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 In our ever more interconnected global landscape, language acquisition plays an essential role in fostering cross-cultural communication and comprehension. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has emerged as a potent pedagogical approach, intertwining language mastery with subject-specific education. By mastering the integration of information and communication technology (ICT), gamified tools, multimedia content creation, and dynamic experiential exercises, participants are better equipped to champion linguistic diversity in education and prepare students for their roles as active European citizens. A recent iteration of the "Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) course for teachers" unfolded in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife from 09/07/2023 to 14/07/2023. Attendees came Italy, from International Campus Istituto di Istruzione Superiore “Patrizi, Baldelli and Cavallotti” di Città di Castello. Our amazing participants were: Lamberto Pernici, Silvia Pieroni, Elena Signorelli, Francesca Martinelli, Alessandro Baldicchi, Leonardo Deplanu, Maurizio Berliocchi, Raffaele Capuano, Luca Volpi, Marta Rampini, Monia Morini, Laura Stocchi, Nicola Pioli, Silvia Taffini, Elio Fattorusso, Carmela Fabbri, Rita Scagliola, Marta Boriosi, Rosella Renzetti and Chiara Giacomaniello. The whole program was co-organized with our partners from Umbria Training Center APS. The CLIL course commenced with an invigorating brainstorming session, urging participants to share their current practices and prior CLIL-related knowledge. This collaborative activity cultivated a stimulating environment for knowledge exchange and exploration. The course navigated through a theoretical examination of CLIL principles, elucidating the importance of delivering subject matter through a secondary language. Central to the course was the instructor's role in facilitating language amalgamation, fostering an enriching learning milieu that nurtures both content comprehension and linguistic adeptness.
The course proffered insights into effective CLIL-oriented lesson planning. Participants gleaned invaluable advice and methodologies to construct engrossing and purposeful CLIL lessons. By pooling resources and experiences, attendees began to draft their own lesson plans, laying the groundwork for subsequent endeavors. Exploration into the integration of captivating texts and videos in CLIL classrooms was a prominent aspect of the course, harnessing multimedia resources inventively. Participants delved into prevalent ICT tools in education, with a hands-on focus on those most pertinent to their individual requirements and interests. These tools were wielded in crafting educational games and interactive presentations, seamlessly infusing them into their lesson designs. Attendees were acquainted with experiential learning activities that elevate CLIL instruction. They unearthed effective strategies for promoting collaboration and peer learning in the classroom, facilitating language-driven exchanges on the given subject. Through practical involvement, they gained insights into fostering an interactive and immersive learning milieu. Culminating the experience, participants shared their polished lesson plans, incorporating freshly acquired strategies and activities developed over the week. This underscored their readiness to establish captivating and language-enriched CLIL classrooms. Further details about this course can be found here. In the present day, it is crucial to explore various non-formal teaching methods and strategies to unlock their potential in improving educational outcomes. To go beyond the confines of traditional classrooms and address issues like early school dropout, non-formal education plays a vital role. It encompasses any organized educational activity that takes place outside the formal education system, either independently or as part of a broader initiative. The primary purpose of non-formal education is to cater to specific groups of learners and achieve specific learning objectives (as defined by Philip Coombs in 1973). By embracing non-formal education, we open doors to innovative approaches that can greatly enhance the effectiveness of education.
Our exploration began with visual strategies, where participants engaged in art and creative thinking to create collages and drawings that conveyed various topics using metaphorical expression. Through these visual activities, we collectively discovered how art serves as an accessible means to discuss complex concepts and express challenging ideas.
In addition, we emphasized the significance of team building and collaboration in education. Recognizing the productivity that arises from working together, participants were given the opportunity to contribute their unique perspectives within their respective teams. This fostered an environment where everyone's voice could be heard and valued.
Debate and speaking games were also integrated into our non-formal educational activities. These engaging experiences served to enhance cooperative learning and develop a dialectic approach. By participating in events like the Oxford Debate, individuals were encouraged to think creatively, finding unconventional and persuasive arguments while learning how to collaborate effectively with others. Following a thorough analysis of different tools and strategies employed in non-formal education, each participant had the autonomy to develop their own innovative tool tailored to their specific school context. This process showcased the creativity and dedication of each teacher, resulting in a collection of practical and imaginative tools by the end of the course.
