Date of the event: 16-17 September 2025
Venue: Tallinn, Estonia
Local organiser: Kati Bakradze-Pank, Tallinn Co-Educational School
ECML experts: Christian Ollivier (France) and Elke Höfler (Austria)
Participants: 25 German language teachers, German language teacher educators, policy makers, experts from the Education and Youth Board, representatives of foreign language teachers’ and German language teachers´ associations

In September 2025, language educators and policy makers from across Estonia gathered in Tallinn for the ECML workshop Fostering Digital Citizenship through Language Education. The two-day event brought together German language teachers, teacher educators, policy makers, and representatives of language teachers’ associations to explore how digital citizenship can be meaningfully embedded in language education.

The workshop demonstrated that digital citizenship is not an add-on or a purely technological issue, but a core pedagogical responsibility of language teachers. Through practical tasks, authentic examples, and reflective discussions, participants learned how to guide learners to become critical, responsible, and autonomous users of digital resources – both in everyday classroom work and in assessment contexts.

Led by ECML experts Christian Ollivier and Elke Höfler, the workshop offered a strong balance of theory and practice, encouraging active participation and professional dialogue. For Estonia, it was a particularly valuable milestone, as this was the first ECML training event delivered in German. Participants left inspired, confident, and eager to implement what they had learned – sharing materials, piloting activities, and strengthening professional networks. This event clearly shows how ECML training and consultancy activities can make a lasting impact. We warmly encourage other institutions and countries to take advantage of this unique ECML offer.

Kati Bakradze-Pank, Tallinn Co-Educational School

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy offer for member states “Fostering digital citizenship through language education”

In Estonian

Digikodakondsuse edendamine keeleõppe kaudu – Euroopa Nüüdiskeelte keskuse eksperdid Eestis

2025.aasta septembris kogunesid keeleõpetajad ja poliitikakujundajad üle Eesti Tallinnas toimunud ECMLi koolitusele “Digikodakondsuse edendamine keeleõppe kaudu”. Kahepäevane sündmus tõi kokku saksa keele õpetajad, õpetajakoolitajad, poliitikakujundajad ning keeleõpetajate ühenduste esindajad, et uurida, kuidas digikodakondsust saab sisukalt lõimida keeleõppesse.

Töötuba näitas, et digikodakondsus ei ole lisateema ega pelgalt tehnoloogiline küsimus, vaid keeleõpetajate pedagoogilise vastutuse keskne osa. Praktiliste ülesannete, autentsete näidete ja reflekteerivate arutelude kaudu õppisid osalejad, kuidas suunata õppijaid kujunema kriitilisteks, vastutustundlikeks ja iseseisvateks digivahendite kasutajateks nii igapäevases klassitöös kui ka hindamiskontekstides.

ECMLi ekspertide Christian Ollivieri ja Elke Höfleri, Euroopa Nüüdiskeelte Keskusest, eestvedamisel pakkus töötuba tasakaalustatud kombinatsiooni teooriast ja praktikast ning soodustas aktiivset osalemist ja professionaalset dialoogi. Eesti jaoks oli tegemist eriti väärtusliku verstapostiga, kuna see oli esimene ECMLi koolitus, mis toimus saksa keeles Eestis.

Osalejad lahkusid innustunult ja enesekindlalt ning valmis rakendama õpitut oma töös, jagades materjale, katsetades tegevusi ja tugevdades professionaalseid võrgustikke. See sündmus näitab selgelt, kuidas ECMLi koolitus- ja nõustamistegevused võivad avaldada pikaajalist mõju. Julgustame soojalt ka teisi asutusi ja riike seda ainulaadset ECMLi võimalust kasutama.
 

On September 5-6, 2025, the Bureau for Education Services of Montenegro hosted the TaC Workshop “Fostering digital citizenship through language learning” in Podgorica. This two-day event brought together language teachers, education advisors, and institutional representatives from across Montenegro, fostering a vibrant environment for professional exchange.

The workshop was grounded in the ECML programme 2024–2027: Language education at the heart of democracy. Through interactive sessions, participants explored digital citizenship as a key component of language education, beginning with the concept of the digital citizen as a socially engaged individual guided by values, rights, and responsibilities.

