The ELA Blog

It was the 13th of December when the last group of this wonderful year arrived in Bologna, ready to start a course on ICT. The participants came from different cities of Greece and were eager to learn all about the latest technologies and applications to use in the education field. The first thing we did was to present ourselves to the rest of the classroom to better bond as a group. Secondly the teacher proposed a survey to understand the needs and expectations of the groups in order to tailor the course to their goals and necessities. What emerged was an overall interest for tools to create engaging presentations and video lessons.
​In this delicate period of pandemics it may be of great use the implementation of online lessons with virtual whiteboards. This is the reason why we decided to introduce this topic into our class! The group learned how to carry on an online lesson and share it with the rest of the participants. Going on with the class, the participants had the chance to discover an education technology platform that makes it easy to augment images, videos, and virtual tours with additional information and links. They practiced by creating their own “scene” with tags on it

​Since the need to discover presentation tools was pivotal, we explored together two presentation applications that can be used as alternatives to PowerPoint. The group presented to the whole class their work while laughing and enjoying the atmosphere.
Another important topic was the world of video presentation, again using two different tools that allow them to add texts, images, stickers, music, links and much more to a video! The class had a lot of fun exploring the applications to create quizzes, in order to assess the knowledge of the students. We played together individually and in teams and later the group had the time to create their own quizzes to test with the others. The last topic we discovered was that of web design, interesting for those who wish to lay out their website for professional or personal reasons. It was the hardest part of the week but the group did not gave up! They created very different designs and blogs to show the rest of the class

The week finished with a fun wrap up of all the tools we discovered together and the certificate ceremony to celebrate the knowledge learned.
The course was described by one of the participants as “a nice, friendly and innovative way to learn about teaching platforms and practice the knowledge you gained”.
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Another year has passed, see you in 2022 with many other adventures :)

​The society we live in is extremely diversified and, as teachers, one of our main goal is to try to address and teach diversity to our students. This was the focus of the course “Diversity in the classroom: teaching tolerance and overcoming prejudices and discrimination” that took place in the last week of November in Bologna, where we had the pleasure to welcome 8 participants form different parts of Europe (Spain, Germany, Romania, Sweden and Latvia) who shared their experience and tried together to answer to some key questions:

How do we differentiate learning? How do we adapt to different learning needs?
Who are our students and how do we communicate with them?
What are the main issues in our classroom?

Once we have a better understanding and awareness of our identity, what happens when we face diversity?

We explored how stereotypes can affect students’ life and how they often trap us in vicious cycle. Through some practical example and the storytelling technique, we saw how stereotypes evolve into judgments and discrimination.
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After that, participants had the chance to discuss about two key concepts: awareness and respect. The glasses through which we perceive the world are a product of our identity and the reality is different depending on which glasses we are wearing. We saw through some exercises how often we put labels without even be conscious of that, and how often the reality is different from our perception.

​Through many group activities and simulations, we investigated how different values can be and the crucial link between value and culture. As teachers, one of our task is to stress the complexity of communication, helping students to develop critical thinking and a positive attitude to better understand diversity.
Another topic that was analyzed was “membership”: how do we behave when we belong to a group? We experienced what does it mean to be excluded and how difficult it is to include others into our dynamics. We learned through the gig saw method what goose know about collaboration: it’s easier to fly together!
Finally, the last chapter of the course was about empathy: The capacity of individuals to recognize their own and other people’s emotions, using this information to guide thinking and behavior. We dug into feelings and emotions, fostering teachers to put themselves in other people’s shoes. Being aware of our emotions is crucial but it’s important as well to train ourselves and the students to express them.

​More info on these courses at: https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/teaching-diversity.html.

On the first day of class, we asked our new group of 14 teachers the following question: what would you see going on in a classroom in which there is a supportive climate for students? As we started diving into the topic of the week, we asked our participants to reflect on their classroom experiences. If given the opportunity to create your “perfect classroom”, how would you create it? Which characteristics would it have? ​

Having defined our end goal, participants worked hard during the week to fill their toolbox of skills and practical ideas useful to reach it. Starting from Social Emotional Learning, the capacity of individuals to recognize their own, and other people's emotions, to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior. By testing some activities together, participants recognized it as a major factor able to improve the classroom environment by creating a more tolerant and supportive atmosphere.

In order to be more inclusive and welcoming toward diversity, the group later explored four ways through which they can better diversify their teaching: Content (what the student learns), Process (how the student learns), Product (how the student demonstrates learning) and Environment (where the student learns). ​The activity performed to approach these four aspects was called “learning stations”: in each station, one of the four topics above mentioned was discussed in a different way. This activity was much appreciated because it gave lots of different inputs and ideas to bring back to their classes.