In conclusion, these sessions provided participants with a safe and stimulating environment to experiment with innovative methods. By engaging in activities that nurtured teamwork, empathy, and critical thinking, individuals had the opportunity to enhance their skills and create new and distinctive non-formal educational tools.
Learning other languages is essential in an increasingly globalized world, even with the communication facilities that technology offers us. With that in mind, this summer we offer the course “Intensive Spanish Language Course for education staff” in Tenerife from the 09/07/23 till the 15/07/23.Our participants came from diverse educational backgrounds: Tereze from Vidzeme Technology and Design Vocational School in Latvia; Márta from Békéscsabai SZC Széchenyi István Két Tanítási Nyelvü Közgazdasági Technikum és Kollégium in Hungary; Katarzyna from Centrum Kształcenia Zawodowego i Ustawicznego w Strzelcach Op. in Poland; Ana from ESPI in France; Andrea from Bundesgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Judenburg in Austria; Grazia Maria from Agrupamento Escolas de Arouca in Portugal; Hafdís from Langholtsskóli in Iceland; and Jolanta from Langholtsskóli in Poland.
Throughout the week, our participants immersed themselves in the domains of reading, writing, grammar, listening and speaking. At the basic level, they explored fascinating topics such as travel, work, hobbies, cooking, appearance and weather, among others. Along with vocabulary building, the group focused on promoting cooperation by engaging in grammar games, making informational posters, and helping each other decipher unfamiliar words and phrases. As attendees happily shared, the atmosphere was electrifying and their Spanish skills reached new heights.The advanced group embarked on daily challenges, diving deep into the intricacies of grammar, slang and nuances of the Spanish language in different countries. They selected Italian recipes for a delicious date, embarked on virtual trips to charming Spanish cities and immersed themselves in contemporary youth language. And who said advanced level has to be arduous and monotonous? All participants had fun with educational games, combining traditional classroom activities with the most modern technological tools.
The guiding motto of the course was that it is never too late to learn languages and, above all, language learning is an exciting and enriching experience.
Nowadays, it is not always easy to keep the students motivated and engaged during the lessons. That’s why there is a growing trend towards integrating ICT tools and apps into teaching and learning. These tools can provide the teachers with a wide range of new possibilities and can make students more enthusiast and willing to learn. The new edition of the course “Integrating ICT and new technologies into teaching and education” took place in Palermo from 02/07/2023 to 08/07/2023. The participants came from all across Europe, with Joseph and Roland from Berufliche Oberschule Friedberg, in Germany; Ionela and Daniel from Scoala Gimnaziala Comuna Slatioara, in Romania; Myropi, Antonios, Despoina and Ioannis from 8 LICEO THESSALONIKI, in Greece; Antonín and Vít from Katolické gymnázium Třebíč, in Czech Republic; Janos from Budapesti Műszaki Szakképzési Centrum Újpesti Két Tanítási Nyelvű Műszaki Technikum, in Hungary; Petra from Zakladni skola Praha 5, in Czech Republic; Brigitte from Gymnasium für Berufstätig, in Austria; and Barbara from FOS/BOS Regensburg, in Germany. During this course the participants learnt how to use many different apps and technological tools and had the chance to do many practical activities with them, creating also something useful for their lessons. First of all, with the purpose of introducing themselves, they had a look at a really easy virtual whiteboard that can create engaging and captivating online lessons and also collaborative learning experiences. Moreover, they also looked at another web application very useful to create a collaborative space where you can insert any type of multimedia contents (texts, images, videos, audio files, links, etc.). The participants also used it to make a little presentation of their schools. These two tools can boost student collaboration and engagement. Later on, they had the opportunity to focus on an online tool to create interactive presentations, thanks to which it is possible to present some topics by also adding some interactive features like quizzes, word clouds, multiple choices, etc. They also got to know an easy-to-use web platform to create educational and review games to play together in the classroom. During the course, a platform that allows efficient questions and answers visualizing was explored. This is really helpful to measure student understanding in real time to quickly assess students. During the practice time, our teachers created their own quizzes related to their subjects and they tested together some of them. During one of the sessions, we focused more on tools that create engaging multimedia content. In particular, we discovered platforms to create video lessons, stunning multimedia contents and interactive animated gamified content. All these tools can capture the students’ attention and foster their participation. Since the participants had many opportunities to network, they left Palermo enriched with the