The conference opened with a speech by EUGREEN General Coordinator and UEx professor Gemma Delicado Puerto on the importance of European values for multilingual education, SLS4TeenS project coordinator Delphine Guedat-Bittighoffer (UAngers), and Laura Fielden Burns (SLS4TeenS UEx IP). The project includes representatives from the Université de Nantes and Université d'Angers (France), the Università di Parma (Italy), the Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg (Germany), and the University of Extremadura. For two days, the participants, who are all secondary school language teachers, will work in a coworking environment, sharing knowledge and experiences around the seven innovative modules that make up the project. SLS4TEENS seeks to revolutionize language teaching by focusing on communicative learning and student emotional security. The modules address crucial topics such as the use of ICT, intercultural communication, neuroscience applied to language learning, and the assessment of oral skills, among others.
This meeting in Mérida marks an important milestone in the development of the project, which has already completed its first training phase with the creation of reusable teaching materials for teachers across Europe and is now moving into the research phase. The ultimate goal is to improve the language learning experience for adolescents, both native and immigrant, by promoting multilingualism as a fundamental pillar of open societies.
Participants also enjoyed Mérida's rich historical heritage on two guided tours, one of which included the Roman Theater thanks to the support of the Consortium of the Monumental City of Mérida.
For more information about the SLS4TEENS project, visit: https://sls4teens.com/portal/en
