Topic / Theme
Innovative teaching methods, non-formal approaches applied in formal education, learner engagement, creativity, motivation, inclusion, and transforming traditional lessons into dynamic, meaningful learning experiences.
Course description
Formal with Flavor: Jazz Up Classroom Learning is a practical training course designed for teachers and education professionals who want to refresh and energise formal education without losing structure or curriculum objectives.
The course focuses on how non-formal education methods, creativity, and learner-centred strategies can be integrated into formal classroom settings to increase motivation, participation, and understanding. Participants explore concrete tools to make lessons more interactive, inclusive, and relevant, while respecting curricular requirements and assessment frameworks.
The training is highly practical and experiential. Educators test activities, reflect on their impact, and adapt them for immediate use in their own classrooms.
Objectives
- To modernise formal education through creative and non-formal teaching approaches
- To increase learner motivation and active participation in classroom learning
- To support inclusion and differentiated learning in formal settings
- To provide practical tools for transforming traditional lessons into engaging experiences
- To strengthen teachers’ confidence in experimenting with new teaching strategies
- To improve classroom climate and learner–teacher interaction
- To encourage reflective and innovative teaching practice
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, participants will:
- Be able to integrate non-formal methods into formal classroom lessons
- Design interactive learning activities aligned with curriculum objectives
- Increase learner engagement, motivation, and participation
- Adapt teaching strategies to diverse learning styles and needs
- Apply creative tools to explain complex or abstract concepts
- Improve classroom dynamics and communication
- Develop an action plan for jazzing up their own teaching practice
Detailed programme of the mobility period
Day 1 – Rethinking Formal Education
Module content:
- Characteristics and limitations of traditional formal education
- The role of engagement, relevance, and motivation in learning
- Introduction to non-formal methods suitable for formal settings
- Analysing current teaching practices and identifying opportunities for change
Activities:
Interactive diagnosis of participants’ teaching styles, group discussions, classroom scenario analysis, non-formal icebreakers adapted to formal lessons.
Day 2 – Active Learning and Learner Engagement
Module content:
- Learning by doing in formal education
- Active learning strategies: games, challenges, cooperative tasks
- Using movement, storytelling, and visual tools in the classroom
- Adapting active methods to different subjects and age groups
Activities:
Hands-on testing of active learning methods, micro-teaching sessions, peer feedback, redesign of existing lesson plans using active strategies.
Day 3 – Creativity, Motivation & Differentiation
Module content:
- Motivation in learning: intrinsic motivation and learner ownership
- Creativity as a teaching and learning competence
- Differentiation and inclusion through varied teaching approaches
- Supporting diverse learners within the same classroom
Activities:
Creative challenges, differentiation labs, learner-profile simulations, design of inclusive and motivating lesson activities.
Day 4 – Non-Formal Tools Applied to Formal Lessons
Module content:
- Non-formal education tools for formal contexts
- Cooperative learning, simulations, role-play, and problem-based learning
- Managing classroom energy and behaviour through engagement
- Assessment for learning: feedback and reflection tools
Activities:
Role-play and simulation exercises, group challenges, peer observation, creation of assessment-friendly non-formal tasks.
Day 5 – Transfer to Practice, Innovation & Sustainability
Module content:
- Integrating innovative methods into daily teaching routines
- Overcoming resistance to change in formal education systems
- Designing engaging lesson sequences aligned with curriculum standards
- Reflection, dissemination, and validation of learning outcomes
Activities:
Design of personalised action plans, presentation of redesigned lessons, peer feedback, reflection circles, commitment statements.
Methodology
The course is based on non-formal and experiential learning principles. Participants learn through active involvement, experimentation, reflection, and peer learning. Each session follows a clear cycle of experience, reflection, analysis, and transfer to practice, ensuring methods can be realistically applied in formal classroom settings.
Target group
Teachers (all levels), trainers, adult educators, VET professionals, school leaders, and education staff interested in innovative teaching and learner-centred education.
Certification
Participants receive a Certificate of Attendance and Europass Mobility, in accordance with Erasmus+ requirements.
Pedagoplus 