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    Summer academy

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

Summer academy – 24-28 June 2024

The 3rd ECML Summer Academy, held from 24-28th June 2024, successfully brought together 25 language teacher educators from 25 different European countries. The Academy took place within the ECML's ongoing cooperation action with the European Commission, "Innovative methodologies and assessment in language learning".

The participants shared their very diverse professional and linguistic expertise and experiences with one another as they 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 Council of Europe resources and policy instruments and addressed key questions such as the place of research in their work or the challenges and opportunities offered by Artificial Intelligence.

The programme included an afternoon at Graz University, organised by the Austrian Association of the ECML, where Professor Hermine Penz, Chair of the Austrian Association, together with her colleague, Nicole Haring, provided a stimulating session on digital storytelling.

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.

The enriching week concluded with the presentation of new collaborative projects which will ensure that the transnational cooperation and shared learning of the summer academy will continue as the experts return home.

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. 

2024 gallery

Previous events

Summer academy 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.  

View the 2023 programme

View the 2023 gallery here

Summer academy 2022

From 4th to 8th July 2022, the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) of the Council of Europe held its first ever Summer academy, co-funded by the European Commission. Twenty-five language teacher educators from across Europe participated in the event, which provided a unique transnational professional learning opportunity for this key target group, with time and space to discuss cutting-edge developments in language education, become familiar with innovative resources and policy instruments both from the Council of Europe and the European Commission, and reflect on their competences, values, and professional identities. After the successful launch, the ECML intends to run a Summer academy in 2023.

View the programme 2022