Local organiser of the ECML training and consultancy event: Christine Borg
ECML experts: Aline Germain-Rutherford, Canada, Martina Emke, Germany, Ursula Stickler, United Kingdom
Participants: 22 foreign language teachers and heads of department for languages in secondary schools from the three sectors in Malta: state, church and independent; teacher trainers; with a wide spectrum of languages taught in Malta: Italian, French, German, Spanish and Arabic.
Language teachers in Malta had the opportunity to participate in a series of online sessions to include more ICT tools in the teaching and learning process. The sessions were spread over five days for a total of 15 hours in which the participants followed tasks to integrate digital tools in the language classroom. Tasks included the use of online resources and how they can be used to motivate students to participate in class and to improve their abilities in the four language skills. They ranged from ice-breaking activities to means of online collaboration in which teachers could help students both in the receptive and productive skills. A collaborative space was created online where teachers could share ideas and good practices and gain new insights on language teaching and learning. The event was facilitated by ECML language experts who led the workshops during three synchronous sessions who offered practical tips for both face-to-face and distance learning scenarios. Group work among the participants, creation of tasks and sharing of experiences were held during the remaining two asynchronous sessions.
Christine Borg