Learning Out Loud

Multilingualism and high-quality education for adult learners are fundamental targets for EU countries and institutions. Yet, in 2016, only 20% of the EU adult working-age population with a tertiary level of education reported they knew at least one foreign language at a proficient level. One of the reasons for this limited proficiency is the fact that the challenges faced by Adult Language Learners (ALLs) are different from those encountered by younger learners. Indeed, not only ALLs require immediate value and relevance from their studies, but the motivation is also more easily obtained when lessons are fun and rewarding. Moreover, ALLs have varied and multifaceted backgrounds. Hence, a common challenge for teaching a language to ALLs is creating an inclusive, safe, and supportive environment that fully engages everyone in the classroom.

The “Learning Out Loud” (LOL) project faced these two challenges by creating and sharing teaching materials and training activities (online short training courses) that will promote the professional skills of language teachers working with adult students. In detail, the project will create, and make available on its website (by its conclusion) the following contents. 1. A series of short Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on the themes of “Humor, Comedy and Improvisation Theater for Adult Educators.” These MOOCs will train Adult Educators on how to use theater-based techniques in the classroom to increase active student motivation, engagement, participation, and fun. 2. A series of short Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on the themes of “Positive Education, Inclusion and Well-being in Adult Education.” These MOOCs will train Adult Educators on how to provide an inclusive and safe environment for learning to their adult language learners. 3. A “LOL Blueprint” for training courses explaining to Adult Educators how to integrate Humor, Comedy and Improvisation Theater, and Positive Education into their teaching practice and strategies. 4. A final “Project Learning Out Loud (LOL) Handbook”.

The activities implemented during the project have been logically structured and ordered in such a way as to make all activities complementary to each other and to increase their effectiveness for the participants. The activities carried out during the project include: -Activities related to the project management -Preparatory activities -Project results -Dissemination activities Project management: Two teams were created at the beginning of the project, one of Project Management and Steering Committee, consisting of two project managers from each partner, and a Project Trainer Team, consisting of three adult educators and teacher trainers from each partner organisation. The Steering committee was responsible for managing the assignment of tasks to its team and coordinating with the teams from the other organisations regarding the distribution and management of project tasks, adherence to deadlines, managing communication with the other partners, and controlling the quality of the content produced and its adherence to the project objectives. The Project Trainer Team, on the other hand, was responsible for both the implementation of preparatory activities and the implementation and testing of project results, always in close cooperation with the Steering committee. The other activities related to project management, always coordinated and implemented by the Steering committee are: establishment of the dates of the Transnational project Meetings, preparation of the Transnational project Meetings (selection of topics to be discussed, preparation of schedule and activities), coordination of preparatory activities, and financial and technical contractual management. At the end of the first year of the project the steering committee organised and participated in the Interim Project Management Meeting; before the end of the project Project the Management Final Meeting was organised in which also a Sustainability strategy plan was discussed and approved by all partners. Preparatory activities: Two preparatory and propaedeutic activities were implemented prior to the realisation of the project results, as planned in the project application. -20 hours of Online live course on Theater Education. -20 hours of Online course on Inclusive Education and Positive Psychology in Adult Education, divided in 6 hours of live online course and 14 hours of preparation through MOOCs specifically prepared by the leader of the project result no. 4. These trainings were prepared and conducted by the leaders of the respective project outcomes in preparation for the project results no.1 Training Courses on Comedy and Humor (MOOCs) and no. 4 Training Courses on Positive Education, Inclusion and Well-being in Adult Education, and carried out prior to the creation of the outcomes mentioned above. These trainings were attended by three adult trainers per partner organisation. Project results: All partners have contributed to the creation of project results. The related activities subdivided by each project result included: Project result no.1 Training Courses on Comedy and Humor (MOOCs): A series of 15 MOOCs on humor and comedy with background and teaching techniques for language teachers to use with learners. The MOOCs together constitute a 15-hour training. The activities of the project result no. 1 in detail include: - Creation of