Haikel Ben Mekki, a teacher of English, French and Classical Arabic at mycollege Spijkenisse in the Netherlands, grew up in a multilingual environment in Tunisia. He remembers learning languages through listening, speaking and reading, rather than through grammar drills. Today, this experience shapes his approach to language teaching, as well as his work as an eTwinning ambassador – one of the experienced teachers and active eTwinners who support the promotion and development of eTwinning at national and European level – and his interest in content and language integrated learning (CLIL).
In his classroom, pupils read, discuss texts and communicate before focusing on formal grammar. This approach helps them stay curious and become more confident using a new language.
Reading with a real purpose
Teaching literacy can be challenging in a world of short videos, fast information and immediate entertainment. Ben Mekki addresses this by giving pupils a real purpose for reading and writing.
In the eTwinning project Book Club: A Song for Hope, pupils read, research and write about global challenges while collaborating with classrooms from other countries.
The project helped engage pupils who had become disconnected from school. One pupil was at risk of early school leaving. Through cooperation with peers in other countries, Ben Mekki saw pupils become more confident and engaged with reading and writing. For them, these activities became a way to share their ideas with people beyond the classroom.
Building bridges across Europe
Ben Mekki joined eTwinning in 2024. Since then, he has worked with teachers across Europe and explored new approaches to teaching and learning.
Through projects such as Grandma’s Whispers: Storytelling for Life Skills, his pupils have connected with peers through letters, posters, podcasts, magazines and other forms of communication.
For Ben Mekki, these international projects bring learning beyond the classroom and give pupils opportunities to communicate and cooperate with a wider community. They have also helped him build a network of colleagues working on similar educational challenges.
Literacy skills for life
Drawing on his previous experience in the private sector, Ben Mekki also sees literacy as an important skill for pupils’ future careers.
Working with people from different teams and cultural backgrounds, solving problems together and communicating ideas clearly all require strong literacy skills. In his view, literacy can help pupils develop the critical thinking and communication skills they need to adapt to different situations and participate as active global citizens.
Tips for language teachers
Ben Mekki offers three suggestions for teachers who want to strengthen pupils’ reading and writing skills:
- Set grammar aside at first. Give pupils time to become comfortable with a language through stories and dialogue before introducing formal rules.
- Give writing a real audience. Projects such as eTwinning can give pupils a genuine purpose for writing and communicating with others.
- Choose diverse, authentic texts. Exploring topics such as global citizenship, human rights and climate challenges can help make reading more engaging and connect classroom learning with the wider world.