On the 10^th of May 2025, Catherine Jeanneau, from the ECML training and consultancy team focusing on fostering digital citizenship through language education, delivered a plenary presentation and two workshops. These presentations showcased the material developed by the e-lang citizen team. They showed that the language classroom offers many opportunities to enable learners to develop their digital literacy and to act as digital citizens, in line with some of objectives promoted by major international organisations involved in education, including the Council of Europe.

The sessions examined these opportunities and reviewed research in this field in an attempt to establish what digital literacy and digital citizenship meant, particularly in the context of language teaching and learning.

They then explored concrete pedagogical possibilities for implementing these objectives through a socio-interactional approach based on real-world tasks that enable learners to experience authentic communication and social action beyond the walls of the classroom.

Finally, a number of these tasks were presented. Participants learnt how the tasks can help language users to adopt a new mindset and reflect on the skills they require in order to complete them.

Author: Catherine Jeanneau, team member of the ECML Training and consultancy offer “Fostering digital citizenship through language education“

The presentation and workshops were delivered on the occasion of ELTAM Days 2025.

Twenty-one teachers of English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian (some of them, also, teacher trainers, curriculum authors, professional development advisor) in primary and secondary schools from throughout the country participated in the two-day workshop Using ICT in support of language teaching and learning, organized by the Bureau for Education Services and European Centre for Modern Languages.

The training was facilitated by Ursula Stickler, Jackie Robbins and Sarah Heiser, members of ICT REV team. In preparation for the workshop the participants filled in an online questionnaire and completed some tasks on a Moodle workspace.

The facilitators introduced participants to various online tools, platforms and materials they can use in their everyday work in classroom, such as Padlet, Moodle, Clasroomscreen, Mentimeter, Clickchamp, Audacity, Makebelief, Genially, Pixabey. The participants had plenty of opportunities to discuss and share their experiences of working with these tools and apps.

The participants worked together on creating new teaching activities which they recorded and uploaded on the Padlet as “Tools I had used”.

At the end of the workshop both the trainers and the participants presented their best materials they had recorded before the workshop while contemplating possibility of introducing newly acquired tools.

The training showed that most of the participants are already active users of various tools and apps for use of ICT in teaching and learning modern languages. So the overall tone of the training was motivating and fertile as a result of both inspiring and enthusiastic support of the trainers and dedicated i motivated work of the participants.

Montenegrin version:

21 nastavnice engleskog, italijanskog, njemačkog, španskog, rusko (a neke od njih, istovremeno, treneri, autorke programa, savjetnica za profesionalni razvoj) u osnovnim I srednjim školama širom zemlje učestvovale su u dvodnevnoj obuci za Upotrebu IKT u nastavi i učenju stranih jezika, koju su organizovali Zavod za školstvo i Evropski centar za moderne jezike.

Obuku su vodile Ursula Stickler, Jackie Robbins i Sarah Heiser, članice ICT REV tima. Kao pripremu za ovu obuku učesnice su ispunile online upitnik i odradile zadatke na Moodle platformi.

Voditeljke obuke su upoznale učesnice sa različtim online alatima, platformama i materijalima koje mogu koristiti u svakodnevnom radu u učionici, npr. Padlet, Moodle, Clasroomscreen, Mentimeter, Clickchamp, Audacity, Makebelief, Genially, Pixabey. Učesnice su imale priliku da diskutuju i podijele svoja iskustva u radu sa ovim alatima i aplikacijama. 

Učesnice su zajedno radile na izradi novih nastavnih aktivnosti koje su snimile i postavile na Padlet kao “Alati koje sam koristila”.

Obuka je pokazala da većina učesnica već aktivno koristi razne alate i aplikacije za korišćenje IKT u nastavi/učenju stranih jezika. Tako je opšta atmosfera obuke bila motivišuća i plodna kao rezultat, s jedne strane, inspirativne podrške i entuzijazma voditeljki obuke, a s druge, posvećenog i motivisanog rada učesnica.

Jasmina Djordjevic, local coordinator

Date and venue: Podgorica, Montenegro, 29-30 September 2023
Experts: Christine Lechner (Austria) and Renata Zanin (Italy)
Local organiser: Nataša Perić, Bureau for Education Services
Participants: 21 class teachers, teachers of Montenegrin-Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian language and literature, foreign language teachers (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian)

Quality in foreign language teaching implies teachers who master teaching methods, approaches and procedures that lead to the best results in learning. Foreign language teachers in Montenegro have a good education in foreign language teaching methodology but certain aspects of teaching require constant reassessment and improvement. The workshop Enhancing language learning and teaching through action research communities for language teachers, held on 29 and 30 September 2023 in the Bureau for Education Services, introduced to the language teachers the potentials of Action research and how it can help them reflect on their practice and refine their teaching skills.