questionnaire and collection of feedback from participants in the Online preparatory training (3 adult trainers per partner organisation, 12 in total). The questionnaire was used to assess the effectiveness of the preparatory Online training and the adaptability of the content for MOOCs implementation. -Creation of 15 Online Training Courses (MOOCs). All the partners contributed to the creation of Massive Online Open Courses, based on the topics discussed during the Online training, including the collection of feedback from participants. -Feedback from internal teachers and trainers. After the draft version in English of the MOOCs was completed, 41 language teachers and educators from partner institutions (out of 50 expected) attended the MOOCs and provided feedback. A detailed feedback questionnaire for the evaluation of the MOOCs has been prepared and submitted to the participants, the results from the collected feedback has been later incorporated to the MOOCs. -Test phase: 3 teachers per partner organisation used the MOOCs in their lessons involving at least 20 learners per partner institution (85 out 100 in total provide their feedback). Another specific questionnaire for the test phase was prepared and submitted to all learners, the findings resulting from the feedback has been incorporated in the final version of the MOOCs. -Translations and publishing: after finalisation of the content all MOOCs have been translated into the national languages of all partners and published on the Moodle managed by ETA, as planned in the project application. Project result no. 2 Blueprint for a Training Course for Adult Educators: Teacher Academy Ireland, the leader of this project result, prepared a draft of the blueprint, all partners contributed equally to the implementation and finalisation of the blueprint. The blueprint has been designed as a blended course of 50 hours, 25 face-to face, and 25 online to be attended through the previous completion of the MOOCs constituting the project results no.1 and no.4. The training course which the blueprint constitutes the schedule is designed to combine the teaching practices and content developed and contained in the project results no.1 and no.4.This result included following activities: -Creation of the blueprint and determining the mode of fruition in accordance with the experiences that emerged during the implementation of results no.1 and no. 4, combined with the teaching experience of participants from partner organisations. -Test phase. The training course has been delivered to 10 external participants (language teachers and adult learners) per partner institution (50 in total). A specific feedback questionnaire has been created and submitted to the participants, the suggestions from the collected feedback have been then incorporated in the final version of the blueprint. -Translations and publishing: after finalisation of the content the blueprint has been translated into the national languages of all partners and published on the project’s website. Project result no. 3 Handbook on Learning Out Loud - LOL The project handbook consists in a comprehensive work containing and summarising all methods and techniques implemented during the project. The project handbook contains techniques and materials of the other three project results, the MOOCs and the Blueprint. The creation of the handbook included following activities: -Research and writing. The Handbook is divided into four chapters and introduction and conclusions. ETA, the leader of this result, drafted the structure of the handbook which was approved by all partners. Each partner then selected the materials and was in charge of the writing of its own chapter, taking into account the feedback collected by participants for project results no.1 and no. 4, as provided in the project application. -Editing and publishing on the LOL website. The draft of the handbook was then reviewed by ETA and published on the project’s website. -Translations and publishing: after finalisation of the content the blueprint has been translated into the national languages of all partners and published on the project’s website. Project result no. 4 Training Courses on Positive Education, Inclusion and Well-being in Adult Education As for the project result no. 1, the project result no. 4 consists of a series of 15 MOOCs on Positive Education, Inclusion, Creativity and Well-being strategies, with background and teaching techniques for language teachers to use with learners. The MOOCs together constitute a 15-hour training. The activities of the project result no. 4 in detail include: - Creation of questionnaire and collection of feedback from participants in the Online blended preparatory training (3 adult trainers per partner organisation, 12 in total). The questionnaire was used to assess the effectiveness of the preparatory Online training and the adaptability of the content for MOOCs implementation. -Creation of 15 Online Training Courses (MOOCs). All the partners contributed to the creation of Massive Online Open Courses, based on the topics discussed during the Online training, including the collection of feedback from participants. -Feedback from internal teachers and trainers. After the draft version in English of the MOOCs was completed, 71 language teachers and educators from partner institutions (out of 50 expected) attended the MOOCs and provided feedback. A detailed feedback questionnaire for the