CLADES project: Training on language, responsibility and sustainability in education
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From 23-24 September, SOLIDAR joined a training event at the Comenius University in Bratislava as part of the CLADES project, an Erasmus+ project which focuses on critical language awareness, democratic engagement and sustainability. The training, ‘The Power of Words: Language, Responsibility and Sustainability in Education’ included sessions delivered by the project partners and brought together educators and learners from various contexts.
We kicked off with an introductory session focused on critical language awareness as a transformative competence and its power to enhance media literacy and active citizenship. This session was delivered by Erika Darics from the University of Groningen and Arran Stibbe from the University of Gloucestershire.
Over the course of the two days, sessions on a variety of topics were delivered:
- Ecopoetic activism, Helen Moore, University of Gloucestershire
- Critical textbook lab: Analysing hidden ideologies and bias, Joanna Chojnicka, University of Groningen
- The power of stories: Critical awareness of stories and storytelling, Erika Darics, University of Groningen
- Managing and structuring talk in classroom interaction: How teachers routinely shape participation and learning, Roel van Veen, University of Groningen
- Gender-inclusive language, pronouns and practice, Sarah van Hoof and Sofie Decock, University of Ghent
- Accent awareness: Challenging accentism in education and practice, Chloe Lybaert and Bernard Declerck, University of Ghent
- Econarratives and ethical leadership, Arran Stibbe, University of Gloucestershire
- Critical language awareness and assessment: Core values, principles and strategies for responding to student work, Shawna Shapiro and Laura Aull, Middlebury College and the University of Michigan
Throughout the two days, active feedback and reflection were built into the sessions so that learners had the opportunity to consider how the material could be applied in their own contexts.
On Thursday 24 September, the project partners met to take stock of the delivery of the training sessions and to plan the next steps in project implementation. This was a key event in progressing the implementation of the CLADES project as it delivered practical tools to learners and educators around how critical language awareness can be used to advance social and environmental justice. It was also a crucial moment for project partners to exchange and plan the next stages of the project.
