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

Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning

On 15–16 October, 2025, our training centre had the pleasure of hosting the ECML–EC training workshop, which proved to be an outstanding experience for all participants. It successfully combined theoretical insights with practical applications, providing educators with valuable tools to integrate ICT and AI into their teaching practices. The interactive format, including group work, discussions, and an insight into the ICT-REV Inventory, kept participants motivated and involved throughout.

The trio of trainers: Aline Germain-Rutherford, Martina Emke and Joseph Hopkins demonstrated excellent subject matter expertise, ensuring the content was both accurate and highly relevant. The training was carefully tailored to meet the specific needs of teachers in our country and aligned closely with current educational policy guidelines, making it particularly beneficial for professional development.

A key focus of the workshop was the safe and effective use of AI in education, combined with sound pedagogical principles. This approach addressed current challenges and opened up new possibilities for creative learning design.

Participants appreciated the collaborative atmosphere, where they had an opportunity to  design and present new learning activities incorporating technology and gaining constructive feedback.

Overall, this training highlighted the relevance and potential of digital tools in modern education, equipping the participants with skills to plan their lessons with the help of AI tools and sound pedagogical criteria.

As a local coordinator I highly encourage others to apply for future ECML training opportunities. These workshops offer an inspiring environment for professional growth, idea exchange, and classroom innovation.

Local coordinator: Elżbieta Witkowska

Polish version:

Warsztaty z ekspertami ECML w Sulejówku

W dniach 15–16 października 2025 roku w naszym Centrum Szkoleniowym odbyło się szkolenie ECML – EC „Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning”, które okazało się wyjątkowym doświadczeniem dla wszystkich uczestników.

Szkolenie łączyło solidne podstawy teoretyczne z praktycznymi zastosowaniami, dostarczając nauczycielom cennych narzędzi do wykorzystania technologii informacyjno-komunikacyjnych oraz sztucznej inteligencji w pracy dydaktycznej. Interaktywny charakter wydarzenia, obejmujący pracę w grupach, dyskusje oraz prezentację zasobów z katalogu ICT-REV Inventory, angażował uczestników przez cały czas trwania szkolenia, sprzyjając aktywnemu uczestnictwu.

Trenerzy: Aline Germain-Rutherford, Martina Emke oraz Joseph Hopkins wykazali się doskonałą wiedzą merytoryczną, dzięki czemu prezentowane treści były nie tylko rzetelne, ale również aktualne i dostosowane do realiów edukacyjnych w Polsce. Program szkolenia został starannie dopasowany do potrzeb nauczycieli oraz zgodny z obowiązującymi wytycznymi polityki oświatowej, co czyniło je szczególnie wartościowym z perspektywy rozwoju zawodowego.

Szczególną uwagę poświęcono bezpiecznemu i skutecznemu wykorzystaniu sztucznej inteligencji w edukacji, opartego na kryteriach pedagogicznych. Podejście to odpowiadało na współczesne wyzwania edukacyjne i otwierało nowe możliwości kreatywnego projektowania zajęć.

Uczestnicy docenili atmosferę współpracy, w której mogli projektować, dzielić się pomysłami oraz prezentować nowe działania edukacyjne z wykorzystaniem technologii, otrzymując przy tym wartościowe informacje zwrotne.

Podsumowując, szkolenie podkreśliło znaczenie i potencjał narzędzi cyfrowych we współczesnej edukacji. Wyposażyło nauczycieli w kompetencje umożliwiające sprawne poruszanie się w dynamicznie zmieniającym się środowisku nauczania.

Jako lokalna koordynatorka serdecznie zachęcam do aplikowania na kolejne szkolenia ECML, które oferują inspirujące środowisko do rozwoju zawodowego, wymiany doświadczeń oraz wdrażania innowacyjnych rozwiązań w edukacji.

Elżbieta Witkowska
Ośrodek Rozwoju Edukacji
Warszawa, Polska

• ECML project website: Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning, ECML-EC cooperation agreement 2025 "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning"

On 15 and 16 September 2025, a special workshop organised by the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML – Council of Europe) took place at the Kiel Event Centre. Participants from all sectors of education involved in teacher training and further education in modern foreign languages in Schleswig-Holstein assembled to develop their skills further. Representatives from the federal state's two universities, the Europa-Universität Flensburg and the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, along with their affiliated teacher training centres, were also present. This diversity of perspectives fostered a lively working environment where current knowledge and experiences could be shared across institutional and foreign language boundaries.

The workshop centred on the ECML inventory of digital tools (ecml.at/Resources/ICT). Together, the 25 participants explored how these resources can be utilised in specific teaching scenarios.

Besides technical input, the workshop offered a chance for exchange and inspiration. Many participants stressed how valuable it was to learn from one another and to incorporate new ideas directly into their practice.

The ECML thus significantly contributes to quality assurance in foreign language teaching. Teachers throughout Europe are invited to take advantage of these opportunities and become part of this strong network.

Melanie Borchers, local organiser

German version:

Am 15. und 16. September 2025 fand im Veranstaltungszentrum Kiel ein besonderer Workshop des European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML – Council of Europe) statt. Teilnehmer*innen aus allen Bildungsbereichen, die in Schleswig-Holstein an der Lehrerinnenaus- und -fortbildung in den modernen Fremdsprachen beteiligt sind, kamen hier zusammen, um ihre Kompetenzen weiterzuentwickeln. Mit dabei waren auch Vertreter*innen der beiden Universitäten des Landes, der Europa-Universität Flensburg und der Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, sowie deren angegliederter Zentren für Lehrerbildung. Diese Vielfalt an Perspektiven schuf eine lebendige Arbeitsatmosphäre, in der aktuelles Wissen und Erfahrungen über Instituts- und Fremdsprachengrenzen hinweg geteilt werden konnten.

Im Mittelpunkt des Workshops stand das ECML-Inventar digitaler Werkzeuge (ecml.at/Resources/ICT). Gemeinsam erprobten die 25 Teilnehmer*innen, wie sich diese Ressourcen gezielt in konkreten Unterrichtsszenarien einsetzen lassen.

Neben fachlichem Input bot der Workshop vor allem Raum für Austausch und Inspiration. Viele Teilnehmer*innen betonten, wie wertvoll es sei, voneinander zu lernen und neue Impulse direkt in ihre Praxis mitzunehmen.

Das ECML leistet damit einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Qualitätssicherung im Fremdsprachenunterricht. Lehrkräfte in ganz Europa sind eingeladen, diese Angebote zu nutzen und Teil dieses starken Netzwerks zu werden.

ECML project website: Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning, ECML-EC cooperation agreement 2025 "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning"

How to work with AI and other digital learning tools in English and Modern Languages? – Physical workshop

The ICT-REV workshop took place in Solna on 20 and 21 May in collaboration with the Council of Europe and the European Commission. The participants could explore how AI and other learning tools can support and develop the teaching of English and modern languages. They listened to researchers, learned from other teachers and tried ways to support their students’ learning for themselves.

The Council of Europe and the European Commission have jointly developed a workshop on AI and other learning tools in education, in cooperation with the Swedish National Agency for Education. The workshop allowed the participants to try out different learning tools and discuss different challenges that teachers may face when using them.

- The Council of Europe team of experts conducted the workshop in English but participants used both Swedish and English.

- Before the workshop, participants were introduced to the MoodleSpace website, which is a free learning platform.

Programme

The following content was covered at the workshop

- supporting the use of AI and other learning tools in language teaching

- testing and accessing freely available online tools that support language teaching and learning

- using different learning tools to create your own teaching materials

- discussing and applying pedagogical principles when teaching languages with learning tools

- the Swedish National Agency for Education's recommendations on the selection and use of learning tools.

Finding the right digital tools for language teaching

The ICT-REV project has developed an inventory of freely available online tools and open educational resources for language teaching and learning. The inventory contains a list of tools that have been evaluated with good pedagogical criteria in mind. These criteria have been developed by teachers for teachers and provide essential information so that one can select appropriate applications and use them with their pupils.

Eva Engdell, local organiser

Swedish version:

Hur kan man arbeta med AI och andra digitala lärverktyg i engelska och moderna språk? – fysisk workshop

Välkommen till vår workshop i Solna den 20–21 maj i samarbete med Europarådet och EU-kommissionen. Utforska hur AI och andra lärverktyg kan stödja och utveckla undervisningen i engelska och moderna språk. Lyssna på forskare, lär av andra lärare och testa själv hur du kan stödja dina elevers lärande.

