Las Palmas (Spain) Final Meeting: European Conference

December 2nd-3rd, 2015

As its name suggests, the final meeting was the time to end the project on a high note: It began with the European Conference, which enabled 95 international participants to learn about the project and its results. In their welcome speeches to open the European Conference representatives of the University of Las Palmas and from La Consejería de Educación (regional government) emphasized the achievements and results gained by the playingCLIL project and they put the conference in a European dimension and the added value of the work.

The following inspiring key note speech by Do Coyle from the University of Aberdeen focused on the theoretical background of CLIL and the effects of using CLIL for the motivation of learners in all ages. She also encouraged the use of playingCLIL games in schools and trainings. Finalising highlight of the first day was the presentation of the printed handbook to the conference audience.

The second day allowed for sharing experiences and going deeper in the theory of learning and the psychology of children and adult learners. Lastly, a panel discussion was done with experts from the project team and further organizations. They discussed good combinations of topics and audiences where CLIL games work well, and addressed factors and issues that have to be considered in order for language education and CLIL to have the most impact.