ECML training and consultancy for member states

The European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe together with the European Commission are launching a new round of workshops within the joint action on Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning focusing on the following initiatives:

• RELANG – Relating language curricula, tests and examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference

• Supporting Multilingual Classrooms

• ICT-REV – Using ICT in support of language teaching and learning

The activities are scheduled to take place between end of February and mid-December 2023, the three initiatives offering up to 23 national workshops during this period.

The call is open to current European Union member states and the additional member states of the ECML until 6 January 2023.

For further information, please contact Adelina Rosca (adelina.rosca@ecml.at), the ECML-EU cooperation agreement coordinator.

Date: 17-18 November 2022
Venue: Herman Teirlinck building of the Flemish authorities, Brussels, Belgium
Local organiser: Fauve Van den Berghe
ECML experts: Joseph Hopkins and Jackie Robbins, Spain
Participants: 26 language teachers of secondary education, teacher trainers and pedagogical counsellors for secondary education

The ECML’s workshop offers valuable tips & tricks on the Use of ICT in support of language teaching and learning. Knowing the inventory of ICT tools and open educational resources of ECML is a must for every teacher (educator) in the field of language education. Particularly beneficial is that the ECML constantly updates the inventory, so it is never outdated with old or dead links. Existing tools that change their policy and no longer offer useful free educational options are deleted from the list. A simple search tool allows the user to find the digital tools that best serve the goals he or she has in mind for a class.

The added value of this hands-on workshop is that different ICT tools are actually being tried out in small groups of participants through the creation of new digital language content. By doing so, participants discover – with the professional guidance and support of experienced ECML trainers – what are the do’s and don’ts and which are the conditions for making effective digital learning take place.

Fauve Van den Berghe

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

Flemish version

Deze ECML-workshop biedt waardevolle tips & tricks voor het gebruik van digitale leermiddelen in een taalles. De inventory of ICT tools and open educational resources of ECML is een must-know voor elke beginnende of ervaren leraar of teacher-trainer werkzaam binnen talenonderwijs. Bijzonder handig is dat ECML de inventaris permanent screent en updatet, waardoor oude of niet-werkende links tijdig verwijderd worden en de lijst steeds actueel blijft. Bestaande ICT-tools die hun beleid veranderen en hun gratis educatieve opties na verloop van tijd beperken, worden uit de lijst verwijderd. Via een eenvoudige zoekfunctie kan de gebruiker digitale tools vinden die het best beantwoorden aan de doelstellingen die hij voor een les in gedachten heeft.

De toegevoegde waarde van de praktijkgerichte workshop is dat verschillende ICT-tools daadwerkelijk worden uitgeprobeerd in kleine groepen van deelnemers die samen nieuwe digitale content creëren voor een taalles. Hierdoor ontdekken de deelnemers – onder de professionele begeleiding van ervaren ECML-trainers – wat do's en don'ts zijn bij het vormgeven van digitale inhoud en wat de voorwaarden zijn om effectief digitaal taal-leren te laten plaatsvinden.

Fauve Van den Berghe

Date and venue of the event: 10-11 November 2022, online workshop
Local organiser: Pernilla Sundström Fast, Head of Unit, Swedish National Agency for Education / National Curricula/ Pre-school and Compulsory School
Experts and moderators: Nermina Wikström, Director of Education, Swedish National Agency for Education / National Curricula/ Pre-school and Compulsory School, and Katri Kuukka, Counsellor of Education, Finnish National Agency for Education.
Participants: More than 40 primary and secondary school teachers in the different school subjects, school leaders, policymakers and decision-takers.

The Swedish National Agency for Education and the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) organised a 2-day workshop entitled “Supporting the language(s) of schooling – The ROADMAP ” as the online session.

The workshop took place on the 10^th and 11^th of November 2022 and was attended by more than 40 participants who showed a great interest and dedication in the topic. The aim of the experts and moderators, Nermina Wikström and Katri Kuukka, was to give the participants an overview of the Roadmap project, including a presentation of the outcomes of the project, while conducting a training session focusing the hands-on activities related to language development. During the workshop the participants had the opportunity to see some examples of promising practices, use the self-assessment tool in practice, get to know the Roadmap database and to set up the outlines of a school development plan for their own school.

Since sharing thoughts and experiences was an important part of the workshop, the participants had the possibility to discuss different topics in pairs and in smaller groups. The participants discussed the role of language(s) of schooling as a backbone of education as well as the challenges of plurilingual and intercultural education. Other topics were the importance of adapting a whole-school approach, school culture and leadership, the key ideas of the Roadmap-project and benefits for the school, areas and dimensions, self-assessment tool and guide, survey statements and customized school report.

