The course offered valuable insights into how CLIL methodology fosters student motivation, collaboration, and critical thinking. Rather than relying on traditional lectures, the trainer involved ten teachers of different nationalities in cooperative activities designed to enhance both language use and higher-order cognitive skills. Lessons integrated subjects such as geometry, history, Irish culture, and geography. Tasks included sentence completion, logical sequencing, matching, puzzles, and problem-solving exercises, often culminating in creative outputs like songs or drawings.
Key principles highlighted were scaffolding and simplification, ensuring that language and content were adapted to learners’ levels, reducing frustration and supporting comprehension. Activities such as interviews, group presentations with playful “crazy sentences,” and warm-up games proved effective in stimulating creativity, communication, and teamwork.
An outdoor lesson at the National Museum on Irish bog bodies combined preparatory classroom tasks with direct observation. Alongside academic work, cultural experiences such as Irish dancing, guided tours, and an international food party enriched the program. While some activities cannot be replicated exactly, they provided a strong methodological framework and inspiration for adapting similar practices in future teaching.
The course held in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, offered an innovative training experience combining Artificial Intelligence with Content and Language Integrated Learning. The opening sessions focused on networking, CLIL fundamentals, and cultural exploration, fostering an inclusive and intercultural learning environment. Participants then explored the role of AI in education, from the Change Curve model and interactive “Human or AI” tasks to bias awareness and the practical use of the Mylens platform. Hands-on workshops introduced AI-powered research tools and collaborative platforms. Projects such as Local Hero and High Street, outdoor activities with Goosechase, and visits to cultural and natural sites enriched the program with experiential learning. Final sessions focused on generating educational materials with AI, developing individual CLIL projects, and building sustainable professional networks. Overall, the course provided participants with practical strategies to enhance student engagement, foster creativity, and integrate innovative methodologies into their teaching practice.
The training brought together 16 teachers from different European countries, fostering a stimulating environment of collaboration and professional exchange. Throughout the week, two innovative teaching methodologies were explored. The first, CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), integrates subject-specific content with foreign language learning, enhancing both motivation and language skills. The second, PBL (Project-Based Learning), encourages active participation through project work, promoting creativity and deeper student engagement. Their integration, PBLL (Project-Based Language Learning), was also presented, combining the strengths of both approaches. Lessons were interactive and practice-oriented, offering numerous strategies easily adaptable to everyday teaching. In addition, cultural visits and excursions enriched the experience by providing authentic opportunities for linguistic and intercultural exchange. I plan to apply these methodologies in my teaching practice and share them with colleagues interested in innovation.
