Empowering Educators: A Week of English Immersion in Bologna

It's never too late to learn English, and even more so if you are a teacher or educational staff! As it is widely known, English is the vehicular language by default for lots of different environments, such as business, tourism, and, of course, education. Keep in mind that, according to Ethnologue, of 1,453 million speakers of English, 373 million are native speakers (those who speak English as their first language) and 1,080 million are non-native speakers (those who speak English as their second language). 
A new edition of the course “Basic English Language Course for education staff“ took place in Bologna from 05/05/2024 to 11/05/2024. In this course three participants from two different European countries had an opportunity to expand their English knowledge throughout a week of non-formal, hands-on education with our wonderful trainer, Martina Granata. The participants for this edition of the course were: Marita Norkvist, from Hjalmar Strömerskolan Strömsund in Sweden; Jurgita Skamaročienė and Rigvita Grinskė from Jonavos Justino Vareikio progimnazija in Lithuania. 

During this amazing week of "learning by doing", the participants attending the A1/A2 level course were able to revisit some of the most important features of the English language, and, of course, learn new aspects of this language. Through the use of an inductive and practical system of teaching, consisting in group and individual activities, the participants were able to improve their English level in a matter of days, particularly in the conversational area, and with a special focus on the use of language as an educational vehicle. 
Throughout this weekly English course, participants covered a range of topics to boost their language skills. They began by getting to know each other and discussing their daily routines. Then, they delved into the realm of travel, equipping themselves with essential vocabulary for their journeys. Following that, they explored their dreams and aspirations, practicing different tenses to express future plans. As they neared the end of the week, they engaged in a cooking activity to learn new vocabulary and enhance their communication skills through reading emails and daily listening exercises. 

​By the end of the week, participants felt more confident in navigating English conversations in various real-life scenarios. At the end of the training, all participants were given a certificate of attendance to corroborate their participation in the course. 
As in all our courses, the participants also had the opportunity to discover the wonderful city of Bologna with our volunteers, who offered them a series of sightseeing tours of the city center and accompanied them to some of Bologna's fantastic restaurants. 
Discover more about the course here.