The workshop aimed to provide a “learning by doing-opportunity” as the participants familiarized themselves with the different parts of the user-friendly Roadmap-material, sharing their findings in the common work platform Padlet.

This two-day online workshop received favourable comments from the participants, who stated that they advanced their knowledge and skills, exchanged opinions within the working groups and with the experts and shared ideas and experiences concerning their own involvement in the work with language(s) of schooling. According to the participants` evaluation the workshop provided a good combination of activities and information. The participants found the presented approach and materials very useful for their practice.

In conclusion, it has been a privilege for the Swedish National Agency for Education to take part in this project and to contribute to the Roadmap with our expertise. We are very satisfied with the outcome, and we believe that this workshop will contribute in the most positive way to support the language(s) of schooling. We would like to take the opportunity to thank the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) for all the support we have been given in organising the workshop in Sweden. 

For those countries which have not yet had the opportunity to host this workshop, we strongly recommend it. It was great fun!

Pernilla Sundström Fast

• Resource website “A roadmap for schools to support the language(s) of schooling” (available in English, Finnish, French, and German)
• ECML training and consultancy offer for member states : “Supporting the language(s) of schooling: The ROADMAP – a web-based, user-friendly and customised self-assessment tool to foster school development”

 

Date of the event: 27-28 October 2022

Format of the event: Training workshop, webinar
https://edu.ro/organizatii-internationale
https://ccdar.ro/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=871

Local organiser of the event: Rodica Diana Cherciu, Ministry of Education with the support of Teachers’ Training Centre – Arad

ECML experts:Letizia Cinganotto (Italy) and Kevin Schuck (Netherlands)

Participants: 27 teachers

• Foreign language teachers teaching in bilingual/intensive classes – high school level
• Teachers of non-linguistic subjects at bilingual/intensive classes – high school level
• Teacher educators
• Foreign language inspectors (who endorse elective studies in foreign languages)

The webinar “CLIL and beyond: pluriliteracies for deeper learning” has offered an innovative professional experience in the field of modern languages as a vehicle for making visible and further fostering students’ literacy in various non-linguistic fields. Beyond the theoretical perspectives, CLIL is perhaps one of the most challenging approaches that stimulates didactic creativity, out-of-the -box and critical thinking at the same time, challenging teachers’ mastery in turning language into a tool for deepening, connecting and transferring knowledge.

What ECML offers foreign language teachers, especially through its training workshops, together with the publications, toolkits, and webinars, represents a key stage in the process of capitalising the potential of modern languages within the context of the increasingly growing demand for an education tailored to meet the challenges of an ongoing changing society.

Rodica Diana Cherciu
Inspector
Ministerul Educației
România

You can further explore the work of the ECML in this field here:

• ECML training and consultancy offer for member states (2020-2023) “CLIL and beyond: pluriliteracies for deeper learning”    
• ECML thematic collection on “Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)”

Romanian version

CLIL – O provocare care răsplătește

Atelierul “CLIL and beyond: Pluriliteracies for deeper learning” a oferit o experiență profesională novatoare în domeniul studiului limbilor moderne, vizualizate ca instrumente de stimulare și facilitare a alfabetizării elevilor în diferite alte domenii științifice. Dincolo de perspectivele teoretice, CLIL reprezintă poate unul dintre cele mai provocatoare exerciții care solicită  creativitatea didactică, gândirea critică, provocând măiestria profesorului în transformarea limbii într-un instrument de aprofundare, de relaționare și de transfer al cunoștințelor.

Ceea ce ECML pune la dispoziția profesorilor de limbi moderne, cu precădere prin oferta de programe de formare, alături de publicații, webinarii și alte resurse deschise, reprezintă un pas înainte pentru valorificarea potențialului limbilor moderne  la maximum, în contextul cerinței din ce în ce mai mari ca educația să răspundă provocărilor unei societăți în continuă transformare.

Rodica Diana Cherciu
Inspector
Ministerul Educației
România

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.)

Date and venue of the event: 8-9 September 2022, Acropolis Lyceum, Nicosia, Cyprus
Local organiser: Maria Iakovidou, English Language Inspector, Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth
Participants: 24 language testers and examiners, item writers; primary, secondary school teachers of foreign languages, secondary technical, vocational education and training teachers and language inspectors; teacher trainers; curriculum developers; policymakers, decision-takers

The Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth and the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) jointly organised a 2-day workshop entitled “Learning environments where modern languages flourish” at the Acropolis High School in Nicosia, Cyprus. The seminar was held between 8 and 9 September 2022 and was attended by 24 teachers who teach languages in primary, secondary general and secondary technical, vocational education and training. The aim was to inform teachers about the challenges and opportunities of taking a strategic approach to language teaching and learning with the aim of creating a language friendly learning environment in schools.

