The ELA Blog

During the new edition of the course “Introducing Project Based Learning in the Classroom​”, which took place in Palermo from 19/06/2022 to 25/06/2022, we tried to give an answer to this questions, exploring the power of Project Based Learning method.
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The participants came from Iceland, with Sif, Sigrún, Ingunn, Guðjón, Gylfi, Kristrún, Sigrún, Vaka, Valdís and Víðir, teachers in the school “Kársnesskóli”. 

During the week the teachers had the opportunity to build real projects to test with their students. Step by step we introduced new elements, so that each knowledge acquired on the PBL method was linked to a new element to be added in their projects.
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After analyzing the main features of the PBL method, we tried to understand together how to build a driving question, how to define learning goals and learning outcomes, which is the power of mini lessons, which kind of assessment methods are useful in this approach and, finally, which ICT tools can be used to motivate students and promote their creativity. 

We did not miss moments of confrontation, teamwork and fun: through games and group activities we discovered what are the fundamental elements to prepare the class: creativity, inquiry, team building and team working.

​The theme of the week was also to become aware of the new role of the teacher in the PBL method, which becomes a facilitator of learning. The learning process starts from our students, and we, as teachers, need to make them the main actors in this path, guiding them in the process of making questions and finding answers. 

During the course, we also had a driving question: how can I create my own PBL plan?
Piece by piece, I hope we found your “unique” answers together.
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Now it’s your turn! We are curious to find out how you will develop your projects in your school, and what creative and unique results will produce your students.

Hoping to welcoming you again in Palermo,
A presto!
 

Discover more about this course in: https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/project-based-learning.html
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Discover more about this course at https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/ict-language.html ​

Participants also learned how to create a website following a few easy steps. Thanks to this course this group was able to experiment with an intuitive app that could help them create a website for their schools, or blogs for their subjects.
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Moreover, the participants had the chance to dive into the technological world with plenty of practical activities such as presentations, virtual quizzes, learning how to create engaging social media content, using tools dedicated to organizing graphics, posters and collages and much more. ​

The participants came from different backgrounds, with schools that had different needs and habits - this created an interesting discussion a lot of the time. For example, an ongoing topic was about social media presence (the rules, possible dangers, positive aspects), or how to engage children without the possibility of using their phones.

This course allowed participants to confront themselves with each other and learn from their shared experiences. The participants left this course with a new knowledge of interactive learning and a new set of tools, ready to use them in their classrooms. And remember - practice makes perfect!​

Discover more about this course at https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/integrating-ict-into-teaching-and-training.html ​

Today, a lot of students decide to drop out of school and European Early School Leaving rates are still high. For this reason, it is more than important to work on factors that can help preventing and managing Early School Leaving and conflicts. 

The new edition of the course “Preventing conflicts and tackling Early School Leaving​” aimed at teaching how to identify the causes of this phenomenon and the best approaches and strategies to prevent, tackle and reduce it as well as the keys to conflict management. It took place in Palermo from 12/06/2022 to 18/06/2022. The participants came from different parts of Europe, with Charlotte, Eva, Marina, Raúl and Queila coming from the IES Islas Canarias in the Canaries, Spain; Ildikó coming from Fehérlófia Waldorf School, Hungary; and Beatriz coming from the IES Ausiàs March in Spain. 

​On the first day, participants explored the topic of Early School Leaving from different national perspectives, since it is a widespread problem across Europe. They tried to define what Early School Leaving means and identify the main risk factors, which can be social, familiar, individual and related to the school environment. This allowed the participants to draw and share with the others a realistic picture of their school experience with Early School Leaving, starting from the underlying causes, and finishing with the potential consequences.

​Then, we focused on conflict management. We tried to have a change perspective. With the support of an inspirational TED Talk and a lot of activities, the group who initially associated the idea of conflict to something essentially negative, realized afterwards how conflicts can become great opportunities to learn about ourselves and the others, improve relationships, and express ourselves and our needs better. Moreover, we analyzed different conflict management styles and discussed their concrete application in different situations.

We also tried to understand how we can engage students more and make them be more active and participative during lessons thanks to some innovative teaching methods. For this reason, we looked at some ICT tools and, through some practical activities, participants learned how they can use them with their subjects.

