Summer break can be a great opportunity to explore new things! 😎 And we have an idea for you💡: take a look at the OLS platform and the diverse language learning content it offers.#OnlineLanguageSupport#LanguageLearning
Wondering what you can expect to learn in this course? Start with our introductory videos where you will discover what shaped each of the 29 languages – from art and music, to literature and food. Then explore and learn essential words and phrases to:
present yourself and introduce others – a good way to start off on the right foot and make friends in another country
order yummy food and drinks in a restaurant
go grocery shopping
express your likes and dislikes without making a cultural blunder
get around a city and ask for directions
and much more
Offered by
This content is offered by the European Commission. The European Commission is the European Union’s politically independent executive arm. It is alone responsible for drawing up proposals for new European legislation, and it implements the decisions of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
With the support of the Polish National Support Organisation, students from High School No. VIII in Gdańsk had eTwinning as a formal subject on their timetable🤩
🔍Are you curious of the activities carried out by the students?
With the support of the Polish National Support Organisation (NSO), students from High School No. VIII in Gdańsk had eTwinning as a formal subject on their timetable. Through a curriculum based on carrying out an eTwinning project, students collaborated with project partners and received a mark on their final transcript.
As a pilot initiative, students had ‘eTwinning’ as a formal class on their timetable. In the context of an eTwinning project, students met once a week to complete activities with project partners. ‘We often do tasks with people from other countries’, said Kamil Starczewski, a second-grade student. Students found it especially useful to practise English with the students from the partner schools.
The idea formally came from the school’s headmaster, Tadeusz Chądzyński, and eTwinning Ambassador, Łukasz Kamiński. ‘eTwinning expands what the school has to offer and clearly has an impact on the quality of the school’s work’, said headmaster Chądzyński.
Chądzyński said that it has positively impacted both teachers and students: students improve their linguistic, social and digital competences while teachers can share their practices, not just at their school, but with others around the world.
The initiative also received great support from the Department of Education at the City Hall in Gdańsk. ‘It translates into all the key competences: the development of language competences and also openness to other people, knowledge of other cultures and going beyond the border of our city; our small homeland’, said Grzegorz Kryger, Director of the Department of Education at the City Hall in Gdańsk.
At the end of the year, students received diplomas from the Polish National Support Organisation and were congratulated for being the first graduates of the eTwinning Class.
Experts gave a brief introduction into the working principles of Augmented Reality in the classroom and into the methodology for learning experience design (LXD) as well as into an overview on how to use the ARETE authoring toolkit MirageXR:
In a world where AI is growing in importance, it is crucial for education to consider what competencies people need as AI changes how people communicate, work and live with one another and with machines. Against the backdrop of the current public discussions on ChatGPT and its impact on education, the question has come up whether these kinds of technologies are actually supporting or undermining teaching and learning. In this short webinar we want to deal with this essential question by providing context, overview and concrete examples: • Definition: What are we talking about? • AI in education: 5 big ideas? • Use cases of ChatGPT and beyond: Learning with AI, for AI or about AI? • New roles: How does AI impact the role of teachers and students? • Impact: Which benefits and challenges are we facing?
#ECEC teachers worry that large classes and lack of resources/knowledge about supporting children with complex needs make it impossible to ensure that all children have the benefit of #earlylearning. Read what @UNICEF regional adviser Ivelina Borisova has to say 👇
Stressed, under-resourced and unqualified. Teachers in early childhood education and care (ECEC) across Europe and Central Asia have warned us: large class sizes and lack of confidence, resources and knowledge about supporting children with disabilities or complex needs make it impossible to ensure that all children have the benefit of early learning.
Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels
The TALIS Starting Strong survey found that ECEC teachers experienced high stress related to their working environments and an inability to support the most marginalised children. COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and the associated limitation of children’s social engagement and stimulation have resulted in developmental delays among (and increased the need for intensive individual support for) children, and further exacerbated teacher stress levels.
Overcrowded classrooms create stress for young learners and teachers, and prevent educators from providing individualised approaches. Long work hours with little planning time increases pressure on educators, limiting their ability to prepare to manage their learners’ needs. Lack of continuous professional development prevents teachers from building relevant skills, knowledge, innovations in approach and opportunities for peer-to-peer exchange – all of which support inclusive practices.
ECEC teachers have a crucial role to play in meaningful inclusion, but expectations of the ECEC workforce are unrealistic: they are expected to be carers, educators, administrators, parental counsellors, nurses and social workers while also helping young minds thrive. Evidence shows that ECEC settings that foster inclusion and quality of care for the youngest learners also support educators’ confidence in their profession and ability.
Meaningful inclusion involves teams of experts supporting families and children in a ‘one family – one plan’ approach from birth to entry into ECEC, throughout early education and beyond. Services coordinated through the health, education and social welfare sectors have the best chance of improving quality of life for children with disabilities or complex needs, for their families and for the well-being of educators who support them.
This approach has supported children like three-year-old Silvia in Bulgaria to access inclusive ECEC.
For real inclusion in preschool and kindergarten, there must be a support system for educators, to provide them with information, training and reassurance so they can improve their capacities, mental health and well-being. This can be achieved through policies for supportive teaching conditions; strong ECEC management; leadership that fosters collaboration and a culture of care; relevant, quality training and skill-building opportunities; close links with families and communities; and the provision of specialised support that uses the ECEC centre as a base for engaging children and their educators.
UNICEF is working in countries across Europe on the Child Guarantee Phase III programme. This led to the initiation of Together from the Kindergarten in Bulgaria, which introduced inclusive early education via a whole-school approach to strengthen support mechanisms and the environment. A vital part of this work included bolstering the teachers themselves, strengthening their knowledge and capacities, and having specialists support teachers in their daily work. Through this model, educators improve their understanding of children’s needs and can update their practices accordingly. They also benefit from sharing responsibilities, receiving counselling and guidance on complex cases and having more classroom support. This results in improved educator well-being as well as more inclusive practices.
What better way to ensure that we give the best care to our children than by giving the best care to those who look after our children?
Italianistica, Didattica Innovativa, Internazionalizzazione 