“I'm totally exhausted, but very content” was the typical comment uttered by the participants on the final day of this first Hornby Summer School in Germany .
Indeed, 24 participants and 3 tutors from 16 countries and 3 continents did a lot of hard work during the two weeks that were spent on the outskirts of Berlin . The mornings were devoted to change management issues, which covered areas such as “understanding organisations” and management styles. The afternoons focussed on using ICT in education but also gave the participants the opportunity to present projects they are involved in, discuss their vision of English language teaching in 2015 and learn more about ELTeCS.
In addition the participants prepared and conducted interviews with German professionals about their various experiences with change management. And of course international project ideas were developed. The final highlight was a conference at which findings from the interviews and various project ideas were presented to an external audience. We are now looking forward to hearing how these projects are getting along!
There was some time for social activities, too, which also revolved around the theme of change. We explored Berlin and Potsdam as cities of constant change by going on a treasure hunt around modern Berlin , visiting museums and historical sites, watching films on both cities which took us back in time. The “international evenings” offered a personal insight into the participants' countries and their cultural backgrounds.
Many thanks go to the Course Director Csilla Hös (Hungary) and the two tutors Tetyana Karpova (Ukraine) and Erzsébet Csibi (Hungary) for all their commitment, professional expertise and good humour.
Next year's Hornby Summer School will also be held in Berlin, from 6-19 August. This year has brought up many related issues that will be revisited. We intend to explore questions around effective influencing, leadership, teamwork and presentation skills in the context of English language teaching. |