Then, the group focused on how to battle negativity in the classroom, through group reflection and practical activities. They tried to define and characterize the main “negative” student types and developed practical tips and suggestions on how to deal with them in the most effective ways. The participants also tried to transform their mindset from fixed to growth and learned how to foster a mindset of growth in their students. Moreover, they looked at how to deal with bad beliefs and improve students’ self-esteem.
Through visual tasks and group reflection, we analyzed the phenomenon of bullying and we focused on the characteristics of a bullying behaviour, the different types of bullying and the roles which are played in a bullying situation. 

Finally, we focused on cooperative learning and different cooperative methods that can be used at school in order to make everybody collaborate and be responsible of something. The group also practiced some non-formal activities to reflect the importance of membership and collaboration.
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The key word of this week training course was “transformation”: we learned how to change perspective on conflicts, how to transform the strong and sometimes negative energy of some students into something positive and productive, how to change our mindset from fixed to growth, how to transform a group of people into a team.

All the teachers gave their contribution to make the most of the course by sharing ideas and experiences.

ELA is looking forward to welcoming you again!

Discover more about this course in: https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/early-school-leaving.htm

Nowadays the educational relationship between teachers and students, especially after a two year pandemic, is more complex than ever. In this critical situation schools need open minded teachers who can question themselves, learning new teaching methods and reviewing the old ones. On one hand this means teachers have to manage new technologies and include them into the learning process, but it also means they have to go back to the basic concepts, like the “feedback” and “assessment” ones, and develop a new definition of them. All of this and even more was presented by Francesco Tarantino in the new international course named “Effective formative assessment and feedback management in education”.

The first two days the main topics were “feedback” and “assessments”, what they are, the differences between them, how and when they’re useful/painful to the students. The following days there has been talk about many interactive virtual tools to use in class to make students more motivated and enthusiastic than ever. Just to make some examples, the Maltese group of teachers theoretically and practically learned how to utilise websites like Socrative and Mentimeter.

Either if you are a seasoned teacher or not, this course will open your mind and let you grow into a better teacher!

Learn more about the course here: 
https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/formative-assessment.html

Discover more about this courses:
https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/social-media-in-the-classroom.html 
https://www.erasmustrainingcourses.com/e-learning-and-web-design.html ​

​Erasmus Learning Academy (IT), Agrupamento de Escolas de Anadia (PT), Education Center of Rokiskis Municipality (LT), CEPA TERESA ENRIQUEZ (ES), Maria's World Foundation (BG) are proud to present the Erasmus+ KA2 Strategic Partnership "Learning Opportunities on Digital and Employability skills for Young Adults with Behavioral and Cognitive Disabilities (LINK)" co-funded by the European Union.
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The need analysis undertaken pointed out that the completion of secondary education is a crucial and scary moment for adults with behavioural and cognitive disabilities and their families. In front of them there is the risk of being excluded from society and from the job market. Secondary schools make a great effort to support the transition to the job market but many young adults with behavioural disorders and mild cognitive disabilities, despite having the potential for actively participating in the society and its economy, fail this transition. In this context, post-secondary and adult education can play a crucial role. It emerges however that only few adult education institutions and disability day care centers offer structured high learning possibilities to adults with behavioural and cognitive disabilities (AwBCD).
Following the needs analysis, the main aim of the project is to allow AwBCD aged 19-24 to develop digital and employability skills enabling them to actively participate in the society and find a job.
 
Objectives
The partnership will pursue the following project objectives:

• Developing a flexible modular curriculum on digital and employability skills tailored for AwBCD
• Developing gamified and digital learning activities and materials adequate for AwBCD
• Inspire and enable adult educators to organize high quality gamified and blended learning opportunities for AwBCD
• Raising awareness on the needs and potential of AwBCD and the learning opportunities that can unleash it.

