SMART TEACHERS PLAY MORE! Combine academic subjects and language learning with play and movement games to optimise learning. Experience authentic Iceland with Icelandic course providers in Reykjavík.
IF YOU LOVE TO PLAY AND LEARN, AND WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE THE WONDERS OF ICELAND WITH LOCAL TRAINERS, THIS IS THE COURSE FOR YOU!
• Designed by teachers for teachers.
• Activities tried, tested and approved by children.
• Methodology renowned by teachers internationally.
• Innovative, effective and easy to apply.
With play, creativity and well-being at its core, this dynamic course will give you close-up and personal insight into the Icelandic school system and first-hand experience of Smartenglish and Play To Learn More methodology.
The SMART TEACHERS PLAY MORE (STPM) approach is inspired by sports, storytelling and mindfulness activities. It encourages multi-modal learning incorporating visual, auditory, reading and writing and kinesthetic learning styles among others. It is a holistic teaching method which is aimed for learners aged between 2 and 12 years old however can be adapted for lower secondary students.
Recent research shows that children move a lot less than they should and at the same time the pressure on teachers to show top academic results with a class of students with different needs is increasing. Using the STPM approach has proven to increase both students’ and teachers’ well-being and performance in the classroom. As a holistic approach, it enables students to work on cognitive, physical and social competences simultaneously.
The wide range of physical and sensory activities you will experience on the course will give you valuable tools to meet your students’ different needs when teaching academic concepts and language in the classroom.
THE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:
• Movement games, station activities and obstacle courses
• Storytelling games and techniques
• Sensory play
• Quiet and mindful activities
All the activities provide rich opportunities for language and subject specific learning ‘in action’ without a worksheet or textbook in sight. We also promote the use of eco-friendly homemade resources as alternatives to plastic versions often found in schools.
COURSE AIMS:
• To introduce the ideology behind Smart Teachers Play More and observe first-hand how the project is working in local schools.
• To give participants a close-up and personal insight into the Icelandic school system.
• To encourage physical activity whilst learning.
• To give teachers first-hand experience and the tools they need to promote well-being and teach academic subjects and through play, movement and the senses.
• To present a huge bank of games and gamification techniques to take away.
• To give teachers the opportunity to share successful activities they use in their own school/country so we can learn from each other.
• To explore how parents and the local community can be involved in their children’s education.
• To help teachers plan the vision for their ‘Play to Learn More’ outside classroom with time to reflect on their individual schools and plan realistic steps for implementation and success.
• To have fun, share experiences and learn from like-minded teachers from different countries.
• To continue growing our network of teachers and schools from all over Europe and beyond!
OUTSTANDING TRAINERS:
By combining their programmes, Sarah Jane Anthony from England and Kristín Einarsdóttir from Iceland have created a truly exciting and practical course.
Sarah Jane Anthony is a Primary teacher and English as a Foreign Language specialist. Her highly experienced team of teachers from Smartenglish Creative Language School (SCLS), Spain specialise in teaching English as a foreign language. Sarah and her team have researched and developed their own program and methodology to teach English through creative, sensory and meaningful activities. SCLS works with infant and primary schools offering curriculum support and workshops for children. The school also offers courses on a range of creative English Foreign Language classroom themes for teachers locally and internationally.
Kristín is a qualified P.E., yoga and mindfulness teacher from Iceland. She is also the founder and author of the acclaimed teaching method Play to Learn More where academic subjects are combined with play, movement and mindfulness activities to optimise learning. Her passion is to train as many teachers as possible in the method in order to ensure that students everywhere can benefit from the powerful experience of physical and mindful learning activities.
Kristin and Sarah work with over 30 schools in Iceland and Spain and have organised educational courses and conferences for more than 5,000 teachers in Iceland, Norway, Spain, Croatia, Poland and the UK.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONALS ACROSS THE EDUCATION SECTOR:
This course offers learning opportunities for professionals across the education sector including: Preschool teachers; Primary teachers; Special Needs teachers; Foreign Language teachers; and Subject teachers involved in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) projects at multilingual schools. It is also a great opportunity to practise and improve your own English skills in practical contexts.
VISIT ICELANDIC SCHOOLS:
As part of the course and with your Icelandic hosts, you will have the opportunity to visit Icelandic schools at each educational stage. You will witness, first-hand, how Iceland, with only 330,000 inhabitants, produces so many well-known athletes and artists. You will see how outdoors, sport and practical subjects, such as home economics, woodwork and art, are given the same priority as academic subjects at all stages of education.
SHARING GOOD PRACTICE AND NETWORKING:
We also provide the opportunity to share good practice during the course so we can learn from each other and find partners for future projects: KA1 projects, job shadowing opportunities and/or KA229 projects.
TEACHER WELL-BEING:
One of our priorities while you spend your valuable time with us in Iceland is your well-being. Every teacher is important to us and we want you to feel valued and comfortable throughout your stay. As well as the extra activities we provide as part of the course fee (see below), we work hard to ensure you have a really good time. We ensure lots of team-building and “get to know you” activities from day one and our courses are dynamic and fun-packed. We are genuine Icelandic hosts so you will get the real Icelandic experience and we are renowned to look after our teachers really well.
