PROLANT CAP – In Malta

In November 2016, an initial attempt was made to gather together all the resources that had been carefully planned by the PROLANT CAP teams. Malta hosted partici-pants from Slovakia, Latvia, Italy, France and UK; in total 42 teachers! The plan was to develop 2 industry specific language courses for the automotive and tourism indus-tries using a specific teaching methodology. CLIL (content and language integrated learning) allows our trainers to teach a subject through a foreign language – English. It was a very interesting and educational experience as nobody knew what to expect. However, a seed was planted and the idea started growing.
am Language Studio prepared a program for all par-ticipating partners to enjoy their 1 week stay on the sunny and historical island. This included accommo-dation, food, transfers, cultural activities and most importantly, the facility to pilot and test the lesson plans which had been previously prepared. A team-building atmosphere was created which was very helpful, lively and motivating.
It was exciting to see the project managers come together with their lesson-plan writers to make decisions and shape the project. Malta arranged a very nice welcoming meal in a traditional Maltese-cuisine restaurant, followed by city tours around the island enabling everyone to experience the culture and history thriving behind every corner.

The lessons and the industries

In Malta, the Maltese partner prepared 2 classrooms with all the required equipment to present the lessons. At am Language Studio we are spoilt with resources; IWBs, photocopying services, stationery and administrative help.
The classes were divided into two teams incorporating the two industries that were being fo-cused on by the project participants and developers. This meant that 1 class was dedicated to tourism, which is an industry that Malta excels in, and the other class was committed to the automotive industry.
The UK team led the first session where they gave an overview of the CLIL methodology. Content & Lan-guage Integrated Learning aims at teaching specific subjects through a foreign language. Afterwards the partners delivered the lessons they had prepared to willing participants. Everyone had their roles – ob-serving, participating, presenting and quality control.
The lesson plan developers had the opportunity to dis-cuss, amend, adjust and recreate lessons accordingly. It is important in these cases to have a team spirit in-volving collaboration and the pooling of ideas. The teams performed and cooperated brilliantly together. This is what Professional Development is all about.
Everyone is looking forward to the next Pilot training sessions in France and Slovakia where more of the lessons will be presented to real students within the two industries. Well done!
Kyle Atkins