Þórunn Þorvaldsdóttir, Iceland

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Past participants say [Social]...

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“I have much appreciated the flexibility to organize my course, given the chance to study with tools and some social media. Francesco was always available to provide me advices. I also appreciate the commitment of the whole team of IFOM.”

- UGUEN Noël, France

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"I really enjoyed the course, I’ve learnt how to use many educational platforms. Francesco and Silvana were really helpful and cheerful."

- Katarína Ondrášiková, Slovakia

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“IFOM is a very competent and dedicated organization that can provide teachers with a lot of information, training and practice. I would recommend any teacher who wants to improve their digital abilities to go in for such a course and spread the content among colleagues.”

- Michael Huber-Kirchberger, Austria

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"The course enriched me with the practical knowledge on how to make a blog using Weebly and also helped me find ideas to use instagram. The trainers were helpful, patient and flexible. They also organized cultural activities."

- Elżbieta Lemańska, Poland

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"The course has been a great experience – especially because of the competent and charming trainer, Francesco and his assistant Giulia. The training always fit to the participants' needs and wishes. THANK YOU VERY MUCH."

- Franziska Knob, Germany

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Past participants say [ICT]...

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"I really loved the course about the use of ICT and new technologies in education. From the very beginning everything was very well organized and the course itself is educational and provides lots of information and practical work. I think every teacher can find something for his/her classes and improvement in their work."

- Lana Krvopić, Croatia

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"The course was really informative. exchanging ideas with other European teachers was very useful. Our trainer knew a lot about e-learning and he answered all our questions. We also had enough time to work on our projects so now my school has a Wikipedia article and I made my first instructional video that I put on youtube."

- Susanne Neumann, Austria

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"The topic was very interesting and I’ve learned a lot. The teacher, Francesco, is great and patient and we can learn from him how to be better teacher and trainer for our students."

- Magdalena Nowak, Poland

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"A practical, relevant, interactive, engaging and exceptionally enjoyable course with participants from all over Europe. Highly recommend!"

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- Zane Zariņa, Latvia

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Past participants say [Soft]...

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"Being a teacher for nearly thirty years and having attended all sorts of courses, training courses and lectures, this is probably the only one I wish all my colleagues could attend, both for the themes and the proficiency which was delivered."

- Maria Isabel Vieira Rodrigues, Portugal

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"It was fantastic. It was beyond my expectations. It gave me tools to improve my teaching skills that will help motivate my students."

- Sonia Ferreira, Portugal

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This course gave us time to reflect on ourselves as teachers and as people in general. It made us more conscious of our behavior and taught us how to improve our relationship with others.

- Anabela da Silva Santos, Portugal

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"Perfect trainer and a very valuable training. I’ve learnt a lot especially about myself and I hope it will improve my comfort of life personal and professional."

- Natasza Tchòrz, Poland

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"I liked the course very much. Soft Skills are very important for teaching. It was great to take part in this course with such a good coach, Francesco, and with people from different nationalities."

- Cláudia Maria Azevedo Domingues, Portugal

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"It was a fully week with knowledge, activities, cultural tours, team working and so many acquisitions, both personal and professional. A great team of trainers, young and beautiful, smart and creative. The colleagues were awesome and my word for this training is EXCELLENT."

- Gianina Buruiana, Romania

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Past participants say [Speak]...

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"I would highly recommend this course. There was a perfect balance between theory, new learning and activities. The instructors were very knowledgeable, approachable and helpful. All in all a very well planned, structured and well delivered training."

- Siobhan Keenan Fitzgerald, Ireland

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"Great opportunity to increase our everyday knowledge. Do not hesitate to sign in. Language is not a problem."

- Daniel Pereira, Germany

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“The course was very helpful in terms of public speaking skills, it helped me to see all my mistakes while speaking in public.”

- Stancu Lorena, Romania

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“IFOM and its team are amazing, they are professional and they make you feel at home.”

- Daniel Ceballos López, Spain

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Past participants say [NFE]...

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“A young and open-minded team, available, patient and showing updated knowledge at various subjects and with multiple applications and directions.”

- Rosa Silva, Portugal

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"This course was very innovative and taught me new methods. I discovered differences between each of the type of learning, new ways to warm-up or energize the students, new non-formal working methods."

- Diana Sârbu, Romania

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"It’s a very active and interesting course, where you can learn many active methods of teaching."

- Bertea Mihaela, Romania

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"If you want to improve your communication skills, teamwork skills and to develop your knowledge related to NFE, attend this course!"

- Suciu Alina Natalia, Romania

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"This course can be very useful for teachers who want to improve their classes using non formal activities. The trainer Giulia was very professional, efficient and full of knowledge to be shared."