sharing of experiences of their colleagues. They went back to their countries with an increased knowledge on technological tools to use in their classrooms, ready to face new challenges and to transform the learning process into something fun, active and dynamic. Discover more about this course here. Engaging students in the learning process is a challenge that educators face everyday. However, by embracing innovative teaching methods, we can unlock a wealth of opportunities to motivate students and enhance their learning experiences. There are multitude of new tools and approaches that have emerged that can be integrated with traditional teaching methods. The new edition of the course “Innovative teaching methods for teachers, school and adult education staff” took place in Bologna from 12/06/2023 to 17/06/2023. The participants came from Czech Republic with Blanka Klementová from Art Econ Praha and Věra Batystová from Brno University of Technology and Yasmina Navarro from CIFP Zonzama in Spain. The course began with interactive activities with participants to get to know one another and gain insights into their respective schools. During the course, participants learned about different education approaches, including non-formal, formal and informal education. By exploring the Kolb's experiential learning cycle, participants gained a deeper understanding of how these approaches can empower students by bridging the gap between reflection, conceptualization and application. Another highlight of the course is the exploration of project-based learning (PBL). This innovative approach allows students to engage with content in a direct and meaningful manner. By starting with questions and investigating real-world issues, participants understand the transformative power of PBL firsthand. Engaging in practical activities and creating projects based on acquired knowledge ignited a passion for exploration and self-directed learning. The course also shed light on the benefits of gamification in education. By integrating elements of games into the learning process, teachers can create a captivating and interactive environment that nurtures creativity, enhances teamwork, and inspires active participation in the classroom. In addition, the course delved into the realm of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a powerful tool for innovative teaching methods. Participants had the opportunity to practice various ICT tools in the classroom, discovering new ways to engage students, assess their progress, and present lessons. The active participation, enthusiasm and willingness to explore new teaching approaches demonstrated by the participants made the course truly an enriching experience. The course not only ignited inspiration but also equipped participants with practical strategies to create classroom environments that encourage active learning and continuous exploration. Discover more about this course here. Innovation in the classroom is crucial for teachers in today's rapidly changing world driven by advancements in technology, globalisation and changing societal needs. It can be extremely helpful for teachers, in order to engage and motivate the students, to create dynamic and interactive learning experiences, because by incorporating new technologies, teaching methods, and creative approaches, teachers can capture students' interest and make learning more enjoyable. Also, it is way easier for teachers to meet the diverse students' needs, learning styles, abilities and interests. However, we can say that the biggest purpose is to prepare the students for the future, because nowadays companies and organisations look for people that have this innovative mindset and the 21 century skills that include creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking. If the innovative teaching methods are implemented, they will give the opportunity to students to discover, develop and put these skills into practice. The new edition of the course “Innovative teaching methods for teachers, school and adult education staff” took place in Palermo from 18/06/2023 to 24/06/2023. The participants came from all across Europe, with Dragan and Srdjan from Primary School Sinisa Janic, in Serbia; Charmaine and Diane from G.F. Abela University of Malta Junior College in Malta; Christoffer and Eva from Hagaskolan i Örebro in Sweden; Anni from Taitotalo in Finland and Cristina from Agrupamento de Escolas de Vilela in Portugal. We started this week by finding a definition of what innovation could be. After that, discovering the most required competences skills that are needed these days for either teachers and students was what we focused on. In order to get to know each other a little better, with the help of a digital tool, the teachers presented their schools. The main goal of the first day was to see and understand how to integrate the innovation topic into the classroom. There is a new and unconventional way for students to acquire new knowledge and it is Project-based learning, which strongly believes in the research of new content using teamwork. At the same time each student uses his/her creativity when a teacher presents them a real life problem and the aim is to investigate new content, so in a way it is a self learning process and see what the students are capable of. After understanding this concept, we saw the different