EASE is an Erasmus+ strategic partnership in the field of adult education, which was implemented between 2022 and 2024 with six partner institutions from five different countries: France, Romania, Spain, Poland and two different institutions from Ireland. The project focused on teaching speaking skills for adult learners in six different languages: French, English, Spanish, Romanian, German and Polish. The concept was based on scientific research data concerning the connection between speaking skills in a foreign language and emotional intelligence. Since the already existing material is too hard to digest and can only be found in scientific publications, the project’s aim was to create more practical materials to fill the gap in EI-related language teaching tools with a focus on oral communication.
The primary target group of this project were foreign language teachers working in adult education, while the secondary was the adult learners themselves. The project’s main objectives systematically covered both parts’ needs in this field. It had a series of continuing professional development sessions to deliver for language teachers to help them break down emotional barriers by learning speaking skills to develop the ability of teaching a foreign language and simultaneously improve emotional intelligence. The creation of adequate teaching materials for them to be able to implement the obtained knowledge during the courses was an essential task, too. Another objective was easing the transition between face-to face and online learning environments by designing easily adaptable materials to both scenarios. Related to this, an innovative digital platform encouraging self-directed learning for adult learners was the last objective of this project.
The results of EASE projects were already described among the objectives: namely, the face-to face and online continuing professional development sessions for teachers using EI approach, and EASE Self-Directed Learning Platform, a multilingual site containing the publications of the project. A Booklet and a series of Professional Development Courses were also published integrating EI in foreign language teaching.