 
Results
The project activities aim to achieve two main results.
The first one is a modular blended adult education course on digital and employability skills, with 90 hours of face-to-face instruction and 120 hours of distance learning. Digital pedagogy and gamification mechanics will be applied to both the classroom and the distance education offering new and more tailored ways of learning.
While the second one will be a Handbook on digital and gamified learning activities for adults with behavioral and cognitive disabilities, based on the concrete experiences of the partners including the ones of the local LINK courses. LINK handbook will be structured as a practical tool enabling adult educators to easily integrate in their existing courses digital activities and tools, new technologies, game mechanics and game-based digital apps. It will serve as well as a supporting reference to implement the LINK course or to reuse and adapt it to be totally or partially embedded in another existing curriculum (both in adult education or in a different sector).
 
Activities planned during the project
The project plan includes various activities to prepare, shape and guide the project results development.
 
An  Open Web Conference on Gamification, Game-based learning and digital learning will be organized online  targeting people among internal staff of partner organizations, associated partners and general public in which the partners will have a chance to present the project and its objectives, besides highlighting the importance of the pedagogies explored in the framework of LINK. All participants will then be free to contribute by sharing their experience and best practices on the use of gamification, for the purpose of providing a fertile ground to develop the Project Results, creating engagement and encouraging active participation among the partner organization.
 
A solid Awareness Campaign will be carried out through online social media campaigns, virtual meetings and events, face-to-face meetings targeting local stakeholders and AwBCD. The aim is to raise awareness on the needs and potential of AwBCD and the learning opportunities that can unleash it, sensitise the audience  towards social inclusion and showcase successful stories of members of the target group.
 
A 8 hour training for associated partners will be carried out in each partner country to showcase the use of LINK Adult Education Course and select the adult educators who will be involved in the Local Adult Education Courses, which will also be organized in each country to implement the LINK course. A selected target group will be involved, while adult Educators will benefit from a Draft version of the LINK Handbook supporting them in the delivery of the course. Specific measures will be enacted to ensure support for active participation, logistic support and follow-up support. The aim of these two activities is to empower AwBCD to experience an innovative educational and training opportunity, gain a feedback about the LINK Adult Education Course and  inspire and enable Adult Educators to organize high quality learning opportunities for AwBCD.
 
Dissemination activities are also crucial in order to ensure that activities and results are properly promoted to the external audience. Besides traditional social media reach, the project partners will engage in meeting with local stakeholder and in the creation of the “LINK Network” for cross-sectoral cooperation serving the purpose of creating new learning opportunities involving diverse stakeholders at the EU level. The main dissemination activity will be 5 Multiplier Events (1 in each country), they will involve at least 300 among representatives and staff of specialized centres for people with disabilities, Adult Educators working with people with disabilities, Adult educator trainers, olicy makers, AwBCD and their families.
In particular, the events intend to illustrate the project achievements while raising awareness on the benefits of gamification education with learners with behavioural and cognitive disabilities and other groups with fewer opportunities.
 
Expected impact
LINK is expected to impact on several levels:
 
At the LOCAL LEVEL: We expect benefits for AwBCD reinforcing their awareness of the learning possibilities they have and also inspiring them to engage more in education. We expect also an impact on representative and staff of specialized centres for people with disabilities, adult organizations working with people with disabilities and policy makers so as to reduce the distances between them and the families of AwBCD and unleash their willingness and ability to promote and engage in innovative learning and educational opportunities to foster digital and employability skills of AwBCD.
 
At the REGIONAL and NATIONAL LEVEL, we expect to see an impact on institutions in the adult education sector that will be able to use the results of the project to improve their services. The contribution of associated partners and stakeholders will be crucial  for a more inclusive digital transformation of the education ecosystem.
 
At EUROPEAN LEVEL, the expected impact is related to adult education organizations, education and support centres for people with disabilities and other interested beneficiaries. Through dissemination activities and a transnational cooperation, the project will give visibility to the opportunities promoted by the European Programs, especially Erasmus+ in the Adult Education sector and this will enhance the aptitude for the design of transnational projects and the development of new adult education practices.
 
At the SYSTEM LEVEL, LINK will reinforce the inclusive education system producing uptakes of adult education learning, a higher focus on education and training of the disability service sector and the affirmation of  gamification as an effective pedagogy for social inclusion. Also, it will lead to a different approach in designing education paths, a digital transformation of the inclusive education system and an increased human and social capital of the EU.

​Le organizzazioni Erasmus Learning Academy (IT), Agrupamento de Escolas de Anadia (PT), Education Center of RokiskisMunicipality (LT), CEPA TERESA ENRIQUEZ (ES) e Maria's World Foundation (BG) sono orgogliose di presentare il progetto a Partnership Strategica “LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES ON DIGITAL AND EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS FOR YOUNG ADULTS WITH BEHAVIOURAL AND COGNITIVE DISABILITIES (LINK)” all’interno del programma Erasmus+ KA2 e cofinanziato dall'Unione Europea.
L'analisi dei bisogni che è stata svolta ha messo in luce quanto il completamento dell'istruzione secondaria sia un momento cruciale e spaventoso per gli adulti con disabilità comportamentali e cognitive e per le loro famiglie. Davanti a loro c'è il rischio di essere esclusi dalla società e dal mercato del lavoro. Sono molteplici gli sforzi che le scuole secondarie fanno a sostegno della transizione verso il mercato del lavoro, nonostante ciò molti giovani adulti con disturbi comportamentali e lievi disabilità cognitive, pur avendo il potenziale per partecipare attivamente alla società e contribuire all’economia del paese, falliscono in questo passaggio. In questo contesto, l'istruzione post-secondaria e degli adulti risulta ricoprire un ruolo fondamentale. Tuttavia, stando ai numeri, solo pochi istituti di istruzione per adulti e centri diurni per disabili offrono possibilità di apprendimento ben strutturate e di qualità agli adulti con disabilità comportamentali e cognitive (AwBCD).

Facendo seguito all'analisi dei bisogni,  l'obiettivo principale del progetto è consentire agli AwBCD con un’età compresa tra i 19 e i 24 anni di sviluppare digital and employability skills che consentano loro di partecipare attivamente alla società e di trovare un lavoro.
Obiettivi
La partnership si impegnerà a perseguire i seguenti obiettivi:

• Sviluppare un curriculum flessibile, diviso in moduli sulle digital and employability skills su misura per gli AwBCD.
• Ideare attività e materiali didattici digitali e gamificati adeguati agli AwBCD.
• Ispirare gli educatori per adulti e consentire loro di organizzare opportunità di apprendimento gamificato e blended di alta qualità per gli AwBCD.
• Sensibilizzare in merito alle esigenze e alle potenzialità degli AwBCD e in merito alle opportunità di apprendimento che possono metterle in risalto.

Risultati
Le attività del progetto mirano a raggiungere due risultati principali.

Il primo sarà un corso diviso in moduli che mira allo sviluppo delle digital and employability skills  fatto su misura per i bisogni di adulti con disabilità cognitive e comportamentali con un’età compresa tra i 19 e i 24 anni che hanno concluso il percorso scolastico secondario, ma non riescono a fare il loro ingressonel mondo del lavoro. Il corso LINK sarà erogato in modalità blended con 90 ore di insegnamento frontale e 120 di apprendimento a distanza.
Saranno applicati i principi della pedagogia digitale e della Gamification sia per la formazione in aula che per quella a distanza, offrendo nuove modalità di apprendimento più personalizzate.

Il secondo sarà un manuale sulle attività di apprendimento digitale e gamificato per adulti con disabilità comportamentali e cognitive, basato sulle esperienze concrete dei partner, comprese quelle dei corsi LINK locali. Il manuale LINK sarà strutturato come uno strumento pratico che consentirà agli educatori per adulti di introdurre facilmente nei loro corsi attività e strumenti digitali, nuove tecnologie, meccaniche di gioco e applicazioni digitali basate sul gioco. Servirà anche come riferimento per implementare il corso LINK e potrà esseree adattarto per essere inserito  totalmente o parzialmente in altri curricula (sia nel campo dell’educazione degli adulti che in altri).
Attività previste durante il progetto