The fourth part of the course was focused on communication, especially investigating the difference between fixed and growth mindset. After being put to test and challenged on the assumptions they had about their own mindsets, the group analyzed the characteristics of what is called “growth mindset” and put their knowledge to practice by doing some group exercises. 

More info on this course at: https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/classroom-management.html 

The second Transnational Project Meeting of the KA2-MORALSTEAM took place online on November the 3rd. The main purpose of meeitng with the Project Coordinator Planet Alive and the the project partners, Tag of Joy and Aspect, was presenting and discussing the first version of the videogame. The creators of the game Tag of joy introduced the mechanics of the game, the menu items and the story line.

​The storyline of the game changes according to the player's choices, which are based on the theory of spiral dynamics. This means that choices are formulated matching and respecting a wide spectrum of virtues affecting players‘ choices.

All partners provided suggestions on how the game could display points-values ​​for certain choices and how the results are displayed. Based on the proposals, Tag of joy will program the awarding of points-values.

​The partners discussed then the next phases of the project, inclusing translation into the languages ​​of the project partners and testing the game with children. A second research will follow the testing, whereby children will be asked to rate and express their opinion on the game developed. The final version of the game will be presented at the final dissemination events.

We can't wait for children to test the game and for the last steps of the project! Stay tuned ;)

​Nowadays, schools and educational programs are welcoming a wide variety of people whose socio-cultural backgrounds are very diverse. To help students adjusting to a new cultural environment, on the one hand, and to model critical and open minds valuing and celebrating diversity rather than rejecting it, on the other, is one of the biggest challenges for teachers.  

How can we promote and celebrate cultural diversity in the classroom, transforming a multicultural classroom into a classroom that is inclusive of all diversities?

To answer this question, 10 teachers coming from Spain, Germany, Croatia, Norway and Austria met from 14/11/2021 to 20/11/2021 to take part in the course “Intercultural learning and cultural diversity in the classroom”. They all shared a mutual need and desire to improve their intercultural skills and to enrich their toolbox to shape an inclusive classroom.

​The course started with acknowledging the importance of reflecting on the meaning of words. The participant altogether tried to build an understanding of what “intercultural learning” means to them and explored the differences between “multicultural”, “cross-cultural” and “intercultural” to become more attentive in describing an interpreting the interaction of different cultures.

Participants engaged then in practical activities and reflection exercises to build a stronger understanding of the vicious cycle of stereotypes. It was a chance for them to  reflect on real cases they experience at school every day, whereby the reiteration of stereotypes leads to prejudices and discrimination generating a vicious cycle that strengthens the stereotype itself. As put in a inspiration TED Talk we saw - “Show a people as one thing — as only one thing — over and over again, and that is what they become.

In the last thematic area of reflection, participants reflected on the importance to foster respect, awareness, emapthy and membership in their classes as desired outcomes of a inclusive classroom. To do so the group engaged in challenging and engaging simulations activities. We learned, while having fun, that behind the ambuguity and misunderstanding that may arise in cross-cultural communication, we can find the key to ackowledge the complexity of “intercultural communication”. The activities can be proposed in the class to make students questioning assumptions about what they consider to be “the norm”, while embracing the willingness to find connections and common grounds of understanding and respect among different cultures.

As part of the learning process and the (inter) cultural offer of the course, participants had the chance to meet a representative of a local association in Bologna dealing with intercultural projects. They were thus given the chance to see Bologna from another perspective, making them even more eager and curious to put the knowledge gained in classroom into action while discovering the city and interacting with our locals. Not only they discovered hidden places but they recorded their discoveries in a Padlet, enriching a collection of local experiences perceived through mutliple glasses! ;)

​More info on the course “Intercultural learning and cultural diversity in the classroom” at this link: https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/diversity-and-intercultural-learning-in-the-classroom.html

This current pandemic has tested our nerves quite a lot. To cope with the constant switching from in class to remote learning, we can safely say that most of us have found in digital tools a valuable ally, putting us in front of a major change in the way our education systems work. But upon our return to classes on a regular schedule and in order to avoid losing touch with the efficiency that ICT tools are able to provide to our lessons,

Another topic explored was Weebly, a website building tool which can serve multiple options of use in distance learning. By setting up different pages and enriching them with contents, our participants had the opportunity to personalize their website and explore different possibilities of use with their students: from building their own website to share extra resources with students, to asking them to build their portfolios or writing a blog to report the development stages of a project, they were left impressed by the facility with which one can create an entire website with just few clicks… and some patience ;)

​Participants found it very useful for submitting homework, or study material or even use as assessment thanks to the different options of Multiple choice and Open Answer questions that we can embed directly in the video. The third app explored to create more interactive didactic materials was Quizlet, thanks to which teachers can create decks of flashcards about words definitions, words translations, words association with images etc... and ask students to get familiar with the concepts by playing the deck in multiple ways. As our participants have tested on their skin, the best part is to play Quizlet “Live”, an in-class playful activity which requires each team to develop coordination, mutual help and good communication to become the winner.