phases of a good PBL and its key factors to create. Then, it was time to experiment and approach some practical activities that could innovate any classroom. Outdoor education can play a significant role in innovating a classroom and enhancing the learning experience for students. First, we wanted to understand what OE actually is, why it is a great teaching method and how it provides students with hands-on, real-world experiences that cannot be replicated in a formal classroom. Therefore, since the city of Palermo has some nice parks, we went to one and did some activities, also because spending time outdoors allows the students to be connected with nature and develop an appreciation for the environment. By getting to know the environment, students gain a broader perspective, which can broaden their critical thinking and creativity. Conclusively, still related to OE, we took a look at an online application for doing urban outdoor activities. Cities have always a lot to offer, so real world treasure hunts and guided tours with quizzes with the help of an app is a fantastic way not only to learn but also to learn more about a place. This was exactly what we did with our participants with the city of Palermo! Since we were already in the internet world, we discovered some other ICT tools that can be used in order to captivate and engage the students in the classroom. Since two heads are better than one, Peer assessment and learning is another method that, through collaboration, helps students to learn from and with each other. So, we did some practical activities that put into practice this ideology and also with the aim to understand how the participants can use this in their classes. The Peer assessment is seen as the students giving the feedback to their classmates, so in this case feedback really helps to generate new innovative ideas. In conclusion, it was an intense week and we understood that embracing innovative methods in the classroom is crucial for today’s world. We are pretty sure that our participants will take something from this training course in order to embrace innovation and transform their classrooms into vibrant hubs of learning and growth. Discover more about this course here. Nowadays it is seen as a very important thing for students to be spot on as creative persons, as so to have and to know how to use critical thinking skills, because these abilities are crucial for their development and future success. It also makes the students be more adaptable and flexible, in today’s rapidly changing world this is a key that makes them overcome difficult obstacles, handle all types of situations and be open minded. Having the capacity of decision making after evaluating options and considering multiple viewpoints is what provides informed decisions. They learn to assess the pros and cons, to look for evidence, and to think critically about the potential consequences of their choices. These skills are valuable in personal decision-making and in the workplace. The new edition of the course “Creativity for the future: promoting Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving in the classroom” took place in Palermo from 11/06/2023 to 17/06/2023. The participants came from all across Europe, with Maria do Rosário, Eunice, Maria Manuela from Agr. Escolas Henriques Nogueira in Portugal, Ilze from Mersrags secondary school in Latvia, Mihaela and Elena-Cristina from Vasile Alecsandri National College Iași in Romania, Marie and Mari from Komvux Lund in Sweden, Asli from Gesamtschule Hardt, Andrea from Gymnasium Bad Bergzabern, Clemens from Frauenlob-Gymnasium, all three of them from Germany and also three participants from three different schools in Spain; Gurutze from EPA Paulo Freire, Victoria from Colegio La Purisima-Franciscanas (Valencia) and Tomàs from Institut Caparrella. Concerning creativity, we strongly believe that people should express themselves, open their imagination and mind, so we started the week by seeing the participant’s taste, this is, to ask what they were interested in with the support of a digital tool. The first activity to start using creativity capacities, was thinking about what it is possible to do with a simple object. With this, we understood that there is no such thing as wrong ideas, judging is a killer to creativity in general. Then we started talking about how creative and critical thinking empowers students to analyze problems from various perspectives, thinking outside the box, and developing innovative solutions, which means that it can be extremely helpful and also a facilitator in problem solving situations. Then we focused on how to distinguish the differences between creativity and critical thinking. Firstly, the participants thought on their own about this question and we realised that the two aspects are distinct but interconnected cognitive processes. While they share some similarities, they also have key differences. For example, creativity focuses on generating new and valuable ideas, while critical thinking emphasizes the evaluation and analysis of information. Going back to practical activities, we proposed some challenging exercises to put in practice the idea of “think out of the box”, thus having limited time, which meant that there was no space to be analytical, but simply to use creativity, which was the aim of the activity! We even chose