| 
Hornby Summer School 2005
|
 |
|
|
A Hornby Summer School experience
by Elena Sentevska
|
|
|
I had heard and read that Hornby summer schools were unique and wonderful experiences to learn new material, network with colleagues from different countries, share expertise across borders and initiate international projects. Having this in mind, I decided to apply for the first Hornby-British Council summer school in the western part of Europe . The course took place in Berlin , Germany , from July 17-31, bringing together ELT professionals from 16 different countries. It really confirmed that what I had heard and read was true.
The theme of the summer school was Preparing for Tomorrow – Initiating and Cultivating Change in ELT Contexts. During the two weeks on site, the participants actively worked on responses to change, dealing with resistance and understanding organizations. Starting with examples of personal change, students explored different approaches to managing change. Looking at teachers as managers and leaders, the participants defined their roles in the process of change and conflict resolution as well as the empowerment they gain when working in teams.
Two major projects were completed during the two weeks in class. In groups, the teachers prepared, conducted and analyzed interviews with top change managers and other change agents from Germany . The second project, again in teams, was looking at change case studies from various countries and further developing international change projects. All groups presented on the final day of the course when they organized a mini conference with participants from other German schools and educational institutions. Two project fairs took place on site where participants were given the opportunity to present projects from their respective countries.
The author of this text presented about the current state of CLIL in Macedonia . After giving a short overview of the linguistic situation in the country, the presenter talked about the structure and development of CLIL in Macedonia . She went on to define the aims and methodology in this field in the country, and looked at the profile of a Macedonian CLIL teacher, curriculum, content and the process of certification. Based on relevant statistics from the field, the presenter looked at the balance between the language and the content component. She also referred to the production of materials, dealing with finances, logistics and coordination. Starting with the description of the students' application process, the presenter looked at students' and teachers' motivation for implementing CLIL in various schools.
Much of what was presented as a model for future CLIL development in the country has already been done. CLIL SIG within the national teachers' association was formed at the beginning of this school year. Two seminars for training teachers have already taken place and two more are scheduled for the spring. The British Council Macedonia together with the Ministry of Education and the author of this text are working together on laying the foundation for introducing the first CLIL course in Macedonia.
In between classes, the participants were able to discover Berlin and its culture through a walking sightseeing tour, a movie night, city treasure hunt, a tango night, visit to the Jewish museum, the TV Tower, Einstein exhibition, Jewish memorial, Potsdamer Platz, the new National Gallery…
Through group work, discussions, round tables, presentations, role plays, using visuals, technology and much more, a wide range of topics were covered and many issues were raised. Hornby summer school participants left Berlin with promising projects on the theme of change for the contexts of their home countries. They left with a sense of accomplishment…they have prepared something for tomorrow…
|
|
