The students of the Soares Promotion began their language courses offered by the Languages and Intercultural Dialogue Office in the second week of September. Having completed their placement tests, the students were placed in 28 groups studying 8 languages (French, English, Russian, Polish, Arabic, Spanish, Italian and German – in collaboration with Goethe-Institut). As some students have decided to enroll in two language courses, there will be 202 participants who will have an estimated 650 contact hours until December 2020.
The lessons are delivered on-site (face-to-face) with all courses ready to switch to online delivery if necessary. The teachers employ various latest tools and methods (Microsoft Teams, Padlet, social networking sites and e-learning platforms) and adjust the content to meet the professional and academic needs of the participants.
Additionally, the Languages and Intercultural Dialogue Office started delivering tutorials — language lessons in small groups which focus on selected aspects of the language and aim to develop language competences through a more individualized approach.
To ease the process of adapting to living in Poland, students who have not opted for the extensive Polish language courses could take part in a Survival Polish Crash Course delivered in two sessions — one in September and another in October. In total, 72 students enrolled in these courses.
Natolin students will also have some additional opportunities to bolster their intercultural competences by taking part in a series of intercultural themed workshops. The workshops aim to promote inclusiveness, integrative attitudes and openness for cultures, through deeper understanding of languages and customs. There are 10 intercultural competences workshops scheduled for the current academic year, which will contribute to further integrate the multi-cultural community of the College of Europe at Natolin.