During the two very productive days, the team of outstanding trainers, Christine Lechner and Renata Zanin, presented the main principles of Action research to the teachers of five foreign languages, English, Italian, German, French and Russian, and provided them with practical examples as well as tools and resources for reflecting and improving their teaching practice. The participants have found the sessions on focused classroom observation, collaborative learning and reflective teaching very useful, as well as the instructions for planning the action research project. Five action research projects were planned to be implemented until the end of the first term of the school year 2023/2024.

Nataša Perić

• More information on the ECML training and consultancy offer for member states "Enhancing language learning and teaching through Action Research Communities for language teachers"

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Montenegrin version

Akciono istraživanje u nastavi stranih jezika u Crnoj Gori

Kvalitet u nastavi stranih jezika podrazumijeva nastavnike koji vladaju nastavnim metodama i pristupima koji će dovesti do najboljih rezultata u nastavi i učenju. Nastavnici stranih jezika u Crnoj Gori imaju dobro obrazovanje iz metodike nastave stranih jezika, ali pojedini aspekti nastave zahtijevaju stalno analizaranje i usavršavanje. Radionica Unapređenje učenja i nastave jezika kroz zajednice akciono istraživanje, održana 29. i 30. septembra 2023. godine u Zavodu za školstvo, upoznala je nastavnike jezika sa potencijalima akcionog istraživanja i kako im ono može pomoći da promišljaju o svojoj praksi i unaprijede nastavu.

Tokom dva veoma produktivna dana, tim vrhunskih trenera, koji su činile Christine Lechner i Renata Zanin, je predstavio glavne principe akcionog istraživanja nastavnicima pet stranih jezika - engleskog, italijanskog, njemačkog, francuskog i ruskog, i ponudio praktične primjere i resurse za promišljanje i unapređenje nastavne prakse. Učesnicima su bile veoma korisne sesije o fokusiranom posmatranju u učionici, saradničkom učenju i refleksivnoj nastavi, kao i uputstva za planiranje projekta kojim će primijeniti akciono istraživanju u učionici. Planirano je da se realizuje pet projekata tokom prvog polugodišta školske 2023/2024.

Nataša Perić

Date and venue of the event: 14-15 October 2022, Podgorica, Montenegro
Local organiser: Marija Mijušković, Faculty of Philology, University of Montenegro
ECML experts: Martina Emke, Germany; Ursula Stickler, United Kingdom
Participants: 22 foreign languages (English, Italian, German) from primary and secondary schools and university teachers from the Faculty of Philology of the University of Montenegro

Montenegrin foreign language teachers, who were participants of the ICT-REV workshop, learnt how to individualise teaching and training modules using available ICT tools and open educational resources for language teaching. They became more aware of their needs in terms of continuing professional development. They were shown ways of pursuing this development individually and via the initiation of local or regional clusters of multipliers.

After the workshop we had in Montenegro, our teachers can now use the training activities, materials and other resources. The teachers learned that effectively blending pedagogical principles with technology is crucial for creating successful language learning activities. With this workshop, the trainers raised awareness of the needs of language teachers and teacher trainers. This workshop greatly impacted the participants, who understood the seminar’s role in their professional development and its impact on their students’ general knowledge and digital skills. The need for professional development and the integration of pedagogy and technology use will increase the digital literacy of language teachers. The participants are now ready to support their colleagues in raising awareness of the importance of integrating pedagogy and technology. 

We warmly recommend and encourage all language teachers, teacher trainers and language policymakers to participate in this useful workshop. The ECML moderators prepared the event very carefully, delivering information in an extremely sound, logical and pedagogical way, exchanging ideas, thoughts and opinions with the participants with clarity and purpose.

Marija Mijušković

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy for member States “Use of ICT in support of language learning and teaching - ICT-REV”

Montenegrin version

Integracija tehnologije, digitalnih alata i resursa u nastavi stranih jezika u Crnoj Gori

Nastavnici stranih jezika iz Crne Gore, koji su bili učesnici ICT-REV radionice, naučili su kako da koriste module nastave koristeći dostupne ICT alate i resurse za nastavu stranog jezika. Postali su svjesniji svojih potreba u pogledu kontinuiranog stručnog usavršavanja.

