S.P.A.R.K.L.E. Teacher Training Mobility: Building Inclusive Language Teaching Skills in Varese

24–27 August 2026 | Varese, Italy

From 24 to 27 August 2026, the S.P.A.R.K.L.E. project brought together 20 teachers from the four partner countries for a four-day training mobility in Varese, Italy. The mobility focused on one of the project's central aims: equipping language teachers with practical, inclusive approaches for working with refugees and migrants with low or no literacy skills.

Throughout the training, participants explored the S.P.A.R.K.L.E. materials and methodologies through a combination of theory, practical activities, collaborative learning and reflection. Rather than simply learning about new teaching approaches, teachers were encouraged to experience them from the learner's perspective and consider how they could be adapted to their own classrooms.

The mobility was also an important step towards the project's next phase. After returning to their home countries, the participating teachers will act as multipliers, sharing what they have learned through peer-to-peer training sessions with other teachers and language educators.

Day 1: Making Language Learning Accessible

The first day introduced participants to the S.P.A.R.K.L.E. project, its objectives and the materials developed to support language learning among learners with limited or no literacy skills.

A key focus was Easy-to-Read (ETR) and accessible material design, delivered by Associació Lectura Fàcil, drawing on the organisation's expertise in accessible communication. Participants explored how written materials can be adapted to make information easier to understand for people with different needs and backgrounds, including learners with low literacy, people with cognitive disabilities and people who are learning a new language.

The session highlighted an important principle of inclusive language education: accessibility is not simply about simplifying a text, but about removing unnecessary barriers to understanding and participation.

The practical dimension of the training was also central. Participants worked on activities connected to organising and planning for job searching, exploring how language learning can be linked to concrete situations that adult migrants may encounter in their everyday and professional lives. This approach reflects a key S.P.A.R.K.L.E. principle: language is not taught in isolation, but as a tool for participating more independently in everyday life.

The day concluded with a social dinner, giving participants an opportunity to get to know one another in a more informal setting. Beyond the training sessions, these moments of exchange helped strengthen connections between teachers from the different partner countries and created space for sharing experiences from their respective educational contexts.

Day 2: Learning Through Speaking, Movement and Real-Life Communication

The second day focused on oral-first, Total Physical Response (TPR) and multisensory approaches, facilitated by Elan Interculturel.

The oral-first approach is particularly relevant when working with learners who have little or no literacy. Instead of making reading and writing prerequisites for language learning, teachers can begin with listening, speaking, interaction and meaningful communication.

Participants also explored Total Physical Response (TPR), an approach that connects language with physical movement. By associating words and expressions with actions, learners can engage with and remember new vocabulary without relying exclusively on written materials.

The training also examined multisensory learning, which combines different senses and modes of engagement during the learning process. Using movement, sound, visual elements, touch and other sensory experiences can create stronger associations with new language and provide learners with multiple ways to understand and retain information.

These principles were put into practice through activities such as "Smelling Memories", a multisensory activity using small jars containing different smells. The smells can be created using materials that are already available, such as coffee, spices or other familiar everyday items, or using ready-made materials. Participants used the smells as prompts for memories, associations and communication, exploring how sensory experiences can become a starting point for language learning.

Another activity, "Human Orchestra", focused on movement, collaboration and sound. Participants were given physical tasks and instructions that required them to use their bodies in different ways, producing sounds and coordinating with one another to create a collective "orchestra". At the same time, the activity introduced and reinforced basic vocabulary through physical action, showing how language can be connected to movement, creativity and cooperation.

These activities demonstrated how language learning can engage learners' senses, memories, creativity and bodies, creating opportunities for meaningful interaction even when reading and writing are not the starting point.

The day continued with a session on the communicative approach for survival and work-related language, delivered by Synthesis. Rather than focusing solely on language structures in isolation, participants explored how lessons can prepare learners for specific situations they are likely to encounter in everyday life and at work. Through scenario-based activities and role-play, teachers considered how language learning can help learners communicate in situations that matter to them.

The cultural programme then offered participants an opportunity to discover Varese together, including a visit to the Giardini Estensi and Palazzo Estense. The shared activity provided an opportunity to experience the local surroundings while continuing the informal exchange and collaboration that characterised the mobility.

Day 3: From Language Exercises to Meaningful Tasks

On the third day, participants explored task-based language learning, delivered jointly by Elan Interculturel and Associació Lectura Fàcil.

Task-based learning connects language development with concrete activities that learners can perform in real-life situations. Instead of learning language only as isolated vocabulary or grammar, learners use language to achieve a meaningful goal.

For learners with low literacy skills, this approach can be particularly valuable. Authentic scenarios can make lessons more relatable and provide learners with language that they can use immediately outside the classroom — whether navigating services, communicating at work, shopping, travelling or interacting with others in their community.

Participants explored how tasks can be structured around a clear purpose and how teachers can adapt activities to different levels of literacy and language proficiency. Through group activities, games and role-play, teachers were encouraged to experience the learning process from the perspective of their own students.

Learning by doing — and playing

Throughout the mobility, participants were encouraged to experience activities from the learner's perspective. Games, role-play, group challenges and other non-formal learning methods created opportunities to experiment with different ways of introducing vocabulary, encouraging interaction and building confidence.

