The ELA Blog

Our goal as teachers want is to prepare our students for the diverse world we live in. Our society is varied, so it's important for teachers to promote understanding and acceptance in the classroom. Teaching students to be empathetic and open-minded can benefit both them and society.

The new edition of the course “Diversity in the classroom: teaching tolerance and overcoming prejudices and discrimination” took place in Tenerife from 22/10/2023 to 28/10/2023. We were a very “diverse” group, with Milena and Melanie from Ludwig-Dürr-Schule Friedrichshafen in Germany, Máté from Újpesti Karinthy Frigyes Magyar-Angol Két Tanítási Nyelvű Általános Iskola in Hungary Francesca and Paola from Liceo Issel in Italy, Anni and Anja from Ylikiimingin koulu in Finland, Peter and Carina from Staatliches Studienseminar Mainz in Germany, Nikolaos, Konstantinia and Isidoros from GEL NEAS ARTAKIS in Greece, Przemyslaw from Maritime University of Szczecin in Poland.

The initial step in the course involved delving into the idea of identity. Teachers participated in a hands-on activity where they visually expressed their own identity by drawing portraits. One half of the portrait depicted their physical appearance, while the other half represented their inner qualities and values. This exercise led to discussions about how our identities can shape our view of the world and others.
We faced challenges in promoting cultural diversity. Watching a TED talk encouraged us to shift our perspective from asking "where are you from" to "where are you local," emphasizing that our identity, and that of our students, is shaped by our entire culture rather than just our country of origin. Our identity is shaped by various interconnected aspects, not just where we come from.

We cannot talk about diversity without addressing stereotypes. We explored why they exist, their impact - both negative and positive, how they are created, and where they can lead us.
We talked about a sensitive topic: being aware and respectful. Our view of the world is shaped by our identity, so it differs based on our perspectives. Through activities and critical thinking exercises, we explored how our values impact culture and vice versa.
 
Then, we explored then the perspective of the teacher by reflecting together on how to diversify our teaching methods with the pourpose of meeting each students’ specific and different learning need.
Another section of the course focused on membership and it helped us understand the feeling of exclusion and the challenges of including others in our group dynamics.
 
The final point of the week, which is equally important, was empathy. We delved into understanding feelings and emotions, encouraging teachers to empathize with others. It's not only essential to be aware of our emotions but also to teach ourselves and our students how to express them. In the end, it was a vibrant week filled with new learning, practical experience, sharing, meaningful discussions, and a range of thoughts, ideas, and emotions.

​Discover more about this course here.

The new edition of the course “Discover the best apps and tools for E-learning, Distance learning and Web Design” concentrated exactly on these matters. This session of the course took place in Tenerife from 21/10/2023 to 27/10/2023. The participants came from all across Europe, Viktorija from VPVPMC in Lithuania, Georg and Sieglinde from FOS Meran in Italy, Sophia from Theresianische Akademie Wien in Austria, Orlando and Claudio from IIS Verona Trento in Italy, Evelina, Eglė, Raminta, Povilas from Marijampolės Petro Kriaučiūno viešoji biblioteka in Lithuania 

​ ​​In this course, participants learned to use various tech tools. The objective was to effectively incorporate these new technologies into both physical and online classrooms, facilitating easier and more efficient teaching methods.

During the course we discovered how to create a website, offering various possibilities for distance learning. Participants learned to design different pages and enhance them with content, allowing them to personalize their websites. This included options like writing project development blogs and creating portfolios.

​Among the numerous tools they explored, they discovered interactive presentations that enable teachers to engage students by conducting polls, generating word clouds, and soliciting questions or feedback on the topic. They also learned to create video lessons, especially relevant in current times, and online quizzes for testing students' progress, which proved highly beneficial.

The participants left this course with a new knowledge of interactive learning and new technologies and a new set of tools, ready to use them in their real and online lessons. There is no doubt that this approach will increase the students’ creativity, engagement, attention and motivation and help transform learning into a fun and dynamic activity!

Discover more about this course here.

What is a supportive classroom for you? For us it is a place where students are suppporting each other and teachers are aiming to build together a safe and supporting learning enviroment, working on Emotional Intelligence, collaborative learning tecniques, communication, conflict management.

These were the main topics discussed in the new edition of the course “Effective Classroom Management Strategies for teachers and education staff​” that took place in Tenerife from 15/10/2023 to 21/10/2023. The participants came from all across Europe, with Edita and Evalda from Smelte's Progymnasium in Lithuania, Tanja from Osnovna šola Zagradec in Slovenia, Věra from Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering in Czech Republic and Sophia from Theresianische Akademie Wien in Austria.
​
​In the course, they learned three important things for managing a classroom well. Firstly, engagement emphasized building strong relationships, respecting diversity, and encouraging school involvement. The second factor was safety, ensuring emotional and physical security within the classroom. Lastly, a positive environment with peace, calm, and understanding is essential for students.

They learned about Social Emotional Learning, which means understanding and managing emotions and recognizing others' feelings.This skill is crucial for fostering a more accepting and supportive environment.

Then the course looked at how groups work together. Managing these interactions in the classroom is important to keep a comfortable atmosphere, encouraging student participation and preventing dropouts. Teachers reflected together on how do differentiate their teaching practises to include all the students and they did it through the collaborative learning tecnique called "learning stations," discussing different aspects of diversity in various ways.

Later on, the participants concentrated on communication, specifically exploring the distinction between fixed and growth mindsets. They were tested and challenged on their assumptions about their own mindsets, leading the group to analyze the traits associated with a "growth mindset."
Later on, the concept of the "Flipped Classroom" was introduced. They tried out different technology tools to help manage this method, making their teaching more efficient and effective.
Lastly, the course covered conflict management. By examining their own beliefs and biases, participants learned that conflicts can be valuable when handled appropriately.
It was an amazing experience that we will all keep in our memories, as we were ourselves a very supportive classroom! 😀

More info on this course here. 

The new edition of the course “Integrating ICT and new technologies into teaching and education” took place in Palermo from 15/10/2023 to 21/10/2023. The participants came from all across Europe, with Vaiva, Irma and Monika from Radviliskis Vincas Kudirka progymnasium in Lithuania, Helen and Sandra from Karlskrona Vuxenutbildning in Sweden, Fanni, Andràs, Balàzs, Péter and Zsuzsa from Debreceni SZC Mechwart András Gépipari és Informatikai Technikum and Debreceni Szakképzési Centrum in Hungary and Jelena from Bildungsforum Lernwelten in Germany.