The project, Teachers of English for Future Europe (TEFE) brings together six key institutions from across the EU committed to the internationalisation of English Teachers to share their exemplary practices and to facilitate joint experiences for new teachers and existing teaching practitioners in their institutions.  Ultimately the learning and best practice will be published and made available to all teacher training institutions across the EU to stimulate and encourage the internationalisation of their teaching practice.

 

 

All of this has been made possible thanks to the vision, support and funding of the EU through its Erasmus Strategic Partnership Programme which has provided 285,000 EUR over three years to enable the project to take place.

University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Czech Republic

The University of South Bohemia (USB) was founded in 1991, following a long tradition of educating teachers and university experts in various fields of agricultural production, theological studies and the tradition of fish farming and fisheries. The USB, as one of the first 15 institutions in the Czech Republic and one of the first 400 international, holds a prestigious HR Excellence in Research Award.

USB is a modern public university located in the town of České Budějovice. It educates more than 10,500 students at 8 different faculties and in more than 200 programmes including bachelor’s & master’s degrees as well as doctoral programmes. The faculties include: Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Theology, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture. USB is proud to be a top-quality science & research centre specialising in education and research in natural, humanist and social sciences.

The Institute of English Studies was founded on 1st September 2010. As the most recently established department at the School of Arts, it is dynamic in both its research orientations and teaching. It has 9 full-time members of staff all of whom are both research active as well as being involved in teaching. Students can choose from a range of study programmes. These include: a Bachelor’s degree programme in English Language and Literature (combined with Czech Studies, History, Biology, Chemistry and Romance Studies), consecutive Master’s degree programme in English and American Literature, consecutive Master’s programme in Teacher Training for Upper Secondary Schools in English Language and Literature and a follow-up Master’s degree in translation in combination with French and Spanish. Provision of practical training is valued highly. The Institute is increasingly investing effort to develop links that will create professional development opportunities for its students. Our graduates find employment in all industries and careers where creative thinking and an excellent knowledge of English are required.

Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia

Currently, the department is experiencing a revival of sorts in regard to ELT training with more students interested in the profession entering both the bachelors and masters programmes with the clear intent of becoming English teachers, both at state and language schools. Students in both the BA and MA programs are involved with colleagues at local secondary, primary, and language schools, both observing and teaching, as well as being mentored.

The department was foundational to the founding of the Slovak Chamber of English Language Teachers (SCELT), with two faculty members on the Executive Committee and one on the Advisory Board. Working with SCELT, the department has hosted conferences, put on local workshops, and engaged current students in those professional development training activities in order to initiate them into the community of ELT professionals. In 2013 and 2014, we organised our students to both volunteer and be actively involved in Slovakia’s largest international ELT conference, ELT Forum. In September 2015, March 2019, and September 2019, our students were instrumental to the organisation and running SCELT’s international conferences. In March of 2020, several current MA students will be involved as volunteers and participants at IATEFL Slovenia’s international conference in Slovenia. A current instructor and a few graduates will also be doing workshops at the conference.

The Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in Bratislava also strongly believes in active civic duty. With the state of public affairs being what it is in Slovakia at this time, the Department of British and American Studies holds high the value of truth in this regard. One project built on this is our U.S. Embassy small grant project English for Journalists run by one of our instructors, Linda M. Steyne, PhD, at our department and which has been running for since 2016. The students are journalists who rank among the best in their profession in Slovakia.

The department employs between 15-18 full-time assistant and associate professors and lecturers who teach in two study programs (teacher training and translation/interpreting) at both bachelor’s and master’s levels. Approximately 60 students graduate in the BA programs each year, and about 50 in the master’s programmes.

Aston University, United Kingdom

Aston University has an excellent track record with EU funded research and training programmes.

