Category Archives: Uncategorized

“Kuchnia Metodyczna” podcast

We’re back with the first episode of “Kuchnia Metodyczna” this academic year.

The new episode is called:

“Strawberry Pasta, or When the Obvious Isn’t Obvious”

This time, we’re talking about cultural differences in the classroom and at university — and about the assumptions we often make without even noticing them.

🍓 Why might avoiding eye contact be a sign of respect rather than rudeness?
🍓 Why doesn’t silence necessarily mean that a student is disengaged?
🍓 Why can a style of discussion that feels perfectly normal to one person seem too direct or intrusive to someone else?
🍓 And how can we navigate all this in increasingly international classrooms?

We look at the ways cultural expectations shape communication, participation and classroom behaviour, and at how easily unfamiliar behaviour can be mistaken for a lack of motivation, manners or competence.

And the strawberry pasta? Yes, it makes an appearance — and it turns out to be a surprisingly good example of just how relative our sense of what is “normal” can be. 🍓

🎧 The episode is now available on YouTube and Spotify.

Have a listen, and feel free to comment and share.

European Day of Languages

On 26 September, we celebrate the European Day of Languages – an initiative of the Council of Europe, supported by the European Commission, which has promoted linguistic diversity and lifelong language learning since 2001. This year’s motto is “Languages unite!”

The European Day of Languages highlights Europe’s rich linguistic and cultural diversity and the important role languages play in bringing people and cultures together. Educational institutions, teachers, pupils and students across Europe take part in the celebrations every year.

How can you get involved?

The official European Day of Languages website offers a wide range of resources and activities, including:

  • language games and quizzes,
  • interesting facts about languages,
  • teaching and learning materials,
  • ideas for activities for teachers and students,
  • information about events organised across Europe and the opportunity to register your own event.

New resources for 2026 also include “Name the thing!”, an activity designed to practise vocabulary in different languages, as well as tools enabling teachers to create their own language challenges.

Join the celebrations and discover the world of languages!

European Day of Languages – official website
How to participate

Registration for Language Courses

Registration for language courses in the winter semester 2026/2027 is organised in four rounds:

Round II – dedicated and open groups

15 September 2026, 9:00 p.m. – 5 October 2026, 11:59 p.m.

Registration for dedicated and open groups is available during this round.
Limit: 60 LEK tokens.

Round III – registration for a second language course

8 October 2026, 9:00 p.m. – 15 October 2026, 11:59 p.m.

During this round, students may register for a second language course.
Limit: 120 LEK tokens.

Round IV – deregistration only

20 October 2026, 9:00 p.m. – 22 October 2026, 11:59 p.m.

During this round, students may only deregister from courses. Registration for new language courses will no longer be possible.

Round I – completed

The first registration round took place from 1 to 30 June 2026.
Limit: 60 LEK tokens.

Change of Location

As of 24 August 2026, the Staff Affairs Office, the Office of the Director of CNJO, and the Finance Section have moved to a new location at 8 Oboźna Street.

New location

Staff Affairs Office and Office of the Director of CNJO
8 Oboźna Street
Room 109, 1st floor

Finance Section
8 Oboźna Street
Room 113, 1st floor

The building can be accessed both from Oboźna Street and from the University of Warsaw Main Campus.

View the location in Google Maps

Podziękowania

Sobotni wieczór 16 maja 2026 w Pałacyku Konopackiego był naprawdę wyjątkowy. Już po raz drugi inscenizacje 10-minute plays przygotowane przez studentów UW bawiły i zachęcały do refleksji. Dziękujemy Państwu za Waszą obecność – frekwencja przebiła nasze najśmielsze oczekiwania! Ogromnie cieszymy się, że mogliśmy się podzielić z Państwem naszą pasją i miłością do teatru!

Naszą szczególną wdzięczność i podziękowania kierujemy też do:

Naszego sponsora CANAL+ POLSKA, który już po raz drugi nam zaufał i wspierał nas zarówno finansowo, jak i poprzez obecność pani Prezes Edyty Sadowskiej,

Władz Centrum Nauczania Języków Obcych, pana dyrektora Andrzeja Dąbrowskiego i pani dyrektor Anny Cegiełki,

Pracowników Pałacyku Konopackiego, którzy przyjęli nas z wielką gościnnością,

Naszych gości i współpracowników z zagranicy: Gertrude Gibbons z York University i prof.