AS PART OF THE COURSE WE ALSO PROVIDE:
• Morning refreshments
• Cultural evening with food, music and dancing
• Visit to the local swimming pool and hot tubs
• Course material
• Certificate of attendance
CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND SIGHTSEEING:
Join us on our own tailor-made local tour of amazing Iceland with our SMART TEACHERS PLAY MORE TOUR PACKAGE for both participants and their families! A great way to enjoy the wonders of Iceland, network and get to know your new European friends.
ACCOMMODATION:
Don’t miss out on our EXCLUSIVE PARTICIPANT DISCOUNT VOUCHERS for a brand new trendy hotel we work with close to our course centre!
OTHER COURSES WE PROVIDE THAT MAY INTEREST YOU:
SMART TEACHERS PLAY MORE, ICELAND WITH OUTDOOR AND MINDFULNESS ACTIVITIES. Combine academic subjects with play, outdoor games and mindfulness activities to optimise learning. Experience authentic Iceland with Icelandic course providers in Reykjavík.
INSPIRING YOUNG LANGUAGE LEARNERS. Let’s get creative with language learning and enhance student motivation using fun projects and multi-modal techniques. Experience authentic Iceland with Icelandic course providers in Reykjavík.
PLAY TO LEARN MORE. Teach academic subjects through play, movement and multisensory games in a fun and effective way! Experience authentic Iceland with Icelandic course providers in Reykjavík.
WELL-BEING AND STRESS MANAGEMENT. Nurture a positive culture for you and your students through simple, fun activities. Experience authentic Iceland with Icelandic course providers in Reykjavík.
MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION. Practical activities to create a calm, happy and successful classroom culture. Experience authentic Iceland with Icelandic course providers in Reykjavík.
USING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY to inspire learning and enhance student motivation. Experience authentic Iceland with Icelandic course providers in Reykjavík.
IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH FOR TEACHERS. Fun, active course to improve your English language communication skills at pre-intermediate level. Experience authentic Iceland with Icelandic course providers in Reykjavík.
PROJECT BASED LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM (PBL). Promote active learning and develop 21st century skills through STEAM, design thinking and problem solving activities. Experience authentic Iceland with Icelandic course providers in Reykjavík.
SPECIAL NEEDS AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION. A practical course on recognising and building students’ individual strengths and setting motivating goals through creative projects; a holistic approach and community practice. Experience authentic Iceland with Icelandic course providers in Reykjavík.
Upcoming sessions
- 08.10.2023 > 14.10.2023
- Register before 22.09.2023
- 05.11.2023 > 11.11.2023
- Register before 20.10.2023
Rate & review
Reviews only come from verified course participants via the European Commission's Mobility Tool+. If you participated in this course, use the Mobility Tool+ to submit a review. If the course is not listed in the Mobility Tool+ yet, please provide to your project coordinator the following course ID: 95354.
The course I attended was “Smart Teachers Play More” that took place in Iceland. The course focuses on a teaching method which combines academic subjects with play and movement to improve learning and it also encourages teachers to create different learning situations in which children can learn by using nature, their environment and all their senses. It is a completely practical course which requires active participation in all games. It focuses on movement games to teach key competences. It includes different types of activities such as moving games, grammar chants, storytelling, singing, choral speaking activities, outdoor activities and mindfulness activities among others. It also gives you the opportunity to learn more about the Icelandic Educational System and their latest developments and projects by visiting a new school in a village close to Reykjiavik. Besides, you can also share your experience with teachers from other countries and learn more from other cultures and other educational systems. It has been an amazing experience shared with other teachers from different countries. It has been a great experience which has, without any doubt, enriched us as teachers. The course teachers were excellent. They were enthusiastic and experienced trainers. The course program was absolutely well thought and organized. The course gives you many ideas you can adapt and apply to your own lessons and it encourages you to use a creative methodology.
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The experience was absolutely fantastic because the activities were motivating, innovative and hands-on. We can practice all the contents learnt in our daily classroom. The course provider had everything well planned and organized and they also offered a lot of help and support in other aspects.
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The course was great. It was very active and motivating. It was innovative and inspiring. A lot of ideas came out to my mind to practice with my students. It also let our creativity to emerge and self-reflection. Everything was well planned and organised, having the opportunity to carry out indoor and outdoor lessons, with plenty of hands-on materials we could manipulate and practice with. The organisers were also very helpful in other aspects.
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Smart Teachers Play More is a very practical course with lot of activities and techniques.I really liked my participation at this course. I learnt a lot of interesting things, tools and methodologies to teach our pupils though games. This is a very dinamic and interactive course, the teachers (Sarah and Cristin) are really competent, friendly and amazing. This was very useful for me, personally and profesionally, improving my social skills and creativity in the classroom. As well, I'm having of full experience of Icelandic culture and mindset. I totally recommend it.