The project team is positioned in the English Department, the Centre for Language Research at Aston (CLaRA) and the Centre for Critical Approaches into Society and Culture (CCISC). The English department has an articulately applied focus, and the various sub-disciplinary areas are engaged in research with social, organisational and educational focus. The English department currently comprises a total of 14 members of staff who teach on a range of programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level and who are all research active. 8 members specialise in Applied Linguistics, 3 in English Literature and 3 members specialise in TESOL. Department members are full-time employees, all have relevant PhD qualifications. Staff members are on research (30%) and teaching (70%) contract. Each member of the department is an active researcher and contribute to the undergraduate English single honours, English joint honours and TESOL programmes. Aston’s on-campus and distance TESOL programmes have attracted a steady number of students, the average yearly intake has been 15.

CLaRA is a research centre dedicated to language and language education. The Language Education special interest group has 14 members, from across modern foreign languages, English, and the Centre for English Language and Communication at Aston (CELCA). CCISC research centre brings together colleagues from Translation Studies, Sociology, Social and Public Policy, Politics, Psychology and Organization studies. It’s membership is over 40.

Both centres and the department have a multidisciplinary composition, have a strong research profile and wide experience in facilitating interdisciplinary events. They regularly organise research events delivered to interdisciplinary audiences and regularly hosts distinguished academic visitors. Two recent noteworthy events that have been co-hosted by the English department and the two research centres were the Annual Conventions of the British Association of Applied Linguistics (in 2015) and Discourse, Communication and the Enterprise (in 2017). Other relevant events the collaboration with the national centre for Content and Language Integrated Learning, including the hosting of workshops and presentations. CLaRA is also heavily involved in the work of the British Association for Applied Linguistics special interest group: Linguistics and Knowledge about Language in Education.

The TESOL team has previously led various teacher education projects relevant to this bid. These have included a 3-year TEMPUS project led by Dr Sue Garton in collaboration with Pedagogische Hochschule Freiburg Institut für Anglistik. The project involved the design and evaluation of modules for a blended learning MA level programme intended for secondary school teachers in Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. After the successful completion of this project further successful Erasmus and Erasmus+ projects have enabled the TESOL staff to visit the project members in their institutions and take part in the co-teaching of the Master’s level materials. This process has benefited all parties concerned encouraging the TESOL team to get insight into the local practices of teachers in the respective countries. The project members have visited Aston University on many occasions to take part in various professional development activities organised by the TESOL team.

University of Passau, Germany

• The Faculty of Law

• The Faculty of Business, Economics and Information Systems

• The Faculty of Arts and Humanities with the Department of Catholic Theology

• The Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics

In December 2019 a number of 12,323 students and doctoral students were enrolled, including 1,742 international students (14.14%) from e.g. India (186), Austria (153), China PRC (111), Czech Republic (26), Spain (24), Poland (16), Slovakia (14), UK (≤ 4).As of winter semester 2019/2020, the figures show a total of 1,159 primary occupation. We count 472 academic support staff and 687 academics across the University, including 122 professors (chaired professors: 91, non-chaired professors: 29, assistant professors: 2), who teach and conduct research on a wide range of subjects (1 July 2019). The UP stands for excellent research, innovative teaching and intensive knowledge transfer activities as well as diversity and openness to the world. At the border to two countries, but right in the heart of Europe, science, teaching and culture find their unique combination in Passau. For us, internationalisation is an identity-shaping characteristic and an important strategic goal. Our international connections are underpinned by the vibrant partnerships we maintain on a global scale.

A total of 244 partnerships were concluded with universities across the globe (March 2019). We carry out student exchange with partner universities in e.g. Czech Republic (7), Spain (22), Poland (9), Slovakia (2), UK (8); the UP also has double degree programmes with EU Partner universities.

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities is the largest of the University’s four faculties and comprises the departments Education, Catholic Theology, Regional Cultural Studies/Area Studies, Governance and Historical Studies, and Language, Texts and Media, which together represent a total of 56 chairs and professorships. 6,775 students are currently enrolled in the 25 degree programmes – undergraduate (9), including Bachelor of Education, and Master’s programmes (12), including Master of Education – administered by the faculty. 2,439 of these students are enrolled in teacher education programmes: primary education, and three types of secondary education (Mittelschule, Realschule, and Gymnasium).

