Innovation in Language Learning
Mija Selič
Institution: C00lSch00l Language School
Country: Slovenia
Mija Selič is the CEO of the C00lSch00l language school, established in 2003, as well as being a teacher and teacher trainer at the school. She teaches children English, she plans and runs workshops for students, kindergarten and primary teachers, all based on the Project-Based Approach (PBA) to young foreign language learning (YFLL). She also develops material supporting the PBA.
Mija initially studied geography, teaching English to kindergarten children during her studies to make ends meet. This gave her an opportunity to discover her true calling, so after graduating in 1997 she started her studies again from scratch.
Mija holds a master’s degree in primary teaching, with a research focus on cooperative learning in the mother tongue and a foreign language. She also holds a degree in English and a certificate in convergent pedagogy.
Mija started teaching English traditionally, using coursebooks, but soon discovered that this approach suited neither the children nor her. Having a love of picture books herself, she set out to find a way to present the target language through stories combined with games. This led to her designing the PBA, which suited both the children and her. She presented her work to the public for the first time in 2014.
Mija ran workshops on YFLL for the National Education Institute from 2007 to 2011, and since 2014 she has run workshops on the PBA through her own language school. She has also designed and runs a 54-hour programme entitled ‘Gamified English’ for kindergarten teachers, under the auspices of the MUNERA 3 project, financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the EU.
From 2017 to 2019, Mija was a mentor and coordinator at four Slovenian state schools that have introduced the PBA in their early language education.
Mija presents her work at various international conferences and through her blog, as well as writing articles about the PBA.
Areas of expertise: YFLL programme, games and material developer, teaching children English, programme planning and teacher training for YFLL.
Mija initially studied geography, teaching English to kindergarten children during her studies to make ends meet. This gave her an opportunity to discover her true calling, so after graduating in 1997 she started her studies again from scratch.
Mija holds a master’s degree in primary teaching, with a research focus on cooperative learning in the mother tongue and a foreign language. She also holds a degree in English and a certificate in convergent pedagogy.
Mija started teaching English traditionally, using coursebooks, but soon discovered that this approach suited neither the children nor her. Having a love of picture books herself, she set out to find a way to present the target language through stories combined with games. This led to her designing the PBA, which suited both the children and her. She presented her work to the public for the first time in 2014.
Mija ran workshops on YFLL for the National Education Institute from 2007 to 2011, and since 2014 she has run workshops on the PBA through her own language school. She has also designed and runs a 54-hour programme entitled ‘Gamified English’ for kindergarten teachers, under the auspices of the MUNERA 3 project, financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the EU.
From 2017 to 2019, Mija was a mentor and coordinator at four Slovenian state schools that have introduced the PBA in their early language education.
Mija presents her work at various international conferences and through her blog, as well as writing articles about the PBA.
Areas of expertise: YFLL programme, games and material developer, teaching children English, programme planning and teacher training for YFLL.
