Cooperation with the European Commission
Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning

Local organiser: Tomislava Maljković, Hotel and Tourism School, Zagreb

ECML experts: Chantal Muller (Belgium), Katja Schnitzer (Germany)

Participants: 23 (foreign language teachers, teachers of other subjects, teacher educators, teachers of the language of schooling, policymakers, school administrators)

On 8 and 9 April 2025, a two-day workshop on Supporting Multilingual Classrooms was held at the Hotel and Tourism School in Zagreb, Croatia. Tomislava Maljković (local coordinator) along with Ana Trogrlić and Petar Bekić liaised with the ECML expert team, Katja Schnitzer and Chantal Muller on the organisation of the event.

The Hotel and Tourism School is known for holding classes of as many as seven foreign languages as well as Croatian language classes for foreigners. It educates future tourism professionals who will, one day, work in a multicultural and multilingual environment.

This workshop enabled us, above all, to become better acquainted with the possibilities of sensitization in working with different cultures and languages, including migrant students. We also learned about the challenges and new approaches to intercultural dialogue in our classroom and beyond. It placed emphasis on the importance of first creating a microcosm of diversity respect and tolerance within ourselves, as only then can we transfer it effectively to our classroom, to our students and colleagues, and ultimately to society as a whole.

The workshop analysed how to create an inclusive environment in which all languages are valued, including the language of schooling, discussing how multilingualism in tourism and hospitality schools and other schools in Croatia can serve as an advantage and how a lifelong school approach strategy can be developed within the framework of continuous support for multilingual curricula.

One of the topics was also recognizing linguistic diversity as a pillar of learning and the holistic development of students.

Thanks to the lively input and interactive approaches of the ECML expert team, the workshop participants were introduced to new knowledge and skills that they can now apply in their classrooms.

Tomislava Maljković, local organiser, 14 April 2025

ECML project website: Supporting multilingual classrooms, ECML-EC cooperation agreement 2025 "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning"

For many years now, teaching professionals have been aware of the use of ICT in teaching practices. This awareness has grown still further since the Covid pandemic, sometimes leaving good teachers at a loss as they seek to retrain or even leave the profession prematurely. A training workshop of the kind offered by ICT-REV has numerous benefits, which have been fully borne out by the success of this recent workshop in Brussels.

Through its training and consultancy activities, the ECML offers a wide range of  opportunities for high-quality training to teaching professionals. Its workshops, based on the practical use of pedagogical and didactic tools, enhance the professionalism of teachers who all too often feel left alone when it comes to designing their courses to meet local standards. The professional development and pedagogical skills of teachers are an asset in fostering education systems that encourage the appropriate use of tools in their daily context. There are many AI-related tools, but their appropriate use often remains a mystery and can prove discouraging.

This training encourages a diversification of approaches and a deepening of students' learning. By making it dynamic and interactive it captures their attention and promotes concentration. Young people today are very often connected but often do not know how to make intelligent use of artificial intelligence tools. Their teachers can be destabilised by the huge range of tools available, how to use them and how to select wisely from what is available online.

Another advantage is that educational teams with similar backgrounds can meet up, not only to exchange ideas and experiences, but also to collectively build on existing good practice. Often, a professional network is created through the establishment of useful connections for the development of teaching tools and materials. 

The participants systematically  highlight the dynamism and enthusiasm of the moderators, who make this training lively, interactive and varied, and greatly appreciate  the opportunity to benefit from their expertise. 

Karine Dekeukelaere, local coordinator

French version:

Les TIC dans l’enseignement et l’apprentissage des langues et au-delà !

Depuis, de nombreuses années, les professionnel·le·s de l’enseignement sont sensibilisés à l’utilisation des TIC dans leurs pratiques enseignantes. Depuis la crise Covid, cette conscientisation s’est encore accentuée en laissant parfois de bons pédagogues désemparés cherchant à se reconvertir ou à quitter la fonction prématurément. Un tel atelier de formation a plusieurs avantages et le succès constaté en fait la démonstration.
Le CELV nous offre chaque fois la possibilité de proposer une formation de grande qualité aux professionnel·le·s de l’enseignement. Ces ateliers, basés sur l’usage pratique d’outils pédagogiques et didactiques, permettent de renforcer le professionnalisme des enseignant·e·s qui se sentent trop souvent livré·e·s à eux-mêmes dans la confection de leurs cours pour qu’ils correspondent aux référentiels locaux. Le développement professionnel et celui des compétences pédagogiques des enseignant·e·s sont un atout pour promouvoir des systèmes éducatifs encourageant un usage adéquat d’outils dans leur contexte quotidien. Les outils liés à IA sont multiples, mais leur utilisation adaptée reste souvent un mystère, parfois décourageant.
Cette formation invite à diversifier les approches et à approfondir les apprentissages des élèves en cherchant à rendre ceux-ci dynamiques et interactif·ve·s pour capter l’attention et la concentration de ces apprenant·e·s. Aujourd’hui, les jeunes sont très souvent connecté·e·s, mais ne connaissent pas, dans la majorité des cas, comment faire un usage intelligent d’outils de l’IA.  Leurs professeur·e·s peuvent être déstabilisé·e·s devant la masse inconnue d'outils, leur usage et le tri correct dans l’offre en ligne.
La rencontre entre équipes éducatives de mêmes profils est un autre avantage permettant non seulement d’échanger des idées, des expériences, mais aussi d’enrichir collectivement les bonnes pratiques existantes. Souvent, un réseau professionnel se crée par la mise en place de connexions utiles pour le développement d’outils et de matériaux didactiques. 
Les participant·e·s soulignent systématiquement le dynamisme et l’enthousiasme des formateur·rice·s qui rendent cette formation vivante, interactive et variée avec la possibilité de profiter de leur expertise. 

Local organiser: Andrea Lutz, Levende Talen

ECML experts: José Noijons (Netherlands), Karine Dekeukelaere (Belgium)

Participants: 11 (teachers and teacher trainers, curriculum developers, publishers)

Getting started with RELANG and the updated final attainment levels for modern foreign languages.

“It's an honour to be here” said Wendoline Timmerman from the Ministry of Education, Department of Secondary Education and ECML Governing board member for the Netherlands at the opening of the two-day RELANG training workshop that took place on 18 and 19 March 2025 in Utrecht. This is unique for the Netherlands and has long been a wish of Ms Timmerman’s to bring the importance of the CEFR to the minds of teachers of modern foreign languages. Levende Talen has thus made a first step towards professionalising teachers in CEFR and its relation to the updates of the core objectives and examination programmes for modern foreign languages developed by SLO, national expertise centre for the curriculum.

An enthusiastic group of teachers, a curriculum developer and a teacher trainer took part in this inspiring workshop. Participants were introduced to the principles of the CEFR Companion Volume where the relationship with the attainment targets and core objectives was made clearly visible. By gaining insight into how the alignment with descriptors of the modern foreign language exam programme domains Communication, Language Awareness and Cultural Awareness and CEFR was made, participants were able to produce their own test materials through assignments and grading instruments. All are now looking forward to applying this new knowledge in their own learning environments.

Andrea Lutz, local coordinator, 21 March 2025

ECML project website: RELANG, ECML-EC cooperation agreement 2025 "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning"