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    Summer academy

Inspiring Innovation in European Language Teacher Education
Summer Academy for teacher educators working in the field of languages

Summer academy - 3-7 July 2023

The 2nd ECML Summer Academy, held from 3rd to 7th July 2023, successfully brought together 29 participants representing 28 ECML and EU member states.

Over the course of five enriching days, language teacher educators with very diverse professional and linguistic backgrounds, engaged in a dynamic programme focusing on the latest developments in language education, with the overall aim of fostering professional growth and transnational cooperation. Through interactive discussions, lectures and group work, they explored innovative resources for language professionals, as well as key language policy instruments, such as the 2022 Council of Europe Recommendation on the importance of plurilingual and intercultural education for democratic culture.  

The programme also included an afternoon at Graz University, where the Chair of the Austrian Association of the ECML, Professor Hermine Penz, had kindly organized a stimulating session on the role of Artificial Intelligence in language education with input from both a researcher and from a language teacher educator/practising teacher. 

The programme also featured several cultural elements such as a guided walking tour of the beautiful city of Graz and a wonderful evening in the southern Styrian vineyards.  

About the Summer academy

The Summer academy provides a unique opportunity for the professional learning of language teacher educators, so that they, in turn, can support the professional development of language teachers to respond to the complex needs of today’s learners. Focusing on developments at the cutting edge of language education as reflected in the ECML thematic areas, the programme provided teacher educators with opportunities to pool their expertise with colleagues from across Europe and to reflect on and re-think their own modes of teacher education from a transnational perspective.

Specific objectives

  • to initiate a forum for discussion among teacher educators from various European countries working in the field of language education
  • to provide a safe space for teacher educators to reflect on their competences, values, and professional identities and how these are impacted by the current context of plurality and crises 
  • to highlight recent developments in language-related teacher education
  • to provide a deeper knowledge and understanding of European language policy (Council of Europe and European Commission)
  • to familiarise participants with Council of Europe resources (Language Policy programme and ECML) and consider how these may enhance their own teacher education programmes to reflect critically on the structural aspects of the teacher education spectrum – initial teacher education, school practice, professional development etc. 

Some impressions from participants 2022

Very much food for thought that will take time to reflect on.

Inspirational, mind-blowing, refreshing.

Nous avons vécu une semaine riche, passionnante et épuisante. Nous n'avons pas cessé d'échanger, avant-durant-après les sessions de formation mais aussi durant les repas et même en partageant un verre en soirée. Nos sujets de discussion ont porté sur l'apprentissage des langues, sur le plurilinguisme, l'intercompréhension mais également sur les cultures d'enseignement, de formation, sur les différents contextes institutionnels et politiques et avons constaté que malgré les différences nous partageons toutes et tous un grand nombre de similarités, d'expériences et de préoccupations communes.

It was professional development in a nutshell. A concise, precise and intense week of listening and interacting, speaking and interactions, collaborative thinking and writing. I have not been so much doing professional learning and at the same time been laughing so much and had such good times with previously unknown, yet all of a sudden close colleagues in a long time. I found the combination of different modes to enhance our learning and discussion.

Both the content and the design of tasks were transferrable to my context. For example, the way you have built the content of the summer academy on our pre-academy input, the way there was flexibility in the programme, yet a very clean structure to be followed.

L’université d’été du CELV est une expérience unique dans la carrière d’un formateur d’enseignant tant sur le plan didactique que sur le plan humain ; un aspect que l’on ne peut en aucun cas occulter.

Quoi qu’il en soit, vous repartirez avec des étoiles plein les yeux et des rencontres de très belles personnes !

During the Summer Academy I was encouraged to take a reflective approach to my role as a teacher educator, my competences and my working methods. I became aware of the importance of keeping up to date with the latest research and developments in terms of innovation and changing contexts.

As a result of meetings and work during the Summer academy, a small research group was formed. We have had our first online meeting this September, and we will be working on a small research project together at our three institutions.

Programme 2022

View the programme here