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TAMK International

UNINOVIS Language Teachers BiP in Kaunas

— simo.vainionpaa@tuni.fi

Two TAMK English teachers attended the Language Teachers’ BiP organised by Kauno Kolegija in Vilnus. The attendees contained language teachers from the other UNINOVIS universities, but also others. During the 5 intensive days we learned and shared a lot!

The first topic for the week was, as the trend seems to be, the use of Artificial Intelligence in language education. In addition to discussing the topic, we got to try a couple of applications for creating a lesson plan, and of course shared our own experiences. The most interesting aspect, however, was the introduction of the Unesco AI Competency Framework for Teachers (Unesco 2024), which outlines the AI competencies into five categories:

  • Human-centred mindset
  • Ethics of AI
  • AI foundations and applications
  • AI pedagogy
  • AI for professional learning.

Each competency is further divided into three progression levels: Acquire, Deepen, Create.

We worked on the competency levels and how they would fit our own professional work and development.

TAMK’s contribution to the week was a four-hour workshop on CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning). For us as English teachers, combining field-specific content into English classes is the bread and butter of our daily work. Therefore, it was a tremendous pleasure to share our expertise and to learn about the views and practices of our international colleagues.

The workshop introduced some of our flagship integrated learning courses and provided two hours of hands-on experience, allowing participants to explore what CLIL looks like in practice at Tampere University of Applied Sciences. A seed for further developing this theme, for example through COIL projects (Collaborative Online International Learning) with some of our Uninovis partners, has now been planted.

The third major topic covered during the week was intercultural communication. Especially interesting was the use Erin Meyer’s Culture Map when thinking about various cultures and where they might fall on Meyer’s scale.

  • Communicating – Is communication low-context (simple and clear) or high-context (complex meaning in interactions)?
  • Evaluating – When giving negative feedback, is it directly or discreetly?
  • Persuading – Through cases and examples or detailed holistic explanations?
  • Leading – Are groups egalitarian or prefer hierarchy?
  • Deciding – Are decisions made in within the group or top-down?
  • Trusting – Where do we base trust? On how well we know each other or how well we work together?
  • Disagreeing – Are disagreements handled directly, or are confrontations avoided?
  • Scheduling – Is time absolute linear points or a flexible range?

It was especially interesting to compare this to Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, which include some of the same aspects, but differ in many. This is something we decided we’ll need to use more time on, now that the BiP is successfully over.

All things considered, attending the language teachers’ BiP was a great learning experience for us, and also a chance to share our expertise with other language teachers around the world. The atmosphere was at the same time very professional but also relaxed, and we can’t wait to work with this group again!

#UNINOVIS #DataForLife #EuropeanUniversity #TAMK

Further reading:

Geert Hofstede. https://geerthofstede.com/culture-geert-hofstede-gert-jan-hofstede/6d-model-of-national-culture/

Erin Meyer. https://erinmeyer.com/books/the-culture-map/

Unesco. (2024). AI competency framework for teachers. Retrieved 24.3. 2026. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/ai-competency-framework-teachers

Photo by: Rasa Sulciene

Text:

Marianna Leikomaa, senior lecturer, Pedagogical innovations and culture TAMK

Kristiina Tillander

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