Marka Rudnickiego z George Mason University,

Aktorów Teatru Witkacego: Joanny Banasik i Krzysztofa Wnuka, którzy przygotowali uczestników projektu do wyjścia na scenę,

Wykładowców i pracowników administracji UW, którzy serdecznie wspierali uczestników realizowanego przez CNJO projektu,

Autorów nagrodzonych i nadesłanych na konkurs sztuk,

Wszystkich osób, które wspierały nasze działanie w tym roku akademickim

 

Dziękujemy!

Dr Elżbieta Grzyb i uczestnicy projektu

2nd 10-Minute Plays Festival

Dear Sir or Madam,

We are delighted to invite you to the 2nd 10-Minute Plays Festival. This event marks the culmination of an international project carried out by the University of Warsaw Foreign Language Teaching Centre. During the festival gala, we will invite you to watch six original plays that won the “Fail Better” literary competition. Although each play lasts only 10 minutes, we can assure you that all of them will stay with you much longer. Performances will be presented in both Polish and English. In the second part of the event, we will invite you to participate in “meaningful conversations” devoted to contemporary issues. This year, we provocatively ask about the (non)presence of failure in culture, language, and the individual experience of each of us. We would be honoured by your presence.

On behalf of the organisers,
Dr. Elżbieta Grzyb

16 May 2026
Konopacki Palace, 11/13 Strzelecka Street

Programme

  1. 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Part One: 10-Minute Plays on Stage
  2. Announcement of the results of the 10-Minute Play literary competition and award ceremony. Presentations of the winning short plays.
  3. 7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Intermission
    Audience vote for the best staging among the presented plays.
  4. 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Part Two: “Meaningful Conversations”
  5. Discussion on failure with invited guests and audience members.
  6. Conversation with the authors of the presented plays.

We also invite you to visit our social media channels.

https://www.facebook.com/p/Festiwal-10-minute-plays-61567310784516/

10mpfestival

 

tu trochę bardziej zmieniłam, bo “plays awarded in the competition” to chyba za bliska kalka

Theatre Workshops

🎭 Theatre Workshops at the University of Warsaw Foreign Language Teaching Centre
📅 April 17 – 19, 2026

From April 17 to 19, 2026, the Foreign Language Teaching Centre at the University of Warsaw hosted theatre workshops led by actors from the Witkacy Theatre in Zakopane.

The sessions were based on dramatic miniatures—winning texts from the “Fail Better” literary competition. It was a rare opportunity to see how these texts come to life on stage—developed, interpreted, and transformed into theatrical performances under the guidance of professional actors.

The workshops were attended by competition laureates, students participating in general university courses taught by dr. Elżbieta Grzyb, as well as graduates of our university who have become enthusiasts of this dramatic form.

We would like to thank all participants for their engagement, creativity, and the inspiring atmosphere!

 

The event was made possible thanks to the financial support of Canal+ Poland, for which we are sincerely grateful.

 

10-Minute Plays – contest results

Dear All,
Following intensive deliberations of the Jury, the Organizing Committee of the 10-Minute Plays Festival is pleased to announce that on 25th March 2026 the 2nd edition of the 10-minute literary contest has been officially resolved.

After a thorough evaluation of the submitted works, taking into account their high artistic quality, diversity of approaches to the theme, and originality of dramaturgical solutions, the Jury has selected six awarded plays, which will be presented as part of the programme of the 2nd edition of the festival, scheduled for May 16th 2026.

The full jury report is available here.

The Organizing Committee of the Festival will contact the awarded authors directly via email in order to provide further organizational details.

The competition and the festival are organized by the Centre for Foreign Language Teaching at the University of Warsaw (CNJO UW).

Dr Elżbieta Grzyb
and the Organizing Committee of the 10-Minute Plays Festival