A highlight of the training was the integration of real-world tasks (RWT) and reflective tasks into classroom practice. Participants examined ECML project examples and discussed how to adapt them to their own linguistic, cultural, and technological contexts. The use of digital tools in task design was also emphasised, encouraging educators to enhance engagement and learning outcomes.

Facilitated by ECML experts Teija Natri and Julie Van de Vyver, the workshop was praised for its collaborative and practical approach. Participants left inspired, equipped with new strategies and resources to promote democratic values and digital literacy through language learning.

Nataša Perić, local organiser

• More information about the ECML training and consultancy offer for member states “Fostering digital citizenship through language education”: www.ecml.at/en/Training-Consultancy/Fostering-digital-citizenship-through-language-education

Montenegrin version:

Radionica Evropskog centra za moderne jezike o digitalnom građanstvu kroz učenje jezika održana u Podgorici

Dana 5. i 6. septembra 2025. godine, Zavod za školstvo Crne Gore organizovao je radionicu pod nazivom „Jačanje digitalnog građanstva kroz učenje jezika“, koja je održana u Podgorici. Tokom dvodnevnog događaja okupili su se nastavnici stranih jezika iz cijele Crne Gore i predstavnici obrazovnih institucija, stvarajući dinamično okruženje za profesionalnu razmjenu.

Radionica je bila zasnovana na programu ECML-a za period 2024–2027: „Jezičko obrazovanje u srcu demokratije“. Kroz interaktivne sesije, učesnici su istraživali digitalno građanstvo kao ključnu komponentu jezičkog obrazovanja, počevši od koncepta digitalnog građanina kao društveno angažovanog pojedinca vođenog vrijednostima, pravima i odgovornostima.

Jedan od najznačajnijih segmenata obuke bila je integracija zadataka iz stvarnog života (RWT) i reflektivnih zadataka u nastavni proces. Učesnici su analizirali primjere ECML projekata i razmatrali načine njihove prilagodbe sopstvenom jezičkom, kulturnom i tehnološkom kontekstu. Poseban akcenat stavljen je na upotrebu digitalnih alata u osmišljavanju zadataka, čime se podstiče veće angažovanje učenika i unapređenje obrazovnih rezultata.

Radionicu su vodile ekspertkinje ECML-a Teija Natri i Julie Van de Vyver, a učesnici su je ocijenili kao izuzetno saradničku i praktičnu. Otišli su motivisani, obogaćeni novim strategijama i resursima za promociju demokratskih vrijednosti i digitalne pismenosti kroz učenje jezika.

Nataša Perić, lokalna organizatorka
 

The ECML offers its member states European expertise in language education adapted to the concrete needs and specific contexts within individual countries. This bilateral support in a range of key areas helps strengthen the cooperation between member states and the ECML by taking the expertise gained from ECML projects directly into member states. ECML experts work with national authorities and local experts to devise and implement in-country activities, tailored to the particular context and target audience.  Please note that activities offered in cooperation with the European Commission are subject to a separate Call for requests which will be issued in December.

The  following  ECML training and consultancy activities are on offer for 2026:

• Action research communities for language teachers
• Beyond CLIL – Pluriliteracies teaching for deeper learning
• The CEFR Companion Volume: Mediation and other key concepts – Focus: teacher and learner competences  
• The CEFR Companion Volume: Mediation and other key concepts – Focus: curriculum and evaluation
• Fostering digital citizenship through language education
• Language for work – Work-related second language learning for adult migrants and ethnic minorities
• Learning environments where languages flourish – Focus: Early language learning
• Learning environments where languages flourish – Focus: Plurilingual and intercultural education
• A roadmap for schools to support the language(s) of schooling
• Plurilingual and intercultural education in early language learning
• Plurilingual and intercultural education: teacher and learner competences
• Steps towards implementing plurilingual and intercultural education

Details of the proposed activities, practical information and the application form can be found here: www.ecml.at/Trainingandconsultancy.

Requests for a Training and consultancy activity must be submitted via the national ECML representative in the Governing Board. Educational professionals interested in a particular activity should therefore contact their national representative.

The application deadline for 2026 is 14 November 2025.