The certified Language Centre offers language courses for students of all faculties in Chinese, Czech, English, French, German as a Foreign Language, Indonesian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese. These language courses offer subject-specific language programmes for students of cultural studies & international relations (including teaching degree students); business & economics; law; and computer science & mathematics. As a pilot scheme, we have implemented an English course specially designed for teaching degree students focusing on educational sciences and ‘teaching in English’.

Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland

The university has substantial capacity for research projects in the field of language and education. Apart from subject specific research and teaching, each faculty offers teacher training courses relevant to a particular domain and employs academic staff who carry out linguistic and pedagogical research.

Being a large higher education institution, Jagiellonian University has adequate administrative resources for supporting project management. The university’s Project Support Centre offers relevant administrative services to all academics involved in national and international level projects at all stages of their planning and implementation

The Institute of English studies where the project will be implemented, has extensive experience in English language teaching and teacher training at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The students are offered teacher training courses which lead to obtaining teaching qualifications at public schools. The Institute is also involved in organising teaching practice at schools during which student teachers practice their teaching skills and have an opportunity to put to the test the knowledge obtained during university classes. The teaching practice set up at all educational key stages is supervised by the Institute’s experienced teacher trainers and selected school mentors.

Public University of Navarra, Spain

Created in 1987 by the Parliament of Navarre, the Public University of Navarre (UPNA) is a relatively small public university in the north of Spain, with campuses in Pamplona and Tudela. Academically, it focuses on Humanities, Social Sciences, Law, Engineering, Natural Sciences, and Health Sciences. Its degrees in Education comprise one of the largest bodies of students. It is one of Spain’s leading universities in terms of teaching, research and transfer, occupying, along with 16 other Spanish public universities, the upper quartile when it comes to overall productivity (2017 ISSUE ranking, BBVA-IVIE). UPNA offers 25 bachelor degrees and 26 master programmes, with 6961 and 766 students respectively.

The teaching and research staff is organised around 6 research institutes with more than 270 researchers: the Institute for Advanced Social Research (ICommunitas), the Institute of Smart Cities (ISC), the Institute for Advanced Materials (InaMat), the Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics (Inarbe), the Institute for Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain (IS-Food), and the Institute for Multidisciplinary Applied Biology Research (IMAB). The university is also part of Navarrabiomed (joint centre with the Government of Navarre’s Department of Health).

Regarding internationalisation, UPNA has signed agreements with over 300 universities in 50 countries. In the course 2018/19, UPNA managed 750 student mobility exchanges: 430 out-coming and 320 incoming students. With these figures, UPNA meets the strategic objective of sending abroad more than 25% of its graduates. As for Erasmus+ projects, UPNA has been a member or coordinator of 7 KA2 strategic partnerships, 3 KA2 capacity building projects, 1 KA1 Jean Monnet, 1 Sport Action and 1 KA2 Knowledge Alliance. And UPNA is one of the most successful applicants to the KA107 program in Spain with 367.556€ assigned in the last call.

The Doctoral School of the UPNA offers 15 Doctoral Programmes and 65 Ph.D students have been awarded a doctoral degree on average since 2013. In the academic year 2018/19, 395 students, 20.4% international, were enrolled in the Doctoral School. In 5 years, since its creation, the school has increased the number of international students from 9% to 20%.

The Communications Strategy is the framework for effective project communication, promotion, and dissemination, ensuring widespread recognition and engagement.

Press Releases provide a concise summary of the TEFE project’s promotional activities on TEFE Consortium universities’ websites and social media accounts. This document, presented in a chart format, includes 23 items and contributions that complement the project’s videos, newsletters, live streams, and student-generated social media posts. Each entry in the chart provides the release date, original title, hosting site, a brief description, and an active link. This resource serves as a reference for tracking and enhancing the project’s promotional efforts.