Nakon radionice koju smo imali u Crnoj Gori, naši nastavnici sada mogu koristiti aktivnosti, materijale i resurse sa kojima su upoznati na obuci. Naučili su da je kombinovanje pedagoških principa sa tehnologijom ključno za kreiranje savremenijih i naprednijih aktivnosti koje su neophodne u nastavi stranih jezika. Ovom radionicom treneri su podigli svijest o potrebama nastavnika jezika i trenera za nastavnike. Potreba za profesionalnim razvojem i integracijom pedagogije i tehnologije uz upotrebu ICT alata povećaće digitalnu pismenost nastavnika jezika. Učesnici su sada spremni da u podižu svijest o važnosti integracije pedagogije i tehnologije i dijele saznanja sa svojim kolegama.

Toplo preporučujemo i podstičemo sve nastavnike jezika, trenere za nastavnike i kreatore jezičke politike da pohađaju ovu radionicu. ECML moderatori su veoma pažljivo pripremili događaj, pružajući informacije na logičan i pedagoški način i razmjenjujući ideje sa učesnicima jasno i svrsishodno.

Marija Mijušković

(Please click on the picture below to see the photo gallery.)

Local organisation: Ms Nataša Perić, Bureau for Education Services
Participants: 21 teachers in elementary and secondary schools, teacher trainers, supervisors

The workshop on the European Electronic Language Portfolio (e-ELP) will be held on 3-4 October 2019, in cooperation of the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) and the Bureau for Education Services of Montenegro.

Deputy Director of the Bureau for Education Services, Mr Radovan Popovic, will open the workshop. Ms Ljiljana Subotić, ECML Governing Board Member and Ms Nataša Perić, ECML contact point will talk about cooperation with the European Centre for Modern Languages, its activities and resources.

A team of experts of the European Centre for Modern Languages will familiarize the participants with the structure and functions of the European Language Portfolio, and with its electronic version. They will present a platform that enables the application of pedagogical principles in the teaching of foreign languages with the help of technology. The platform is intended for teachers at all levels of education, pupils and students, in the context of formal and informal language learning, because the application of the European Language Portfolio encourages autonomy in learning, develop self-assessment skills and helps in documenting the learning outcomes.

Given that the use of technology in teaching should be methodically adjusted, the goal of two-day training programme is to familiarize teachers with activities that will help them use the eELP as a tool in teaching that contributes to more efficient learning.

Teachers of foreign languages in primary and secondary schools and supervisors from the Bureau of Education will attend the training programme.

The experts Bärbel Kühn and Maria Luisa Perez Cavana will lead the workshop.

Nataša Perić

• Workshop programme
• Brief information published in English and Montenegrin on the website of the Department for international cooperation and public relations - Bureau for Education Services
• More information about the ECML training and consultancy offer "Electronic European Language Portfolio – Working with an electronic European Language Portfolio for better language learning"

Montenegrin version

U organizaciji Zavoda za školstvo, uz ekspertsku podršku Evropskog centra za moderne jezike iz Graca, 3. i 4. oktobra 2019. godine, u Zavodu za školstvo, održaće se seminar Elektronski Evropski jezički portfolio (eELP).

Seminar će otvoriti pomoćnik direktora Zavoda za školstvo, gospodin Radovan Popović,  a o saradnji sa Centrom za moderne jezike i njegovim aktivnostima govoriće Ljiljana Subotić, član Upravnog odbora i Nataša Perić, nacionalni koordinator.

Tim stručnjaka Evropskog centra za moderne jezike upoznaće učesnike sa strukturom i funkcijom Evropskog jezičkog portfolija, ali i njegovom elektronskom verzijom. Riječ je o platformi koja omogućava primjenu pedagoških principa u nastavi stranih jezika uz pomoć tehnologije. Ova platforma je namijenjena nastavnicima na svim nivoima obrazovanja, učenicima i studentima, u kontekstu formalnog i neformalnog učenja jezika, jer se primjenom Evropskog jezičkog portfolija podstiče samostalnost u učenju, razvija vještina samoprocjene i pomaže dokumentovanje ishoda učenja. S obzirom na to da je riječ o primjeni tehnologije u nastavi  koja mora biti metodički prilagođena, cilj dvodnevnog programa obuke je upoznati nastavnike sa aktivnostima koje će omogućiti primjenu ovog instrumenta u nastavi i doprinijeti efikasnijem usvajanju stranog jezika.

Program obuke će pohađati nastavnici stranih jezika koji se izučavaju u osnovnim i srednjim školama i nadzornici iz Zavoda za školstvo.