puzzles that seemed kind of impossible to be solved, in order to show that sometimes rules can go against creativity and to introduce the topic of barriers in creativity. We presented the 5 steps of the creativity process, and asked the participants to reorder them following a logical and organized order to give the perfect stage for creative ideas to shine. We wanted to encourage our participants to use their genius minds, so we asked them to choose one card for each process and explain their choices. Then, each teacher had to draw an animal that represented in the best way possible their organization. Then we revised theory through a whisper activity and we got very creative results. Another effective way to develop creativity and critical thinking is through the debate so we organised one. We also promoted problem solving, the cognitive process that involves identifying, analyzing, and resolving or mitigating issues or challenges. Since it’s a fundamental skill that helps individuals overcome obstacles, we showed how helpful it could be to train the problem solving attitude through practical activities. In conclusion, creativity and critical thinking are indispensable skills that could empower students and the teachers to navigate this world with confidence. We are sure that our participants will put in practice their creativity, unlock their imagination, explore new possibilities, and generate innovative solutions to present in the classroom ! Discover more about this course here. Exploring the Realm of Interpersonal Skills and Empathy: A Transformative Expedition for Educators7/1/2023 Soft skills are nowadays becoming more and more important in the context of professional and daily life. Skills such as emotional intelligence and empathy, teamwork, conflict and stress management are essential inside and outside the classroom. By a combination of theoretical and practical activities, our participants learnt more about how to improve their communication skills. The new edition of the course “Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence for teachers and education staff” took place in Tenerife from 25/06/2023 to 01/07/2023. The participants came from all across Europe, with Jasna and Metka from IC PIRAMIDA MARIBOR in Slovenija, and Katrin from Audentes school in Estonia. We had Erika, Rasa and Remigijus from Radviliskis Vincas Kudirka progymnasium in Lithuania, Angela, Salvatore, Alessia, Daniela and Michela from CPIA Ancona in Italy. Finally, from Romania, Isabela, Catalina and Mihaela from Colegiul National "Alexandru Ioan Cuza".  The first topic discussed in the course was Emotional Intelligence. This term indicates the ability to recognise not only our own feelings but also other people’s emotions, in order to be aware of ourselves and our surroundings. Another skill that was tackled during this session was empathy. Through a series of exercises the participants were able to learn more about practicing empathy, self-control, self-motivation and building a connection. A good teacher is also a good leader of the classroom because they have to give motivation and guide their students to reach a specific goal. Leadership comes in different forms, but not all of them are effective in every situation. For this reason, participants were asked to think about the main characteristics of the leaders they admire and reflected on the different leadership styles. One of the most important skills for working in a team is effective communication. The participants focused their attention on the different communication styles: aggressive, passive, passive-aggressive and assertive. Communication is essential when it comes to teamwork. Being able to show assertiveness can be tricky, however, by discussing this topic they saw that being assertive does not mean to be impolite, but it means to communicate what you want effectively. In order to improve their communication skills they also had to prepare an exercise on public speaking. They learnt tips and tricks on how to present yourself, how to control your body language and your nonverbal communication. In order to gain confidence the participants were asked to prepare a short one-minute speech to perform in front of the class and to put at use the skills they had learned. The last topic of this course was Conflict and stress management. Working with people can be difficult sometimes and we do not always know how to deal with conflicts. By sharing their own experiences they realized how these are common situations and that conflict doesn’t necessarily have to bring a negative outcome, but it is also a possibility for growth and development. This course allowed participants to confront themselves with each other and learn from their shared experiences. Each participant had a different background that certainly contributed to the growth of the group as a whole. In addition, networking was also possible because of the planned cultural activities, showing that learning does not happen only inside a classroom!
Discover more about this course here. |
Welcome to the ELA Blog. Here you will find articles and photos of our courses and have a look at the topics addressed during the week in Bologna, Palermo and Tenerife. You will also have the chance to take a peek at our projects and check out what we have been up to.
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