CJV Week 2023

This year, CJV managed to accentuate a greater connection between theory and practice in the programme. The lecturers prepared over 30 presentations and workshops both in Czech and English covering topics such as games and applications in language classes, peer feedback, mentoring, work with teaching assistants, how to handle emotions and trauma in the classroom, or how to create a blended intensive programme through international cooperation. The aim was to share contributions from all areas of activity at CJV, where practice (e.g., in teaching) is based on research results or inspired by them, or where new teaching practice leads, or could lead, to testing the suitability of the methods used through targeted research.

This year's contributions had the exclusive form of workshops or interactive presentations with a prepared guided discussion to make them as practical as possible. The goal of such a challenge was to increase the transfer of good practice, i.e., to transfer activities of one department or teacher to other departments and colleagues across CJV. And the other way around, to present partial results or untested approaches and discuss possibilities for further action or changes in the future. Thematically, this year's Language Week was richer because the offered contributions were based on all the current trends that teachers across CJV are dealing with.

"The program created by the teachers at CJV is not only offered to participants from language centres across the country. We take care to invite also external guests who contribute to the program with their workshops and thus greatly enrich it. This year, we were proud to welcome guests from across the country and also Lisa Nazarenko, a colleague from the Technical University of Vienna with a very practical workshop on academic writing," says Alena Hradilová, the vice director for pedagogy at CJV and the main coordinator of CJV Week. Every year, CJV also brings in representatives of partner organizations to broaden the offered spectrum of seminars with topics focused on leadership or time management. This January, the center welcomed Eliška Čepičková, Customer Centre Operations Manager from Atlas Copco, and David Hanley, First Line Manager from Kyndryl. The event also attracted the attention of colleagues from other departments of Masaryk University who worked with CJV on soft skills in relation to our students.

"The program was intensive, as were the discussions during breaks and in the corridors, and we are pleased with the feedback from participants," adds Alena Hradilová. It indicates the impact of the programme on the further work of CJV teachers, as evidenced by the verbs used in the feedback: "I will try, I will also do, I will further study, it inspired me, I will come back to, I will address, I would be interested in, or will go and observe in action." These expressions are evidence that the CJV Week once again fulfilled its purpose in terms of sharing good practice and developing the teaching competencies.

Do you already know what you will be doing during the fourth week of January 2024? Join us at the CJV Week!