150 educators attend Malta Teaching Festival

Some 150 educators recently attended the ‘Malta Teaching Festival’, where they explored innovative, research-based teaching methods and practical classroom ideas. The event was part of the Erasmusplus project ‘Building Bridges in Education in Malta’, organised by the European Tourism and Events Training Academy and LessonApp of Finland.

The festival was opened by then European Funds minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, and an address by Kenneth Vella, Malta’s Ambassador to Estonia and Finland, through whose work this collaboration was initiated.

The keynote presentation titled ‘Smart Planning, Great Teaching: Mastering Innovative Lesson Design’ was delivered by Johanna Järvinen-Taubert, pedagogical director at Lesson App, Finland. She set the tone for the festival by encouraging participants to reflect on how carefully planned, versatile lessons can significantly enhance student learning and engagement.

She also spoke about the Finnish digital lesson planning platform LessonApp, which offers support for modern, research-based lesson planning. Her core message was: ‘pedagogy and science-based approach really matter’.

Throughout the day, the participants took part in interactive workshops led by Finnish educators and trainers.

In the ‘Meaningful Tech: Enhancing Student Engagement with Digital Tools’ workshop, Matleena Laakso introduced teachers to a variety of easy-to-use digital tools that can support active learning and classroom interaction.

Participants also had the chance to test the tools themselves in practice. One of the highlights of the workshop was a fun and energetic action break involving physical activity, which many teachers said they plan to adapt for their own classrooms.

In the ‘From Questions to Discovery: Engaging Students Through Inquiry’ workshop, Kati Keski-Mäenpää guided participants into the world of inquiry-based learning. Teachers explored practical ways to encourage curiosity, critical thinking and student-driven learning in their own classrooms. The workshop also inspired participants to brainstorm possible multidisciplinary projects that could connect different subjects and strengthen collaboration between students.

In the ‘Step Outside: Integrating Movement and Adventure into Your Teaching’ workshop, Kaisa Tuomarla introduced the fundamentals of adventure pedagogy. Participants experienced first-hand what it feels like to take part in an exciting learning challenge. Several checkpoints had been hidden around an area in the festival venue for the participants to search for and complete collaborative tasks and problem-solving activities. The atmosphere was filled with excitement, laughter and genuine joy of learning.

The participants’ feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They appreciated the practical approach of the workshops, the opportunity to actively participate and the inspiring atmosphere created throughout the day.

The organisers said the festival successfully demonstrated how international collaboration and innovative pedagogy can build bridges in education and create meaningful learning experiences for both teachers and students. They thanked Viana Hassan, CEO of ETE Training Academy, and Ellimaija Ahonen, CEO of Lesson App Finland, for their support.

The festival was made possible thanks to funding from the EU Erasmusplus programme and EUPA Malta.