Sono previste  varie attività per preparare, modellare e guidare lo sviluppo dei risultati.
Verrà organizzata una Open Web Conference online sulla Gamification, apprendimento game-based e apprendimento digitale, rivolta al personale interno delle organizzazioni partner, ai partner associati e al pubblico in generale, in cui i partner avranno la possibilità di presentare il progetto e i suoi obiettivi,  oltre a sottolineare l'importanza delle pedagogie esplorate nell'ambito di LINK. Tutti i partecipanti saranno poi liberi di contribuire condividendo le proprie esperienze e le migliori pratiche sull'uso della gamification, allo scopo di fornire un terreno fertile per sviluppare i risultati del progetto, creando coinvolgimento e incoraggiando la partecipazione attiva tra le organizzazioni partner.
Una solida campagna di sensibilizzazione sarà condotta attraverso campagne online sui social media, incontri ed eventi virtuali, incontri in presenza rivolti agli stakeholder locali e agli AwBCD. L'obiettivo è quello di sensibilizzare il pubblico riguardo  bisogni e le potenzialità degli AwBCD e sulle opportunità di apprendimento che possono metterle in risalto, di sensibilizzare il pubblico verso una maggiore inclusione sociale e di mostrare storie di successo di membri del gruppo target.
In ogni Paese partner  verrà svolta una formazione per i partner associati con una durata di 8 ore allo scopo di illustrare l'uso del corso di formazione per adulti LINK e selezionare gli educatori per adulti che saranno coinvolti nei corsi locali organizzati in ogni Paese per implementare il corso LINK. Verrà coinvolto un gruppo target selezionato, mentre gli educatori per adulti beneficeranno di una bozza del Manuale LINK che li supporterà durante  l’erogazione del corso. Saranno adottate misure specifiche per garantire il sostegno alla partecipazione attiva, il supporto logistico e il follow-up. L'obiettivo di queste due attività è quello di permettere agli AwBCD di sperimentare un'opportunità educativa e formativa innovativa, di ottenere un feedback sul corso di formazione per adulti LINK e di ispirare e dare la possibilità agli educatori per adulti di organizzare opportunità di apprendimento di alta qualità per gli AwBCD.
Anche le attività di divulgazione saranno cruciali per garantire una adeguata promozione delle attività e  dei risultati verso il  pubblico esterno. Oltre alla tradizionale diffusione sui social media, i partner del progetto si impegneranno a realizzare degli incontri con gli stakeholder locali e a curare la "Rete LINK" per la cooperazione intersettoriale allo scopo di creare nuove opportunità di apprendimento coinvolgendo diversi stakeholder a livello europeo. La principale attività di disseminazione sarà costituita da 5 multiplier events (1 in ogni Paese), che coinvolgeranno almeno 300 persone tra rappresentanti e personale di centri specializzati per persone con disabilità, educatori per adulti che lavorano con persone con disabilità, formatori di educatori per adulti, policy makers, AwBCD e le loro famiglie.

In particolare, gli eventi intendono illustrare i risultati del progetto e sensibilizzare sui benefici della gamification educativa per gli studenti con disabilità comportamentali e cognitive e per altri gruppi con minori opportunità.
Impatto atteso
L'impatto di LINK è previsto a diversi livelli:

A LIVELLO LOCALE: sono attesi benefici per gli AwBCD: sarà rafforzata la loro consapevolezza delle possibilità di apprendimento e saranno ispirati a impegnarsi maggiormente nell'istruzione. È atteso anche un impatto sui rappresentanti e sul personale dei centri specializzati per le persone con disabilità, sulle organizzazioni di adulti che lavorano con le persone con disabilità e sui policy makers, in modo da ridurre le distanze tra loro e le famiglie degli AwBCD e liberare la loro volontà e capacità di promuovere e impegnarsi in opportunità educative e di apprendimento innovative per promuovere le digital and employability skills degli AwBCD.

A LIVELLO REGIONALE e NAZIONALE, è atteso un impatto sulle istituzioni del settore dell'educazione degli adulti, le quali potranno utilizzare i risultati del progetto per migliorare i loro servizi. Il contributo dei partner e degli stakeholder associati sarà fondamentale per una trasformazione digitale più inclusiva dell'ecosistema educativo.