Europarådet och EU-kommissionen har tillsammans tagit fram en workshop om AI och andra lärverktyg i undervisningen, som genomförs i samarbete med Skolverket. På workshopen får du pröva olika lärverktyg och diskutera olika utmaningar som lärare kan ställas inför när de använder dem.

• Expertteamet från Europarådet håller workshopen på engelska men deltagarna kan använda både svenska och engelska.

• Inför workshopen kommer deltagarna att bekanta sig med webbplatsen MoodleSpace, som är en gratis lärplattform.

Program

Följande innehåll kommer att tas upp på konferensen:

• stöd för användandet av AI och andra lärverktyg i språkundervisningen

• att pröva och ta del av fritt tillgängliga online-verktyg som stöder språkundervisning och språkinlärning

• att använda olika lärverktyg för att ta fram eget undervisningsmaterial

• diskussion och tillämpning av pedagogiska principer vid undervisning i språk med lärverktyg

• Skolverkets rekommendationer om val och användning av lärverktyg.

Hitta rätt digitala verktyg för språkundervisning

ICT-REV-projektet har utvecklat en inventering av fritt tillgängliga onlineverktyg och öppna utbildningsresurser för språkundervisning och språkinlärning. Inventeringen innehåller en lista över verktyg som har utvärderats med goda pedagogiska kriterier i åtanke. Dessa kriterier har utvecklats av lärare för lärare och ger viktig information så att du kan välja lämpliga applikationer och använda dem med dina elever.

ECML project website: Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning, ECML-EC cooperation agreement 2025 "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning"

Local organiser: Tomas Klinka, Charles University, Faculty of Education

ECML experts: Jana Beresova (Slovak Republic), Gabor Szabo (Hungary)

Participants: language testers and examiners, item writers, teachers and teacher trainers, language inspectors, policymakers, decision-takers

In early September, Charles University’s Faculty of Education hosted a three-day RELANG workshop in collaboration with the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML/CELV). Held in the historic centre of Prague, the event welcomed around 20 participants—including pre-service/in-service teacher educators and language assessment professionals—who explored best practices in aligning language assessment with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and its Companion Volume.

Guided by two expert consultants from the ECML/CELV RELANG initiative (Jana Beresova and Gabor Szabo), the workshop offered hands-on activities, collaborative discussions, and practical tools to support coherent action-oriented assessment in language education. Participants deepened their understanding of CEFR descriptors and task design, gaining valuable insights to enhance their teaching and assessment strategies.

This initiative is part of a broader European effort to strengthen language education across member states, ensuring that learners benefit from fair, consistent, and meaningful evaluation. The Prague workshop marked a significant step in empowering educators to reflect on the implementation of CEFR-aligned practices in Czech classrooms.

Tomas Klinka, local coordinator, 14 September 2025

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

UNESCO’s recent publication Languages matter: Global guidance on multilingual education underlines how vital multilingualism is in building inclusive and effective education systems worldwide - and Europe features prominently!

Key European highlights from the report:

• References Council of Europe instruments such as the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
• Spotlights practical Council of Europe resources supporting plurilingual education.

ECML’s impact in practice:

• Finland is showcased for using the ECML’s “Roadmap for schools to support the language(s) of schooling”.
• The ECML’s and EC’s joint initiative on “Supporting multilingual classrooms” is highlighted for its training and capacity-building across Europe, aligned with the 2022 Council of Europe Recommendation on plurilingual and intercultural education.
• This ECML resource also features among recommended tools for inclusive teaching approaches.

Multilingualism isn’t just an asset - it’s essential for quality education and social cohesion. And the Council of Europe and its ECML play a key role in advancing this European/global agenda!

References:

Unesco (2025), Languages matter: global guidance on multilingual education, pp. 36, 50, 67, 78, 80, 84, 95, 96, 97, https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000392477.

Unesco (2025), Les langues comptent : orientations mondiales pour l’éducation multilingue, pp. 38, 52, 69, 80, 82, 86, 98, 99, 100,  https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000392809.