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STPM is a great course provider. During the course the activities are well balanced: classes, school visit, tours to visit some famous places in Iceland and cultural evening/party. The teachers are excellent, enthusiastic, energetic and really helpful.
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Der Kurs war der Beschreibung zur Folge auch auf Lehrer der Sek2 ausgerichtet. Die entsprach aber nicht der Realität. Es wurden ausschließlich Ideen für die Primarstufe vermittelt. Diese Ansätze waren nur erfahrungsbasiert und nicht durch Untersuchungen oder Studien gestützt. Zudem waren die Inhalte der repetitiv. Naturwissenschaftliche Inhalte kamen überhaupt nicht vor. Der kulturelle Austausch und die Erfahrungen und Informationen in Bezug auf den Unterricht in anderen Ländern und speziell im Veranstaltungsland Island waren jedoch gut.
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STPM: smart teachers play more. Era un curs més enfocat a l'ensenyament de primària que no pas al de secundària, però tot i així l'experiència va estar molt profitosa. L'intercanvi intercultural va ser excepcional així com les experiències educatives en les que vaig participar. Un curs merament pràctic, enfocat a un ensenyament completament dinàmic. Intercanviar coneixements, observacions, experiències amb els companys d'arreu d'Europa tant en hores de curs com fora va ser el millor.
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Ha sido muy principalmente práctico y se puede llevar todo al aula
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The course has been a experience where many teachers from different countries have been able to share all their teaching knowledges. The aim of this course was to be ready to apply de contents in games which can be an exciting idea for students. Many games were shown and we could participate practising them.
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The course I attended was " Smart Teachers Play More" . It was an amazing experience as it was very well structured and organized. I had first - hand exrerience and learned activities and methodology to teach academic subjects through play, movement and the sences. I also had the opportunity to get to know the amazing Iceland ant the Icelandic education system.
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The course I attended was Smart Teachers Play More it was an amazing experience as it was very interesting and well organised.I learned activities and the methodology to teach academic subgects through play.I also had the opportunity to get to know the amazing Iceland and the Icelandic educational system.
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The course I attended was "Smart Teachers Play More". It was an amazing experience as it was very well structured and organized. I had first-hand experience and learned activities and methodology to teach academic subjects through play, movement and the sences. I also had the opportunity to get to know the amazing Iceland and the Icelandic education system.
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Cours structuré afin d'aborder une nouvelle méthodologie d'apprentissage articulée sur le mouvement comme outil cognitif. Partage de bonnes pratiques entre des enseignants de nationalités européennes différentes. Permette de nous rendre acteur de l'apprentissage en participant à des ateliers pratiques.
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Un curso práctico muy divertido del que he sacado muchos ejercicios e ideas para implantar en el aula. El profesorado es encantador y siempre pendiente del alumnado. Ha sido una experiencia inolvodalbe.
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El curso al que he tenido el placer de asistir se llama Smart Teachers Play More. En el curso hemos aprendido a trabajar contenidos a través de actividades físicas y de movimiento. Algunas de las actividades propuestas han sido juegos de movimiento, actividades en estaciones, cuentacuentos, juegos sensoriales, actividades de calma, etc. Se han trabajado conceptos sin necesidad de utilizar libro u otros materiales. Además hemos visitado un colegio público islandés y nos han descrito como es el trabajo en el aula en Islandia y como está enfocado el sistema educativo.
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The course was based on cognitive learning through movement. We learned a lot of movement games, which lead the student more easily to the acquisition of knowledge. My experience in the course has been totally rewarding and enriching.
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Beaucoup de jeux ont été présentés. Des jeux adaptés à l’école primaire et qui sont transférables dans différentes disciplines. On participait aux différents jeux. Les formateurs étaient compétents et ont bien géré le planning de la semaine. On a pu visiter une école islandaise mais sans élève à cause du Covid. Très bonne formation.
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S priebehom kurzu a jeho organizáciou sme boli nadmieru spokojní. Boli sme v neustálom mailovom kontakte s organizátormi kurzu pred, počas aj po ukončení kurzu. Kurz naplnil naše očakávania po každej stránke - odbornej, metodickej a ľudskej. Kurz budeme vrelo odporúčať pri každej príležitosti a to nielen našim kolegom,
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S priebehom aj organizáciou kurzu sme boli veľmi spokojní. Boli sme v neustálom mailovom kontakte s organizátormi kurzu pred, počas aj po ukončení kurzu. Kurz naplnil naše očakávania po každej stránke - odbornej, metodickej a ľudskej. Kurz budeme vrelo odporúčať pri každej príležitosti a to nielen našim kolegom.
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The courses were very enjoyed because the teaching methods could be tested in practice. The course providers were very businesslike, methodical and friendly. The mood of the course is very cozy, active and attractive.
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Best courses that i have been to. Lecturers were great and helpful. Methods were interesting and useful. Courses atmosphere felt like at home.
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It was a fantastic experience,I have learnt a lot either from the teachers and course or from the classmates from other countries.
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Smart Teachers Play More
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