A LIVELLO EUROPEO, l'impatto previsto è legato alle organizzazioni di educazione degli adulti, ai centri di educazione e supporto per le persone con disabilità e ad altri beneficiari interessati. Attraverso le attività di disseminazione e la cooperazione transnazionale, il progetto darà visibilità alle opportunità promosse dai programmi europei, in particolare al programma Erasmus+, nel settore dell'educazione degli adulti e questo rafforzerà l'attitudine all'ideazione di progetti transnazionali e allo sviluppo di nuove pratiche di educazione degli adulti.
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A LIVELLO DI SISTEMA, LINK promuoverà un sistema di istruzione inclusiva mirando ad un aumento dell'apprendimento in età adulta, una maggiore attenzione all'istruzione e alla formazione da parte del settore dei servizi per la disabilità ed inoltre l'affermazione della gamification come pedagogia efficace per l'inclusione sociale. Porterà ad un approccio diverso nei confronti della progettazione di percorsi educativi, ad una trasformazione digitale di un sistema educativo ancora più inclusivo e ad un aumento del capitale umano e sociale dell'UE.

The new edition of the course “The best for preschool teachers​”, which took place in Palermo from 06/06/2022 to 10/06/2022, had as participants a group of Estonian teachers from the School Rakvere Kungla kindergarten: Evely, Riina, Reet, Elizaveta, Alla, Kristiina, Marika, Helena, Birgit, Kristiina, Liidia, Terje and Anne. 

After some team building activities, the first day we introduced the Italian system, and the main differences and similarities with other countries in Europe.
During the other days of the week, we had the opportunity to deepen innovative preschool teaching methods. 

​Firstly, we discovered the key elements and theories of non formal education, practicing them trough practical activities and games, where the “debriefing” guided participants in the understating of the usefulness of this approach. 

​Secondly, we explored the power of Outdoor Education with an “outdoor challenge” in the beautiful park “Villa Trabia”. This challenge was an opportunity to understand in practice the 10 principles of Outdoor Education developed by Hann, and to experiencing the benefits of learning in nature.  

Lastly, we deepened the Montessori method, analyzing the role of the educator, the characteristics of the environment and the specific learning materials, learning how to help our pupils “to do it themselves”. 

During the week we had the opportunity to meet Anna, a preschool teacher in Palermo. She explained the value of teaching “life skills” in school starting from the first years of education, as the best way to prevent behaviours at risk to health, psychological and physical. Thanks to her, we had a rich sharing moment whereby teachers from the Estonian school had the chance to explore what a real preschool teacher does during a school day in Italy. 

​Palermo, with its colours and traditions, was the background of this amazing training week, giving the teachers the possibility to experience the real “Sicilian life”.
Our best hope now is to have given you a rich set of tools and methods to use inside your school, and to have left in your hearth a little piece of Palermo. 

Managing preschool children has a lot of challenges. It is difficult in itself, and additional pressure is added on the teachers to know how to shape these easily influenced kids. This is why the profession calls for constant improvement and change - educators have to adapt to new methods, keep up with new studies, and constantly look for ways to make their students’ future better. This week our participants had a chance to learn about international pedagogical methods, especially the Italian system.

The new edition of the course “The best for preschool teachers​” took place in Bologna from 5/06/2022 to 11/06/2022. The participants came from all across Europe, with Helen, Marge, Airi, Jaanika from Rakvere Kungla kindergarten in Estonia; Dina, Mara, Julio form EBI Água de Pau in Portugal; Martyna, Kinga, Agata, Bernadeta form PSPW Mielec in Poland; Katarína from Special primary School in Vranov nad Topľou in Slovakia; Anda and Liana form Saldus pre-school educational institution “Pasaciņa” in Latvia; Jane and Katarina from Haapsalu Lasteaed Tareke in Estonia.​

Um Konflikte lösen zu können, muss man wissen, wie man effektiv kommuniziert. Die Gruppe diskutierte verschiedene Kommunikationsstile und durchführte Gruppenaktivitäten, bei dene jedes Mitglied zur Lösung eines Konflikts beitragen musste. Obwohl es schwierig sein kann, einen Konflikt zu lösen, erkannten die Teammitglieder, dass so eine Situation auch eine Gelegenheit sein kann, zu wachsen und zu lernen. Alle Methoden können auch am Arbeitsplatz und im Klassenzimmer angewendet werden. ​

ELA bedankt sich für Ihre Teilnahme und freut sich darauf, Sie wieder begrüßen zu dürfen!