FLI invites you to look forward to the coming holidays by turning a page in the calendar every day

The festive season is quickly approaching, and we will soon be counting down the days until Christmas and the New Year, not only thinking about presents, but also enjoying togetherness, closeness, renewed hope, anticipation, and relaxation.

The Institute of Foreign Languages invites you to look forward to the coming holidays by opening one calendar door from the 1^st of December each day and hearing and reading greetings in different languages.

May we all be united in the joy of the season and the love of languages.

Freedom: The Focus of Camões Portuguese Language Center’s Inaugural Event

“Our past cannot be our future,” argued Paulo Pena, a Portuguese journalist, editor, writer and a member of Investigate Europe, a cross-border journalism cooperative across Europe. Last Thursday Paulo Pena and Camões Portuguese Language Center at VMU invited the university community for a discussion.

This year Portugal commemorates 50 years of democracy. On April 25^th in 1974 the tanks that rolled into the streets of Lisbon overthrew one of Europe’s oldest dictatorships without firing a shot. Thanks to a beautiful coincidence and to Ms. Celeste, an ordinary citizen, this peaceful revolution was given the name of a flower, The Carnation Revolution.

During the open lecture for the community Paulo Pena linked gracefully the history of Lithuania: the book smugglers, the clandestine movement, Lithuanian Sąjūdis, as well as the unique language. He drew attention to the incomprehensible prohibitions of the dictatorship in Portugal before 1974, he also called for a critical assessment of information and, above all, he encouraged to stay curious and keep questioning. Fortunately, the audience had plenty of questions as the director of the VMU Institute of Foreign Languages, dr. Teresė Ringailienė, conducted this rich discussion on the topics of history, freedom, language, democracy and Portuguese cultural identity.

Later that day, a photo exhibition of the Portuguese photographer Jorge da Silva Horta was opened. The exhibition includes authentic coloured pictures captured with a camera Canon F1 on the day of the Carnation Revolution. The photo collage for the exhibition was made by Titas Glotnis, a student of the VMU Faculty of Arts.

Dalius Raškinis, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Portugal in Lithuania, Assoc. Dr. Vilma Bijeikienė, the Vice-Rector of Communications at VMU, and Irma Čižauskaitė-da Costa, the coordinator of the Camões Portuguese Language Center at VMU and Portuguese language teacher welcomed the public.

Assoc. Dr. Vilma Bijeikienė shared verses in Portuguese in the loving memory of the poet Nuno Guimarães (1960-2013), who was the one to initiate Portuguese language and culture at the university back in 2008.

In the end Paulo Pena told the background of the song “Grândola, Vila Morena” that was played in the morning of the revolution and served as a signal for the actions to start.

A group of Portuguese individuals performed the song live at the event unexpectedly. The song touched everyone, moreover, served as a beautiful proof that although freedom is fragile, the will for it is constant and unbreakable.

The photo exhibition “Carnation Revolution turns 50” is open for public until December 2^nd at K. Donelaičio St. 52, II floor.

The event is organized with a support of Camões Portuguese Language Center of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of the Republic of Portugal in Copenhagen.

Training for VMU lecturers „AI-Powered Teaching: Transforming the Classroom Experience“

VDU lecturers are invited to participate in the training “AI-Powered Teaching: Transforming the Classroom Experience” (in English), which will be conducted by VDU UKI lecturer Lina Abraitienė. The training will take place on December 3. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

A seminar on AI-Powered Teaching will explore how AI enhances personalisation, streamlines tasks, and fosters engagement in the classroom, transforming education through innovative, data-driven methods for improved learning outcomes.

REGISTRATION:

https://mokymosiakademija.vdu.lt/mokymai/studijos/2248

Guest at the Institute of Foreign Languages

On 11-15 November, Tobias Riediger, Head of Tech Lead at Hyand Technologie GmbH, visited the Institute of Foreign Languages as part of the Erasmus+ programme. During the whole week he gave lectures to German students, presented the company, shared his experience and encouraged them to learn German, which is a language that is increasingly in demand on the labour market. The students were actively involved in the discussions and were interested in internship and job opportunities at the company.

Hyand Technologie GmbH is expanding its activities, and currently there are two Hyand Lietuva offices in Lithuania (Vilnius and Kaunas).

The growth of the workforce beyond IT, internationalisation and German language skills are priorities for the company. Thanks to this Erasmus+ visit, we can see how important the German language is in corporate activities.

Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

We invite you to an event organized by the FLI and Camões Center

Teaching Visit to the University of Regina, Canada

From October 28 to November 1, Lina Abraitienė, a lecturer at the Institute of Foreign Languages and the Department of Foreign Languages, Literature, and Translation Studies at VMU, participated in an Erasmus+ teaching visit at the University of Regina (Canada). During the visit, she delivered lectures to Creative Technologies students on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning and explored the application of AI for gamification as a teaching and learning element in modern education.

Teaching visit to Complutense University of Madrid

On 29–31 October, Donata Berūkštienė, a lecturer at VMU Institute of Foreign Languages and the Department of Foreign Language, Literary and Translation Studies, visited Complutense University of Madrid in Spain as part of the Erasmus+ teaching programme, where she gave lectures on English grammar and the history of the English language to undergraduate students of English Studies.

The students of the Host University were introduced to Vytautas Magnus University and the study opportunities it offers.

Study visit to Barcelona

· How can we overcome the fear of public speaking?

· How can we focus on one thing amidst a sea of thoughts, ideas, and challenges?

· How can we relax and enjoy learning in non-traditional environments, such as museums?

· How can we “wake up” our brains during the sluggish early morning hours to learn languages effectively?

Can language teachers help their students tackle these common challenges?

ABSOLUTELY!

During an Erasmus+ study visit in Barcelona, VMU IFL lecturer Daiva Pundziuvienė improved her expertise in social and emotional learning (SEL) methodology.

Research shows that SEL fosters a more positive and supportive emotional climate within educational institutions, boosting student motivation and enhancing their learning outcomes.

As UNESCO’s Education 2030 states, “happiness can be the goal and measure of quality teaching and learning,” emphasizing that “people, processes, environment, and principles should be the focus in creating a happy educational institution” (UNESCO, 2024).

Pupils from Rasa Gymnasium visited the IFL

This week, students from Rasa Gymnasium visited the IFL and learned about three languages and cultures. Felipe, a VMU student whose grandfather was Lithuanian, told them about Brazil and the Portuguese language spoken in Brazil. Although Brazil is such a large country, we don’t know much about it, apart from the Amazon River or the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, but the nature, the food and sightseeing places are very diverse in different parts of the country.

Another student, Damei, shared about Korea and the Korean language and not only taught us how to read, but we even sang the famous song Gangnam Style in Korean. Everyone was impressed by Taiwanese Ting-Wei’s demonstration of diabolo (a Taiwanese game) and was delighted by the sweet prizes for correctly answered questions about Taiwan. Students also had the chance to try their hand at writing characters in Chinese and Taiwanese.

Lecture on Lithuanian

On October 24, pupils from Santara Gymnasium visited the IFL. Dr. Teresė Ringailienė told them about the institute’s activities and gave a lecture on “What is the surprise of the Lithuanian language to foreigners?”The pupils admitted that we do not think about many linguistic things that are obvious to native speakers, but the Lithuanian language is actually not only difficult, but also unique and very interesting to non-Lithuanians learning it, as well as to ourselves. Thus, it is essential to have a good command of Lithuanian as we learn all foreign languages on the basis of our mother tongue.