Finally, on the last day, we revised all the topics and tools studied during the week by playing (and afterwards practicing) Bamboozle, the best tool for bringing a healthy dose of competition and fun between teams while revising and checking knowledge.

More info on the course “Making the most of new technologies, apps and social media in the classroom” at this link: www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/social-media-in-the-classroom.html and the course "Discover the best apps and tools for e-learning, distance learning and web design" at this link: www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/e-learning-and-web-design.html

The course “Teaching languages in the digital era: the best apps, web platforms and ICT solutions for learning languages” took place in Bologna from 14/11/2021 to 20/11/2021. There, 11 participants from Czech Republic, Romania, Spain, Belgium, Lithuania, and Poland had the pleasure to met each other: Veronika and Daniel from Brno University of Technology, Monica, Lilianan and Alexandra from Liceul de Informatica Tiberiu Popoviciu, Antonio from San Marciano José Colegio diocesano Santa Cruz, Ella and Sofie from Heilig Hartinstituut Heverlee, Rita form Public Service Language Centre, Jessie from CVO Semper, Radomil from Technikum TEB Edukacja w Bielsku-Bialej..

​Participants explored the potentials of Google Jamboard to create visually captivating lessons and whiteboards. They also used it as a tool to present themselves in a digital way.

Several tools were then explored with the aim of discovering the power of multimedia and videos in teaching languages. The teachers found Powtoon extremely engaging thanks to the cartoon effects and engaged in creating grammar presentations and videos to recap content. Participants found then Canva and its user-friendly interface as one of the best options to get started in creating engaging worksheet and explainer videos in few click thanks to the may templates available.

Two platforms were then explored to start using game-based learning in language classes. Quizlet and Baamboozle are both making use of flashcards as a tool to practice vocabulary and grammar. Participants had fun particularly testing the Live version of Quizlet and creating their own board games in Baamboozle.

​Tools for creating lessons around videos were also tested. Both Ted-Ed and Ed-puzzle allow teachers to turn videos into real listening comprehension tasks by adding questions, notes, voiceovers and discussion prompts. 

A powerful platform to learn language in context and train students in building and motivating their argument is Kialo. Participants became highly engaged in testing it, first devising motivating discussion prompts and then taking part into each other debates, and found it very useful either to improve writing and argumentation skills and to prepare for an essay or a classroom discussion.

Other useful web platforms which we explored were Weebly, to get started in web design without the need to code, Socrative, to ask students quick questions and get immediate feedback on their level of understanding, Mentimeter, to create interactive presentation and brainstorm vocabulary.

To use the word of one of our participants, “Before the course I had no idea there were so many great resources available virtually for free”. The tools discovered and practiced during the course all provided an opportunity for teachers to rethink the delivery methods of their language classes, with the aim of getting closer to the (technological) world our students live in.

Being a teacher and being a coach, it is different. Being teachers means transferring knowledge to support students in the development of awareness, skills, and abilities; Being a coach means supporting individual development by listening, asking questions, and posing challenges.
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Understanding the complexity of this role was the purpose of the training week which held from 7 to 13 November, involving a group of teachers from all over Europe, trying to deepen the topic of  “emotional intelligence and coaching inside the school and educational context”.

​To lead a group and to listen to the students' needs, the first step is to develop an Emotional Intelligence that enables to understand the emotions the students express and to help them develop self-awareness and self-control in the management of emotions.
Another step is to understand how to structure and define goals, in order to guide students in the construction of SMART objectives: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time bounded.
The questions we need to help them ask themselves are: Is it a SMART goal? Is it specific enough? Is is saying when we will attain that? Is it saying how?

Another role of teachers as "coaches" of students is to help them understand how to act in a conflictual situation, asking them the right questions and supporting them in finding a solution more suited to the context. We discovered that is good to keep in mind that it’s not always possible to find the best solution for everyone. Sometimes you need to be accommodating, other times you need to make an unpopular decision. The best option is to find a new solution through collaboration between the two parties, to create something innovative that replaces the previous situation with a better one. On the other side, it is important to remember that the role of the coach is not to suggest the solution, but to guide the student in the analysis of conflict, in the decision making, and in the evaluation of their behaviour.

Concerning this, we deepened the power of questions, as a way to promote “thinking”, to foster the creation of answers you believe in and to motivate to act by following your ideas. That’s why we explored how to build a learning-focused questions, starting with an invitation to engage, proposing a content to think about, underling a cognitive focus for thinking and elaborating. On the other side, we analysed the “Solution Focused Brief Coaching” model, as a guide to promote in students a solution-based way of thinking. 

​This training week is over, and the time has come to say goodbye! A special thanks to all the teachers who made this course unique, through their original contributions and the mutual sharing of experiences. 