- Fátima Rodrigues, Portugal

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Standard daily programme

Please find below the standard indicative daily programme that will be personalized on participants needs and professional profiles.
Our standard program comprises 7 days of course, of which the first one is dedicated to networking, preparation and cultural immersion and the last one to follow up, specific needs and cultural activities. Please note that we always do our best to accommodate the specific needs of our participants in a flexible way, including but not limited to budget restrictions and travel arrangement. Participants can choose to arrive 1 day before the start of the course and/or leave one day after the end of it in order to enjoy a deeper cultural immersion. Upon specific request we can organize longer or shorter versions of this course.
Sunday
 -  Participants arrival
 -  Individual orientation and information about the venue and the city 
 -  Networking activities
 -  Guided visit in Bologna (optional)
 -  Welcome dinner
Monday
 -  Course introduction
 -  Competences ex-ante evaluation
 -  Teambuilding exercises
 -  From teacher centered to student centered approach
 -  Reflections on current teaching practices and challenges
 -  Basic concepts and principles about non-formal education
 -  How to foster students’ motivation, participation and creativity through non-formal, informal and experiential learning activities
Tuesday
 -  The extra benefit of using non-formal methods in a multicultural environment
 -  Practical work: designing, preparing and implementing engaging non-formal  activities
 -  How to use technology and game-based education to make teaching more interactive
 -  Practical work: creating and delivering interactive learning games
 -  Cultural activities in Bologna and traditional Italian aperitif
Wednesday
 -  Exploiting the power of multimedia e and digital app to engage the students in the learning process
 -  Practical work: create a lesson around a video and engage the students
 -  The world of Contextual Learning
 -  Key principles and benefits about outdoor education and outdoor learning
 -  Guided visit in Florence or Venice (optional)
Thursday
 -  The value of outdoor education for personal, social and relational development
 -  Experimenting group exercises and challenges, problem solving games and experiential activities outdoor
 -  Practical work: designing, planning and delivering outdoor educational activities
Friday
 -  The key components of Project-Based Learning (PBL)
 -  Formulating your Driving Question
 -  The importance of student driven activities in PBL
 -  Practical work: designing an effective PBL activity
 -  Dinner in traditional Italian restaurant
Saturday
 -  Space for discussion of future cooperation and planning follow up activities
 -  Course roundup and final evaluation
 -  Validation of learning outcomes and certification ceremony
 -  Additional training session tailored to specific needs (optional)
 -  Cultural activities or additional guided visit in another major Italian city (optional)
 -  Participants departure
    Pre-registration

Other relevant facts

  • Methodology
  • Costs and Erasmus+ Funding
  • Certification and Validation of learning outcomes
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We tailor the working methods based upon participants’ needs, attitudes and professional profiles in order to ensure high productivity, effectiveness and transferability into practice.
The standard methodology is highly practical and participative with hands-on approach that comprises real-job examples, case studies examination and simulations. We embrace collaboratively working methods that foster mutual learning and cooperation among participants. Our focus is on learning in an interactive and international environment knowledge applicable to the real contexts and/or in the classroom. The pedagogical methods that we use are based upon experiential training, group and peer activities, learning-by-doing and best practices’ exchange. They include visits with local schools and institutions allowing the participants to better understand the local education system as well as exchange ideas and contacts.
Morning Wrap-up and brief daily evaluations are foreseen to ensure quality of education and to adapt the learning programme to participants' needs better tailoring the education.
We organize optional social, networking and cultural activities in order to give participants the opportunity to know Italy as well as to exchange best-practice and establish professional cooperation and links.
The training and staff team is multinational thus giving a full European dimension to the course.
​Teachers, trainers, headmasters and any other staff of education organizations are eligible to receive an Erasmus+ grant covering all the costs to attend our training courses including travel, board and lodging, cultural activities and all fees. Our training courses are tailored to be fully funded by Erasmus+ and we offer different options to ensure that the Erasmus+ grant will be sufficient. Read more about Erasmus+ funding, shall you have any problem with your grant please let us know and we will see how to accommodate your needs.
 The most common option that we offer costs EUR 1220 and includes course fee, certification and support fee, accommodation in single room, all coffee breaks, 3 meals per day, walking tour in the venue’s city and local transport during the training course. Based on your preferences and budget you can request different services, a less inclusive/cheaper package or you can choose to organize the board and lodging by yourself and opt to just attend the training course. Read more about how we take care of your subsistence.
At the end of the course, each participant will be awarded a certificate of attendance including a description of training content and as well as its starting and end date, together - if requested -  with the Europass Mobility Certificate.
We support the participants in every step of certification an d validation of learning outcomes with specific focus on European instruments and Erasmus plus requirements such as staff mobility/learning agreement, quality commitment and Europass mobility certificate.
We experienced that schools and education organizations may require additional documents to certify the competences learned or the presence in the training course. Upon request we can provide additional certification and reporting documents as well as we provide photos of the training course and a sum-up video that can be used for visibility and dissemination purposes.

Videos and photos of previous training courses

Related and similar training courses

Applying non-formal methods in school and adult education

Learn more about the growing trend towards valuing non-formal and informal learning, practice and master concrete non-formal activities, working  methods and tools that you’ll be able to use the day after the course in your classroom
​​Project Based Learning in the Classroom

​The course explores three key challenges related to the implementation of PBL: how to establish effective collaboration among students, how to facilitate student-driven activities, and finally how to assess PBL in the classroom.

Sessions planned

Bologna, Italy
09/09/2018 - 15/09/2018
20/01/2019 - 26/01/2019
11/08/2019 - 17/08/2019
​
If none of these dates suits you please mind that we may organize an additional session ad-hoc for your school if there are at least 6 participants interested so feel welcome to contact us at office@ifom.info to let us know about your needs. When adding an ad-hoc session we may be able to organize it in your language.