Radka Taichmanová
Malta

During the summer holidays, I had the opportunity to take part in a language course in Malta under the Erasmus+ programme. The course took place for one week in Valletta, in the historic Palazzo Mesina, located right in the heart of the old town. Throughout the course, we had excellent facilities and were very well looked after. The teachers were supportive, and the atmosphere was fantastic the entire time. They also prepared group trips for us after the lessons.

The purpose of the course was to improve our English through various activities prepared by the lecturer. Sixteen teachers from different countries took part in the course. My colleagues came from France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Through different and varied activities, we got to know each other better. After the first block of lessons, we had a group trip around the capital. We explored the city by bus, accompanied by a guide who introduced us to the main landmarks and Maltese culture.

As part of the course, each of us gave a presentation about our own school to show our colleagues how things work at our institutions. There were also follow-up activities designed to encourage and motivate us.

I would like to highlight the activities that I personally found the most interesting for practising the language. The first one was “truth and a lie.” Each of us came up with three statements about ourselves: two were true and one was false. In pairs, we exchanged information and had to guess which statement was not true. The second activity was based on a video about Lego. The video presented the history of the company, its development, and how it has evolved up to the present day. Afterwards, we were given six Lego bricks and asked to build a duck. Then we had to invent a story about it and present it in small groups in front of our colleagues. The third activity involved questions with one-word answers. Each participant received a sheet of paper with different words and had to create questions that matched them.

Another group trip was to Mdina, a city located not far from the capital. Together we explored the beauty of the fortress and its surroundings. The final group activity was at the end of the course—a farewell lunch, where we had the chance to taste local specialities.

Overall, I evaluate this course very positively. It was a great benefit for me, enriching my vocabulary and improving my language skills.