Voditelji seminara su eksperti Evropskog centra za moderne jezike Bärbel Kühn i Maria Luisa Perez Cavana.

 Nataša Perić

Date: 4-5 October 2018
Venue: Bureau for Education Services of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro
Local organiser: Nataša Perić, Bureau for Education Services of Montenegro
ECML experts: Do Coyle and Kevin Schuck
Participants: 26 teachers of all subjects, presidents of teachers associations, advisors from the Examination Centre and supervisors from the Bureau for Education Services

On 4 and 5 October 2018, the Bureau for Education Services, with the expert support of the European Centre for Modern Languages, organised a workshop Integrated content and language learning (CLIL). Class and subject teachers from primary and secondary schools that are implementing bilingual education programmes, advisors from the Examination Centre and supervisors from the Bureau for Education attended the training programme.

Integrated learning of content and language is one of the current issues when it comes to improving learning and teaching, but also to promoting multilingualism, as one of the policy principles of the European unity. The aim of this two-day training programme was to familiarize teachers with activities and methods whose implementation in the classroom will enable students to acquire not only professional, but also good linguistic and communicative competences.

The workshop was facilitated by two members of the ECML’s CLIL team, Kevin Schuck and Do Coyle and observed by Letizia Cinganotto, a researcher in the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research from Rome, who presented the School Education Gateway which is funded by Erasmus+, the European programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport.

For more information about the ECML training and consultancy activity, you can visit the dedicated ECML website.

Nataša Perić, Bureau for Education Services of Montenegro

MONTENEGRIN VERSION

U organizaciji Zavoda za školstvo, uz ekspertsku podršku Evropskog centra za moderne jezike iz Graca, 4. i 5. oktobra 2018. godine, u Zavodu za školstvo, održan je seminar Integrisano učenje sadržaja i jezika (CLIL).

Program obuke su pohađali nastavnici razredne i predmetne nastave iz osnovnih i srednjih škola u kojima se realizuje dvojezična nastava, savjetnici iz Ispitnog Centra i nadzornici iz Zavoda za školstvo.

Integrisano učenje sadržaja i jezika je jedna od aktuelnih tema kada je riječ o unapređenju nastave, ali o 4 promovisanju višejezičnosti, kao principa politike evropskog jedinstva. Cilj ovog dvodnevnog programa obuke bio je upoznati nastavnike sa aktivnostima i metodama čijom će primjenom učenicima omogućiti sticanje, ne samo stručnih kompetencija i ovladavanje stručnom terminologijom, nego i dobru jezičku i komunikacijsku kompetenciju.

Voditelji seminara su eksperti Evropskog centra za moderne jezike Kevin Schuck i Do Coyle, dok je seminar pratila Letizia Cinganotto, istraživač u Ministarstvu za obrazovanje i istraživanje iz Rima, koja je učesnicima predstavila Teacher Academy i online platformu School Education Gateway.

Više informacija o projektu i resurse možete naći na sljedećem sajtu https://www.ecml.at/Thematicareas/ContentandLanguageIntegratedLearning/tabid/1625/language/en-GB/Default.aspx

ECML experts: Do Coyle, Kevin Schuck, Susanne Staschen-Dielmann, Fred Taveau
Experts invited by the coordinator: Dunja Chamberlain, Letizia Cinganotto

On 4 and 5 December 2017 the Pluriliteracies team met with national representatives from Armenia, Austria, Montenegro and Norway who had applied for an ECML training and consultancy event to be held in their respective countries.

The purpose of the meeting was to introduce the Pluriliteracies Framework for Deeper Learning to the national representatives, to find ways of adapting the content and methods of our training offer to the specific needs of the target countries and to schedule dates for the trainings to be held in 2018.

The meeting also gave our team the invaluable opportunity to discuss the latest developments of our model, especially the Revised Pluriliteracies Framework for Deeper Learning which was introduced in a number of recent publications and has already found its way into CLIL teacher training curricula e.g. in Germany (Berlin) and Finland. The team also seized the opportunity to share best practice dissemination activities based on previous training experience in the ECML member states and to improve the exchange of materials by establishing a digital platform.