During the workshop the participants had the opportunity to discuss the importance and enrichment of the pedagogical practice with activities that promote multilingualism and multiculturalism. They also worked closely to create research projects with the aim of developing a learning environment at their school where modern languages can flourish. Then, a series of specific actions were discussed, in the context of modern methodological approaches, which contribute to the effectiveness of the foreign language education provided in the public school. These include setting up discussion groups for proposed collaborative research projects, connecting with the school community and family, as well as involving all stakeholders in multilingual and multicultural activities.

All teachers were also asked to finalise their ‘action plan’ which will be uploaded on the European Centre for Modern Languages website.

This two-day seminar received favorable comments from the participants, who enriched their knowledge, exchanged opinions with experts, and shared ideas and experiences.

Maria Iakovidou

• More information about the training and consultancy offer of the ECML for member states “Setting up learning environments where modern languages flourish (EOL)”

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Σεμινάριο εργαστηριακού τύπου που διοργανώθηκε από το ΥΠΑΝ και το Ευρωπαϊκό Κέντρο Σύγχρονων Γλωσσών

Εκπαιδευτικό σεμινάριο εργαστηριακού τύπου με θέμα «Learning Environments where Modern Languages Flourish» συνδιοργάνωσαν με μεγάλη επιτυχία το Υπουργείο Παιδείας, Αθλητισμού και Νεολαίας (ΥΠΑΝ) και το Ευρωπαϊκό Κέντρο Σύγχρονων Γλωσσών (European Centre for Modern Languages-ECML) στο Λύκειο Ακροπόλεως στη Λευκωσία. Το σεμινάριο διεξήχθη στις 8 και 9 Σεπτεμβρίου 2022 και παρακολούθησαν 24 εκπαιδευτικοί που διδάσκουν γλώσσες στη Δημοτική, Μέση Γενική και Μέση Τεχνική και Επαγγελματική Εκπαίδευση και Κατάρτιση.

Στόχος ήταν η ενημέρωση των εκπαιδευτικών για τις προκλήσεις και ευκαιρίες της αξιοποίησης της πολυγλωσσίας και της πολυπολιτισμικότητας στο δημόσιο σχολείο. Κατά τη διάρκεια του εργαστηρίου οι συμμετέχοντες είχαν την ευκαιρία να συζητήσουν για την σπουδαιότητα και εμπλουτισμό της παιδαγωγικής πράξης με δραστηριότητες που προωθούν την πολυγλωσσία και την πολυπολιτισμικότητα. Εργάστηκαν, επίσης, στη δημιουργία ερευνητικών σχεδίων εργασίας (projects) με στόχο να αναπτύξουν ένα περιβάλλον μάθησης όπου μπορούν να ανθίσουν οι σύγχρονες γλώσσες. Στη συνέχεια, συζητήθηκαν σειρά συγκεκριμένων δράσεων, στο πλαίσιο των σύγχρονων μεθοδολογικών προσεγγίσεων, οι οποίες συμβάλλουν στην αποτελεσματικότητα της παρεχόμενης ξενόγλωσσης εκπαίδευσης στο δημόσιο σχολείο. Σε αυτές συμπεριλαμβάνονται η σύσταση ομάδων συζητήσεων για τα προτεινόμενα σχέδια συνεργατικής έρευνας, η σύνδεση με τη σχολική κοινότητα και την οικογένεια, όπως επίσης και η εμπλοκή όλων των άµεσα ενδιαφερόµενων φορέων σε πολυγλωσσικές και πολυπολιτισμικές δραστηριότητες.

Ζητήθηκε, επίσης, από όλους τους εκπαιδευτικούς να οριστικοποιήσουν το «σχέδιο δράσης» τους προς κοινοποίηση στον ιστότοπο του Ευρωπαϊκού Κέντρου Σύγχρονων Γλωσσών.

Το διήμερο αυτό σεμινάριο απέσπασε τα ευμενή σχόλια των συμμετεχόντων, οι οποίοι εμπλούτισαν τις γνώσεις τους, αντάλλαξαν απόψεις με τους ειδικούς, και μοιράστηκαν ιδέες και εμπειρίες με τις ομάδες τους και την ολομέλεια.

Maria Iakovidou

Photo gallery