evaluation of the MOOCs has been prepared and submitted to the participants, the results from the collected feedback has been later incorporated to the MOOCs. -Translations and publishing: after finalisation of the content all MOOCs have been translated into the national languages of all partners and published on the Moodle managed by ETA, as planned in the project application. Dissemination and other project related activities: The activities related to dissemination, promotion, and sharing of the project results have been following: -Project’s website. The consortium created a dedicated project’s website at the beginning of the project; the project website was constantly updated with links to the project results no. 1 and no.4 available in all languages and uploaded to the Moodle managed by ETA. The Handbook and the Blueprint have been uploaded directly to the website both in view mode (English version) and downloadable, and in all partner’s languages in downloadable version. The Blueprint has also been uploaded on the website of ETA. -Blog articles. On the website was created a dedicated blog for sharing the project’s activities. Five blog articles (one for each partner) have been created to update external interested parties and stakeholders on the project's progress. -Dissemination plan. Starting from the second year of the project, a detailed dissemination plan has been created with the participation of all partners. The dissemination plan contained precise indications on how to share the project results through partners websites, social media, and face-to-face courses. -Multiplier events. As planned in the project application all partners organised two Multiplier events each, one after the publishing of project result no.1 and the second at the end of the project showing all project results. Each partner also organised dissemination events with the internal staff of their organisation and training activities for their staff members on how to use the project results in the teaching and training practice.

The concrete outputs of our project correspond to the four project results and to other products created in the framework of the project and which remain available and usable after the project’s conclusion, as well as the four project results. In detail, the concrete outputs of the project are following: Project result no.1 Training Courses on Comedy and Humor (MOOCs). This output consists of 15 Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), on the themes of humor and comedy and the use of techniques used in these areas for language learning. The 15 MOOCs are designed as 15 units of a single online course and they are logically related to each other and together constitute a comprehensive course on humor and comedy and the use with learners of techniques used in stand-up comedy for teaching. The MOOCs are designed as a single course with a total duration of about 15 hours. The 15 MOOCs are categorised as follows, following the requirements of the application: The units are the following, and are grouped in macro areas: History of Humor and Comedy 1.Basic Joke Structure and Reasons for Laughter 2.A Brief Theory of “Funny” From Aristotle to Contemporary Studies 3.Comedy Classics The Stand-up and Contemporary Comedy 4.The Origins of Stand-Up Comedy 5.The Evolution of Stand Up and the Controversies 6-Contemporary Comedy and the Cultural Impact The Audience 7.Time Management and Engagement Humor in Everyday Life 8.How Does Humor Engage Our Brain? 9.Humor & Comedy in Advertising 10.Social Media and Meme Humor 11.The Dark Side of Jokes (Boundaries in Different Contexts) Humor’s Techniques 12.How to Integrate Jokes and Humor in an Educational Setting 13.Improv Techniques and How to React to Your Audience Practical Exercises on Humor and Comedy Writing 14.Make your Audience LOL 15.Becoming the Author of Your Favorite Comedy Show The overall structure is divided in a background section, in which the characteristics of humor and comedy are described and discussed (MOOCs 1-6), a second section with techniques aimed at raising attention and interest in the audience (MOOC 7), a third section analysing the functioning and impact of humor (MOOCs 8-11) and a fourth practical section with tips, activities and exercises to be used in the teaching practice (MOOCs 12-15). The MOOCs include external links, materials, and references and alternate written, video and audio parts. These MOOCs are an important support for language and non-language teachers who wish to implement innovative teaching techniques by including humorous techniques and proper to various comedy genres as engaging and student-centred methods in their lessons. Numerous innovative techniques and activities are used in MOOCs in order to increase student engagement in lessons. The 15 MOOCs are available and freely accessible on the Moodle online learning platform managed by ETA, which can be accessed directly from both the ETA website and the project website, and have been translated and are available in all partner’s languages. Project Result no.2 Blueprint for a Training Course for Adult Educators. The Blueprint constitutes a blended course of 50 total hours, 25 of which consist of the two main MOOCs (PR1 and PR4) and 25 face-to-face to be held ideally over six days. The Blueprint constitutes the detailed syllabus including training objectives and theoretical-practical activities of a training course on the practical