The ELA Blog

​This training course aims to reflect and examine different approaches, methods and best techniques to encourage inclusion in the classroom, since it is an important goal to reach in every type of school. The keywords of this training are empathy, membership, and cooperation, as characterising factors of inclusive education.

​​The new edition of the course “Special needs and inclusive education, the Italian experience of overcoming segregation” took place in Palermo from 26/11/2023 to 02/12/2023. The participants came from all across Europe, with Rita and Rūta from Gymnasium of President Antanas Smetona in Lithuania, Livia from Ammattiopisto Live in Finland, and participants coming from two different Spanish schools: Raquel, María Paz and Josefina from Escuela Oficial de Idiomas de Valladolid; Elena and Aberto from Verge de Cortes.

We introduced the course talking about inclusive education from different perspectives, focusing on their various  benefits, but we also defined the terms of exclusion, segregation and integration to see the differences of meaning between them.  
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​Then participants focused their attention to the keyword already mentioned: the first keyword, “Empathy”, is the foundation for creating a “relationship” between the teacher, the students, and their families: it means taking the perspective of others without being judgmental, understanding another person’s feelings and sharing them, in order to encourage connections with people. Indeed, “To connect” is crucial in an educational context, especially when we talk about taking care of students with special needs.

The second keyword, “Membership”, means the “feeling of belonging to a group”, perceiving how your contribution could be meaningful to others. This sense of belongingness can be created by removing physical barriers and by promoting reciprocal comprehension, tolerance, and respect, which is very important to create a welcoming atmosphere that encourages and helps the learning process.  

​The last keyword of this course, “Cooperation”, refers in this case to the relationship with families, since they are part of the system where there are students with special needs or disabilities. Cooperating with families is important to create a supporting system for students. To put it another way, teachers need to be the guiding lights for both students and their parents, providing knowledge and thoughts for parents to best help their child’s learning process.

​We also analysed the characteristics of the “Italian Model”, which is one of the few examples of inclusive education, based on the idea of “including” every person in the same system and relying on the aid of special figures like Support Teachers and Educators, thus eliminating the presence of special schools. To better analyse this “Italian Model”, the participants also could visit, in Palermo, the secondary school “Liceo Classico Internazionale Statale Giovanni Meli”, which is in active in the field of inclusive education and works to put into practice all the methods and theories introduced during the course, helping students with different disabilities and special needs, always putting the students’ will first.

The networking activities among the participants were possibly the most constructive moments of the week, because they were an opportunity to share different perspectives, models and approaches, creating a reciprocal improvement. This training also lets every participant learn new devices and digital tools, creating the opportunity to examine original methods and techniques and encourage constant improvement. We want to thank all the participants, who made this course unique with their great dedication, it was a really significant but also funny experience!

Discover more about this course here.

English is known as the "global language," bringing people from different countries together and helping them communicate in areas like business, research, fashion, computers, and more.

This week teachers participated in the "Intensive English Language Course for Education". They approached the study with enthusiasm and dedicated maximum effort to each activity. The new edition of the course took place in Tenerife from 26/11/2023 to 02/12/2023.
​We had the pleasure to welcome a group composed by Alessia, Ivana, Monica, Teresa, Elisabetta, Micol and Alessandra from Comune di Bologna (Area educazione, istruzione e nuove generazioni) in Italy.

During the week, participants faced different challenges aimed at improving five crucial skills: using English, listening, reading, writing, and speaking.

​Our journey started with sharing personal information and recapping the knowledge from lower levels. Starting from the second day, each morning commenced with a recap activity to reinforce the new knowledge acquired. Language learning requires effort and practice, so every theory session in the course was filled with numerous interactive exercises and activities.

We learned about different grammar topics like tenses, phrasal verbs, and adverbs. Each lesson focused on everyday situations, daily tasks, and discussing routines, hours, and schedules. We also talked about why learning a foreign language is important, shared travel experiences, and discussed future plans.

To help learning, we used games, quizzes, readings, real-life simulations, and other activities for assessments.

The participants embraced speaking challenges with courage. During breaks, they talked with each other in English, sharing insights about their new findings and discussing the plans for the afternoon cultural and networking activities. It was a productive week with improvements in their English skills. We hope they keep this positive attitude in their future English studies and enjoy the multicultural environment they created in just one week.

Discover more about this course here.

Learning to enjoy nature has a big impact on how preschoolers think, behave, and feel. This is especially important because kids who spend time outdoors are more likely to care about the environment and our planet. Outdoor education is a new way of teaching that helps with giving good education and making people aware of how crucial it is to protect our planet from climate change.

The new edition of the course “Outdoor education for preschool teachers” took place in Tenerife from 25/11/2023 to 1/12/2023.  The participants came from all across Europe, with Guðrún Edda Hannibalsdóttir and Brigitte Bjarnasson from preschool Álfheimar in Iceland, Zornica Tasheva- DR, Silviya Marinova- DR and Galya Zaharieva- SR from Kindergarten Detelina, Vrachesh in Bulgaria, Antonella Amerio and Cinzia Brignone from Istituto Comprensivo Cuneo Oltrestura in Italy, Kommunalområde barnehager from Åsa Camilla Söderstedt Jeanette Gulbrandsen in Norway, Stefania Carboni, Melania Rosita and Consuelo Sartorio from I.C. via Maffi in Italy.

Beginning with the definition of Outdoor Education, we examined the advantages it offers, and participants had the opportunity to talk about their own experiences with teaching in natural settings. Since this course was designed for preschool teachers, attendees also gained insights into the Canarian education system and presented information about their schools to compare various methods and approaches.

Another segment of the course centered on engaging in activities within a natural setting at nearby Beaches. The participants highly valued the tested games, which sparked inspiration for them to envision and design their own outdoor activities, tailored to meet the needs of their students.

​Participants also gained insights into the significance of preplanning outdoor spaces by familiarizing themselves with the chosen area beforehand to mitigate risks. They had the opportunity to put this into practice in an outdoor setting, identifying key areas such as play zones, potential hazards, and areas for rest. This hands-on experience equipped them with valuable knowledge to organize safe outdoor activities for their students. A visit to a nearby outdoor kindergarten further provided participants with a practical example of efficient outdoor learning, allowing them to observe children engaging with both each other and nature.

The final segment of the course focused on acquiring green skills and integrating them into teaching practices. Participants received theoretical insights on climate change and received tips and tricks on effectively introducing the topic to young children. The session included various games that can be easily incorporated into teaching methods.

Throughout the course, participants had the opportunity to delve into a wide array of activities that they can replicate with their students, emphasizing that learning extends beyond the confines of a traditional classroom setting.

Discover more about this course here.