This playful dimension was not simply an addition to the training. It allowed teachers to experience first-hand how activities can create a safe, engaging and collaborative learning environment for adults.

As one participant reflected:

"Combining games with new vocabulary is very useful and attracts students."

Participants also explored visual, tactile, playful and low-resource materials. These approaches demonstrate that effective language teaching does not necessarily depend on sophisticated technology or extensive resources. Simple, carefully designed materials can provide powerful opportunities for learners to interact with language, particularly when teaching groups with diverse educational backgrounds.

As many language teachers involved in the S.P.A.R.K.L.E. project reported a lack of teaching resources, sharing effective, low-resource methods is essential to making language learning more accessible.

The sessions encouraged teachers to consider not only what they teach, but also how learners experience the language — and how different materials and activities can create more inclusive and engaging learning environments.

Day 4: Digital Tools, Lesson Planning and Becoming Multipliers

The final day focused on bringing the different approaches together and preparing participants to apply and share their new knowledge.

X23 introduced participants to Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), smartphones, artificial intelligence and digital supports, while also considering low-tech alternatives. This balance was particularly important when working with learners who may have limited access to devices, connectivity or digital resources. The session therefore looked at how digital tools can complement language teaching without becoming a barrier to participation.

One of the most interactive activities was an "app auction", in which participants were invited to present, explore and "bid" for different digital tools that could potentially be used in language teaching. A wide range of apps and digital opportunities emerged during the activity, including tools already familiar to participants as well as new ones.

Interestingly, several of the tools that participants chose during the auction were apps they already knew and used themselves, including Aha! and Akiles. This created an opportunity for participants to share their own digital knowledge and experiences with the group. It also highlighted the different levels of familiarity that teachers can have with digital tools, creating space for peer-to-peer learning and exchange between participants with different levels of experience.

The activity also opened a broader discussion about the role of technology in education. Artificial intelligence and digital tools can support teachers' work, but they are not intended to replace it. The training encouraged participants to think critically about when technology genuinely adds value, while avoiding an over-reliance on digital tools or using them simply for the sake of using technology.

This balance between digital and human-led teaching is particularly relevant in inclusive education: technology can offer new opportunities for interaction, creativity and adaptation, but the teacher remains central to understanding learners' needs, designing meaningful activities and creating a supportive learning environment.

Participants then worked on lesson planning, adaptation, assessment and micro-teaching, facilitated by X23 and Elan Interculturel. These activities gave teachers an opportunity to move from theory to practice, applying the approaches explored throughout the mobility to concrete teaching situations.

The final part of the training looked beyond the mobility itself: how to transfer knowledge through peer-to-peer training.

This is a crucial element of the S.P.A.R.K.L.E. approach. The 20 participating teachers are not only learners in this mobility; they are also becoming multipliers of knowledge. Once back in their home countries, they will conduct peer-to-peer training sessions, sharing the methods, materials and experiences gained in Varese with fellow teachers.

In this way, the four-day mobility is designed to create an impact that extends well beyond the 20 participants. The knowledge and practical experience developed during the training will be carried into local teaching communities and, ultimately, into classrooms where refugees and migrants are learning the language of their new communities.

What Did Participants Take Away from Varese?

The feedback collected after the mobility showed strong appreciation for the practical, interactive and inclusive nature of the training.

Participants highlighted a wide range of approaches and resources that they would like to bring into their own professional practice, including Easy-to-Read methodology, multisensory learning, oral-first approaches, communicative activities, games, role-play, non-formal education and digital tools.

The feedback also highlighted the value of discovering activities and resources that could be adapted directly to participants' own teaching contexts.

Most importantly, the mobility was not only about acquiring new knowledge. It was about creating a space where teachers could experiment, reflect, exchange experiences and learn from one another.

All respondents said they would recommend the S.P.A.R.K.L.E. educational materials and activities to colleagues working with adult migrants with low or no literacy.

One participant summed up the experience simply:

"I had a great experience that inspired me so much. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart."

From Varese to Local Classrooms

The S.P.A.R.K.L.E. teacher training mobility brought together a wide range of approaches around one shared objective: making language learning more accessible to people who have traditionally faced significant barriers in language education.

From Easy-to-Read materials and oral-first teaching to movement, multisensory activities, task-based learning, authentic scenarios, playful learning and accessible digital tools, participants explored ways to place learners' needs, experiences and everyday realities at the centre of language education.

The four days in Varese also demonstrated that inclusive teaching does not necessarily require complex resources. Sometimes, a movement, a sound, a smell, a game, a carefully designed task or a smartphone activity can become a starting point for meaningful communication.

Most importantly, the mobility marked the beginning of the next stage of the project. The participating teachers will now take their learning back to their home countries, where they will share their knowledge through peer-to-peer training.

The journey from Varese continues — from teacher to teacher, from training room to classroom, and ultimately from classroom to the everyday lives of the learners S.P.A.R.K.L.E. aims to support.

Keep following the S.P.A.R.K.L.E. journey

The S.P.A.R.K.L.E. project will continue sharing its activities, resources, stories and updates as the project moves into its next phase.

Follow S.P.A.R.K.L.E. on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok to discover more stories from the project, hear from the people involved and stay updated on the resources and activities developed to support more inclusive language education.