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy offer “A pluriliteracies approach to teaching for learning”

Oliver Meyer,
former coordinator of the ECML training and consultancy offer

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German version

„Pluriliterales Lernen im Sachfach“ : Fortbildungs- und Beratungsangebot des EFSZ in Armenien, Montenegro, Norwegen und Österreich Netzwerktreffen (Graz, Österreich, 4.-5. Dezember 2017)

EFSZ-ExpertInnen: Do Coyle, Kevin Schuck, Susanne Staschen-Dielmann, Fred Taveau
Gastexpertinnen auf Einladung des Koordinators: Dunja Chamberlain, Letizia Cinganotto

Am 4.-5. Dezember 2018 traf sich das Pluriliteracies-Team mit VertreterInnen aus Armenien, Montenegro, Norwegen und Österreich, die sich für Lehrerfortbildungen im Rahmen des Fortbildungs- und Beratungsprogramms des Europäischen Fremdsprachenzentrums (EFSZ) beworben hatten.

Der Zweck des Treffens bestand darin, die Kontaktpersonen in den Bewerberländern und deren spezifische Situationen und Erfordernisse kennenzulernen, ihnen neue Entwicklungen in Bezug auf unser Pluriliterales Lehr-/Lernmodell vorzustellen und ein Fortbildungsangebot zu entwickeln, das auf die speziellen Bedürfnisse der Lehrenden in den jeweiligen Ländern zugeschnitten ist sowie konkrete Termine für die Fortbildungen zu vereinbaren.

Das Treffen war für uns auch eine wertvolle Gelegenheit, uns persönlich über Neuentwicklungen sowie aktuelle und geplante Veröffentlichungen der Teammitglieder auszutauschen. Die Relevanz unseres Modells zeigt sich unter anderem darin, dass es mittlerweile Einzug in Lehr- und Ausbildungspläne z.B. in Deutschland (Berlin) und Finnland gefunden hat.

Ein weiteres Ergebnis des Treffens bestand darin, dass sich die Teammitglieder über die bisher durchgeführten Fortbildungen ausgetauscht und best practice-Aktivitäten zusammengestellt haben, die nun allen Teammitgliedern auf einer internen digitalen Plattform zur Verfügung stehen.

• Für weitere Informationen zum Fortbildungs- und Beratungsangebot des EFSZ „Pluriliterales Lernen im Sachfach“ (verfügbar auf Englisch und Französisch)

Oliver Meyer, Koordinator
des Fortbildungs- und Beratungsangebot des EFSZ

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French version: available here

The European Language Gazette, the ECML's e-newsletter, provides up-to-date news about the ECML (events, projects, resources), the Language Policy Unit and other relevant sectors of the Council of Europe, as well as our partners. It focuses on national developments in the field of language education in the member states and beyond.

Read the latest issue: English - French

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Issue no. 36 – Contents

Focus on ECML programme developments – "Languages at the heart of learning" (2016-2019)

Latest project developments

"Language awareness in subject classes": participate in an online survey

"Towards a Common European Framework for Language Teachers": latest news

e-lang project in 2016: laying the foundations for a digital literacy in the language teaching and learning context

"Promoting excellence in sign language instruction (PRO-Sign2)": ECML workshop (Graz, Austria, 1-2 March 2017) – cooperation partnership with Moscow State Linguistic University

"A quality matrix for CEFR use": ECML workshop (Graz, Austria, 15-16 November 2016) – Interview with Denis Vigneron, French participant

ECML training and consultancy for member states

Network meeting of local organisers and ECML consultants (Graz, Austria, 7-8 March 2017) and upcoming national training workshops

National training workshop "Supporting multilingual classes" in Slovenia (Koper, 2-3 March 2017)

National workshops "A pluriliteracies approach to teaching for learning" in Malta (Floriana, 2-3 March 2017) and Latvia (Riga, 6-7 March 2017) 

Forthcoming events

Recent ECML publication: Language skills for successful subject learning – CEFR linked descriptors for mathematics and history/civics

European Day of Languages

National developments in Armenia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland

Professional Network Forum of the ECML: upcoming events

Council of Europe developments

The linguistic integration of adult migrants: some lessons from research

Council of Europe Ad hoc Committee of Experts on Roma and Traveller Issues (CAHROM) (ECML, Graz, Austria, 29-31 March 2017)

International Roma Day – 8 April

Pestalozzi programme: creating an online community of action researchers – summer school 2017

Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities: developments in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Kosovo*, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"

Urban policies for inclusive integration and diversity advantage: join the Intercultural Cities 2017 Milestone Event (Lisbon, Portugal, 28-29 November 2017)

Cyprus Chairmanship Conference in Nicosia: "Securing Democracy through Education"

Recent publication

Editorial news from other organisations: Eurostat, Eurydice, OECD, Unesco, Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning, Babylonia

Quick links