classroom use of the techniques peculiar to humor and comedy and stand-up applied to language teaching. A series of practical activities and theoretical backgrounds are contained in the Blueprint so that participants develop a deeper understanding of how humour impacts learners’ engagement, comprehension and sense of belonging. The Blueprint has been tested and recognized by the participants as having extreme validity. The Blueprint has been published on the project’s website in all partner languages and on the ETA website. Project Result no.3 Handbook on Learning Out Loud - LOL. The Handbook constitutes a comprehensive work in which all main concepts and activities of the other three project results are summarised and exemplified with a practical slant. It constitutes a compendium of the knowledge developed and acquired in the framework of the project. In particular, the Handbook is divided into the following chapters: Introduction Chapter I: Adopting Improvisation Theatre, and Stand-up Comedy Techniques into Teaching Languages Chapter II: Creating a Safe and Inclusive Learning Environment Chapter III: Language Teaching Activities for Groups with Mixed-language Levels Chapter IV: Blueprint for Training Adult Educators and LOL-Method Conclusions This handbook is aimed at providing teachers and educators with practical tools that they can immediately use to make their lessons more engaging, rewarding, and effective. In particular, the first chapter is devoted to the description of a few activities aimed at integrating improvisation and stand-up comedy techniques into foreign-language teaching. The second chapter guides readers on how to better learners’ wellbeing by improving their environment physically, psychologically, and emotionally. Teachers are provided with 6 ideas that can be easily implemented in any classroom, with any kind of learner. The third chapter is designed to support teachers and educators dealing with mixed language levels. Finally, the fourth chapter explains how to develop a training course for adult educators, trainers and language teachers based on the LOL methodology. Readers will find 6 activities explained with their purpose, and a few final recommendations for those who want to reproduce a similar training event. The Handbook has been published on the project’s website and is available in all partner’s languages. Project Result no.4 Training Courses on Positive Education, Inclusion and Well-being in Adult Education. This result consists of a series of 15 MOOCs on the above mentioned topics. The 15 MOOCs are logically related to each other and form a single set constituting a single 15-hour course divided into 15 units. The course aims to provide important theoretical background and practical strategies for educators so that they can implement strategies and techniques on Inclusion, Creativity and Well-being in their own lessons. Thus, this outcome is a fundamental complement to PR1 in that it provides guidance on how to apply humor's inherent techniques in a way that simultaneously increases the inclusion and mental and physical well-being of learners. PR4 in particular is structured into the following units (MOOCs) which are in turn grouped into subject areas: Well-being What is Well-being? How can we achieve Well-being in the classroom? What is Mindfulness? Mindful breathing to enhance positive emotions and deal with unpleasant emotions; Different ways to practice mindfulness. Inclusion What is inclusive education? Main tools to deal with students with special needs (Part 1); Main tools to deal with students with special needs (Part 2); A Main tool to create an inclusive positive learning environment; How to successfully deal with students with different language levels. Creativity What is creativity? How to enhance it? Why is it important to develop imagination in students? Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS); Enhance creativity with ICT; Develop creativity with team-building activities. All sections contain parts of theoretical background and especially numerous strategies and practical activities aimed at greatly improving students' well-being, engagement, and motivation in the learning process. They also provide valuable support for educators, who can find in them numerous ready-made and implementable ideas and activities to make their lessons more engaging and inclusive. The 15 MOOCs are available and freely accessible on the Moodle online learning platform managed by ETA, which can be accessed directly from both the ETA website and the project website, and have been translated and are available in all partner’s languages. Project site. The LOL project website is an important concrete product, as through it all the project results are easily and immediately accessible and usable in the different languages of the partnership. The site contains links back to the two sets of MOOCs or online courses constituting PR1 and PR4, and directly contains the Handbook (PR3) and Blueprint (PR2) within it, both as downloadable files and in viewing mode. The site has been designed with a simple and straightforward layout to facilitate the use of the resources therein. Another concrete result is the five blog articles that summarise the project's achievements and related topics, and provide a useful overview for those approaching the topic for the first time. The blog articles are freely accessible through the appropriate page on the website.