April has arrived with a whirlwind of activity in the world of Erasmus+, and Atlas Language School is here to keep you updated on all the latest happenings. From exciting courses and educational adventures to insightful webinars and upcoming events, join us as we dive into the vibrant tapestry of Erasmus+ initiatives for the month ahead.

Courses in Progress

Our Language, Methodology, and Culture (LMC) course has been buzzing with activity throughout March and April. Participants immersed themselves in new core lessons covering ‘AI in Education‘, ‘Sustainability in Education‘, and ‘Inclusive Classroom Practices for SEN Students‘. Check out our Erasmus+ webpage and brochure for upcoming courses this summer!

Language, Methodology and Culture participants in Iveagh Gardens 27.03.2024

What happened in March?

March was a bustling month filled with enriching exchanges. First, on March 12th and 13th, Atlas Language School hosted 5 visitors from Vucklar Adult Education Centre in Denmark, based in Slagelse, Denmark. They saw how things happen at our school in Dublin and we also learned a lot from them during their stay. A key topic that came up was how to deal with the growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and use of ChatGPT among students – it was very valuable to exchange views about how to embrace rather than outlaw AI! 

VUCKLAR Visit to Atlas Language School in Portobello, Dublin

After this, our Erasmus+ Coordinator, Paul Finnerty, visited Płock Catholic School to take part in an Irish Culture Day with students. Attendees learned about the story of St. Patrick, Irish Mythology, Irish Sports and Irish Music, and also shared some insights about these topics in a Polish context. The school also featured the day’s events on their TikTok channel, completely run by students, a great initiative to get teenagers more involved in school life!

Irish Culture Day at Płock Catholic School: A Cultural Exchange with Paul Finnerty

Next, Paul went to the PROEM EDU Christian Education Centre in Tomaszów Mazowiecki, one of the most colourful and charmingly-decorated schools he had ever seen! After a tour of the school and a visit to the organisation’s riverside adventure camp, teachers took part in a training session focusing on using the Task-Teach-Task method to teach vocabulary.

Paul Finnerty’s Visit to PROEM EDU Christian Education Centre

Then there was another stop at the Adam Mickiewicz High School in Piastów to hold cultural workshops with students about Irish culture. Teachers also took part in a workshop providing information about the English language courses they’ll be taking with Atlas in June. An interesting feature of the school was the placement of chess and noughts and crosses boards on the walls for students to keep their brains working during break times!

Paul also attended the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion conference at the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. There were lots of informative talks about implementing these principles in educational settings and many great ideas and tools to take away, including an online diversity training toolkit that can be adapted to the needs of institutions and workplaces.

Webinars

In March we held a cultural webinar about the Patron Saints of Ireland and Britain, in which participants learned about St. Patrick, St.George, St. David and St. Andrew, and also had the opportunity to tell other attendees about patron saints and national days in their own countries.

This month, we’ll be holding a methodology webinar on Friday April 12th at 1700 Irish time (1800 CET) on the topic of ‘Teaching Speaking via Task-Based Learning‘. Participants will learn about alternative approaches to structuring speaking lessons using the Task-Teach-Task method, and also explore ways to teach students conversation skills.The webinar will last  between 60 and 75 minutes. Sign up for the webinar using this link.

On Thursday May 9th at 1400 Irish time (1500 CET) and 1700 Irish time (1800 CET) we’ll be holding further info-webinars about our 2024 Erasmus+ courses. These webinars 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 the webinar using this link.

Visits in April

April will be another busy Erasmus+ month for Atlas. Firstly, some of our Erasmus+ team will attend the MEI European Roadshow, a conglomeration of Irish Language Schools that will attend agent meetings and Erasmus+ workshops in Krakow, Poland, Prague, Czechia and Bratislava, Slovakia.

Following this, on April 22nd our Erasmus+ Coordinator Paul Finnerty will hold a teacher training session at St. Laszlo School in Baja, Hungary. Later that week he will be in Podbořany School in Czechia for 2 days. The first day there will be dedicated to teacher training and the second day will involve a series of workshops with students from higher grades.

Update about KA2 projects

There will be a transnational event for one of our KA2 projects, CLIMIC, which promotes the use of comics as an innovative educational tool to encourage school students to be agents of change in tackling climate issues. Students from Finland, Spain and Cyprus will attend workshops at Atlas Language School in Malta in the last week of April.