Erasmus+ News and Updates for October

Welcome to our October newsletter, where we dive into the vibrant world of Erasmus+ adventures and educational insights, highlighting the diverse experiences and endeavors of the past month.

October 2024 Erasmus+ Courses

Last call! There’s still just enough time to sign up for Language, Methodology and Culture (LMC), Digital Transitions, or Sustainability in Education, in the weeks beginning October 21st and 28th in Dublin. You can do the courses for 1 or 2 weeks, and even do a week of one course and then another week of another course. 

Don’t forget that General English Training runs all year round in both Dublin and Malta, starting on any Monday.

2025 Erasmus+ courses

We’ve been carefully planning Erasmus+ courses for 2025 and are delighted to announce that we’ll be adding a Mindfulness and Wellbeing in Education course. We’re convinced that this is something at the forefront of many education staff’s minds and believe that this course will provide them with a valuable new set of skills and knowledge.

In other news, our current Digital Transitions course will be renamed to AI and Digital Tools in Education, reflecting the growing relevance of AI, but also with an awareness that there are many other digital tools and approaches beyond AI that can be of great help in educational settings.

We’ll also continue to provide the following courses:

• Language, Methodology and Culture
• Sustainability and the Environment in Education
• CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning)
• English for Academics
• English for Admin Staff
• General English Training

See our Erasmus+ web page and brochure for more details of all our courses and scheduled dates for next year!

What’s happened in September?

Atlas was recently at ZŠ Ústí nad Labem Mírová, in the north of Czechia to hold free #ErasmusPlus teacher training sessions for language teachers. Teachers learned about alternative lesson shapes, took part in and analysed a model #CLIL lesson, and discovered how to use interactive digital tools in their classrooms. Students then participated in cultural workshops about Irish sports, history and mythology. Despite some heavy downpours, the mood was later brightened by having a few games of table tennis runarounds, which provided a relaxing break from the previous mental workout!

We then visited VUSI Higher School of Security and Economics in Plovdiv, Bulgaria to deliver a lecture on ‘AI in Higher Education – Artificial Intelligence vs Academic Integrity.’ Professors and students engaged in insightful discussions on the ethical challenges of AI in education, highlighting the importance of creative thought and critical thinking.

The visit also included a fascinating tour of the university, with stops at their digital shooting range, cybersecurity room, and forensic laboratory.

If you’d like Atlas to deliver free teacher training at your school or university in Europe, please get in touch with Paul at paul.f@atlaslanguageschool.com.

Where will Atlas be with Erasmus+ in October?

October is a busy month for Atlas’ Erasmus team! 

We’ll kick off the month by receiving a group from Vuc Klar, an adult education centre in Slagelse, Denmark, for a programme focused on Erasmus+ Sustainability and Citizenship. They will take part in interactive sessions about green issues, inclusivity and diversity, as well as exploring individual and community wellbeing. We’re really looking forward to a mutual exchange of ideas about these really important issues!

Following this, our Erasmus+ coordinator, Paul Finnerty, will host a workshop at the annual TESOL Hungary conference in Siófok. He’ll give an interactive presentation entitled: ‘The Paradox of AI in Assessment and Homework: how to design written tasks that embrace AI tools but still demand student creativity and independent thought’. 

Atlas will also be very active in Poland later in the month, delivering a series of student workshops on Irish culture and sustainability, plus teacher training on topics ranging from using AI and digital tools in the classroom to preparing students for international exams. These sessions will take place at John Paul II School in Koszęcin, the Catholic School in Płock and Adama Mickiewicza High School in Piastów.

Webinars

In September we held a methodology webinar: ‘Using the Task-Teach-Task Method to Help Students Learn Vocabulary Better’. Attendees learned how changing the shape of their lesson from the traditional PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production) to TTT (Task-Teach-Task) may result in students learning vocabulary more effectively. Contact us if you’d like access to a recording of this session, or any of our previous methodological or cultural webinars.

On Tuesday October 15th at 1700 Irish time (1800 CET), we’ll be holding a methodology webinar on the topic of ‘Halloween Stories in Irish and British Culture’. This webinar will last about 60 minutes and participants will learn about traditional Halloween stories in Ireland and Britain which may be useful in Halloween-themed lessons during October. Here is the sign up link.

On the same theme, here’s a link to a Halloween in Ireland blog we’ve recently written!

Then, on Tuesday October 22nd at 1400 Irish time (1500 CET) and 1700 Irish time (1800 CET) we’ll be holding further info-webinars about our Erasmus+ courses in 2025, including our brand new Mindfulness and Wellbeing in Education course. These webinars will last for between 30 and 45 minutes and will provide information about our courses, teaching methodology, activity and excursion programme, accommodation options and how to apply for Erasmus+ funding. Sign up for a webinar using this link.

Update about KA2 projects

Atlas Language School is delighted to announce that it will be taking part in a KA2 cooperation project in partnership with the St Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, North Macedonia, and The University of Zagreb, Croatia. The aim of the project is to train Veterinary Science professors to be able to deliver their course content through the medium of English. More news on this in our next newsletter!

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