​More info on these courses at: https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/soft-skills-for-education-staff.html and https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/public-speaking-and-presentation-skills-for-teachers.html

We are all aware of the importance of technology in our life: we use it everyday, in our private and professional life. It has become a must for teachers and educational staff to know how to integrate new technologies into the classroom. This is the reason why our course “Integrating ICT and new technologies into teaching and education​” was born: to gain an outlook on best practices and concrete ways to use ICT to empower and support education.
The second week of November we had the pleasure to welcome 9 participants from different schools and countries: Gymnasium Arnoldinum in Germany, Siauliai Saulius Sondeckis art gymnasium in Lithuania, Liceul Teoretic "N. Balcescu" Cluj-Napoca in Romania, IES Sierra Mágina in Spain, Inholland University of Applied Science in Denmark and 17th School Damyan Gruev in Bulgaria. They were all extremely motivated and enthusiast to start the week and delve deep into the wonderful world of ICT.

The first tool we discovered together with the group was Jamboard: a virtual whiteboard, perfect to lead lessons or collaborative projects with your students. The participants took some time to work a little bit individually and prepared a small presentation to share something about themselves in front of the others. This was the perfect start! After getting familiar with this tool, we carried on with another app to create engaging presentation: with Mentimeter you can present, create polls, quizzes, word clouds and much more. It was fun to have a look at all the contents created by the group!
The second day we analysed two wonderful applications, made for creating a lesson around a video: TedEd and EdPuzzle. The group tried to add questions, notes, links, voice over to a video, which can be later shared with the students as an assignment.
The teachers were also very interested in tools to create video presentations and we had the perfect app for that: PowToon. Powtoon's goal is to empower individuals, teachers, and students to achieve results by transforming communications into visual experiences that get their audience to care, connect, and act.
Another tool that we explored to create video presentations was Canva: not only can you create videos starting by awesome templates, but you can also craft stunning presentations, posters, infographics and much more.
On Thursday we also led a small introduction on web design, to allow the teachers to gain the basic information to start their own website. With Weebly this process is very easy and straightforward, as the participants realised.
The last day we finished up with few more applications. One of them was Thinglink: the easiest way to create exciting, interactive experiences and virtual tours by quickly creating and sharing interactive images, videos, 360 media, and 3D models with clickable tags.
Finally, we discovered some tools to assess the knowledge of the students in real time, thanks to open-ended or true/false quizzes. The group created some interesting quiz about their countries and we tested the knowledge of everyone :)
After some more practice, it was already time for the certificate ceremony, where we had the chance to congratulate each participant and take some picture all together.
Let’s finish this article with a nice review from one of our teachers: “The ICT and new technologies course will help me to make more attractive lessons fo my students. Here in Bologna I found teachers from all parts of Europe and this is great”.

On the 31st of October we once again welcomed preschool teachers from all over Europe to share with them our best methods of teaching. We were pleased to meet participants from Greece, Spain, Romania, Latvia, and Denmark. After a day of exploring Bologna and its seven secrets, it was time to get to work.
On Monday we made sure that everyone was on the same page with the use of a tree model. We filled out three categories - our fears, expectations, and our contribution to the group. This started a lengthy discussion about everyone’s experiences and knowledge about topics at hand.
The next day we focused on the importance of teaching in a playful way. As one of the participants stated, if you have joy, you have interest to learn.

The main task of the day was to to introduce non-formal education in the classroom. The teachers had to come up with a creative way to introduce themselves to the group, and we got to witness a lot of dancing, singing, presenting collages, and even poetry!
That day we were also introduced to Kolb’s experiential teaching cycle - we wanted to show the participants how to make sure that their kids remember what they learned. The day finished with an activity that helped expand our empathy and awareness of inclusion…always remember: everyone is important, different, and brings something to the table.
On Wednesday we had the pleasure to speak with a teacher from a Montessori school in Bologna, who showed us the back door of using this method of teaching. She told us about how the teachers don’t interfere with the child’s natural learning cycle, and they let them learn from their achievements and mistakes. The reality of this way of teaching was interesting to see, as it was hard to imagine how to let children make deliberate mistakes, and then learn from them - all in a safe way.
Before the wrap up on Friday, we took the participants to explore an outdoor education school. It was fascinating to see how you can incorporate a child’s need for nature into everyday life. We were met with mud kitchens, anger targets on trees, common room tipis, collective gardens, and many more wonderful experiences. Giulia, one of the educators, was very welcoming with us, answering all our questions and doubts.

Lastly, we explored the Reggio Emilia approach, talking about the history, the most important elements and key words. We showed the groups pictures, video and documentations from the Reggio Centre and from different kindergarten in Reggio Emilia.
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By the end of the week, our participants had great insight into a few different teaching approaches in Italy, and we can say with confidence that they left the course with many, many ideas.