UNTERM (United Nations Terminology Database)

The UNTERM (United Nations Terminology Database) is the official multilingual terminology database of the United Nations. It provides access to thousands of terms, expressions, acronyms, and official vocabulary used in United Nations documents and communications. The database covers the six official UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish) and includes terminology related to a wide range of fields such as human rights, sustainable development, international law, climate change, diplomacy, education, health, and peacekeeping.

The main purpose of UNTERM is to ensure consistency and accuracy in translation and communication across different languages. Users can search for specific terms and find their equivalents in multiple languages, along with definitions, usage notes, and contextual information. As a result, it is an invaluable tool for translators, interpreters, researchers, and anyone working in multilingual environments.

From an educational perspective, UNTERM offers many opportunities for English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching and for language learning in general. Because it contains authentic and specialised vocabulary used in international organisations, it allows students to explore real-world language rather than simplified textbook examples. Teachers can use the database to introduce topics such as global citizenship, human rights, environmental sustainability, or international cooperation while simultaneously developing students’ vocabulary skills.

In the ESL classroom, students can search for key terms related to a topic being studied and compare how these concepts are expressed in English and in their own language. This helps learners become more aware of linguistic nuances and translation challenges. The database is also useful for developing academic vocabulary, improving reading comprehension, and understanding the precise meaning of specialised terminology.

For language classes more broadly, UNTERM can support multilingual projects in which students investigate how international concepts are represented across different languages and cultures. Activities might include creating bilingual glossaries, analysing international documents, comparing terminology across languages, or exploring how certain concepts—such as equality, democracy, migration, or sustainability—are defined in global institutions.

The resource is particularly valuable for promoting intercultural awareness and language accuracy. By working with terminology used by the United Nations, students gain exposure not only to advanced vocabulary but also to the language of international cooperation and global challenges. This makes UNTERM an excellent tool for combining language learning with education for global citizenship, critical thinking, and intercultural communication.

https://unterm.un.org/unterm2/en/

Aliens: a negative example for learning

The website Aliens on the official White House website is a government information page that presents the current U.S. administration’s position on immigration and undocumented migrants. 

The site uses direct and highly persuasive language, combining statistics, policy statements, images, and political messages to support a particular viewpoint on border security and immigration enforcement. Because of its strong political framing, it offers an interesting opportunity for educational work in the ESL classroom, particularly when combined with human rights education and critical thinking.

From a language-learning perspective, the website provides authentic English material that students can analyse. Learners can identify persuasive vocabulary, emotional language, rhetorical strategies, and the way information is organised to influence readers. Activities might include examining headlines, identifying facts and opinions, or discussing the difference between informative and persuasive texts.

The resource is also valuable for developing media literacy and critical thinking skills. Students can explore questions such as: Who is the intended audience?, What message is the website trying to communicate?, What information is included and what information might be missing?, and How do images and language influence the reader’s perception of migrants? These discussions help learners understand that even official sources can present information from a particular perspective.

From a human rights perspective, the website can be used as a negative example to introduce debates about migration, asylum, discrimination, and the rights of refugees and migrants. Students can compare the language used on the website with principles found in documents such as the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and discuss how different societies balance security concerns with the protection of human dignity and fundamental rights.

Possible ESL classroom activities include analysing key vocabulary related to migration, comparing the website with reports from international organisations, writing alternative headlines from different perspectives, holding debates on migration policies, or evaluating the reliability and purpose of different sources. In this way, students not only improve their English language skills but also learn to read critically, recognise bias, and reflect on complex social issues from an informed and respectful perspective.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/aliens/

Atlas of Global Development 2026

The World Bank Data360 Atlas is an interactive online platform that allows users to explore and compare global development data through maps, charts, and visual tools. The website brings together information from many international databases to help people better understand social, economic, environmental, and technological trends around the world.

The platform is designed to make complex statistics easier to understand. Users can select different indicators—such as education levels, internet access, poverty, gender equality, climate data, or health information—and view them visually on a world map. This makes it possible to compare countries and regions quickly and clearly.

One of the main strengths of the Data360 Atlas is its educational value. Teachers and students can use it to work with real international data, develop data literacy skills, and analyse global challenges from a critical perspective. Because the information is presented visually and interactively, it is especially useful for classroom discussions, research projects, and activities related to geography, economics, citizenship, sustainability, or global development.

https://data360.worldbank.org/en/atlas/

Entrepreneurship education at school in Europe

Entrepreneurship is considered one of the eight key competences for lifelong learning in Europe. It helps young people develop creativity, initiative, problem-solving skills, and the confidence needed to face today’s economic, social, and environmental challenges. Encouraging entrepreneurship in education also supports innovation and prepares students for a constantly changing world.

This report examines how entrepreneurship education is included in different education systems. It looks at areas such as educational policies, how entrepreneurship is integrated into the curriculum, teacher training, and the practical activities students can take part in to develop entrepreneurial skills.

The publication also includes additional tables and information about how entrepreneurship education appears in school curricula and teacher competence frameworks in different countries.

The report covers the education systems of the countries participating in the Eurydice Network, including all European Union Member States as well as several other European countries such as Iceland, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, and Türkiye.

https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/25bc9072-afc8-11f0-b37f-01aa75ed71a1/language-en

Globe of History

The Globe of History is an innovative 3D interactive mapping tool designed to transform how students and educators engage with the vast timeline of human civilization. Spanning over 6,000 years of global history, the platform functions as a "digital time machine" that allows users to navigate the world through a temporal slider, revealing how civilizations, conflicts, and cultures have shifted across the planet. Unlike static maps, this resource uses a custom AI-driven "data factory" to synthesize information from various historical databases, presenting it as structured, readable narratives pinned to specific geographic coordinates. For educators, the benefits of the Globe of History are particularly significant in fostering spatial and temporal literacy. By visually anchoring historical events to their actual locations, it helps students overcome the common struggle of disconnecting "when" something happened from "where" it occurred. 

The tool provides several key pedagogical advantages: 

- Contextualization and comparison: Teachers can use the filtering system to isolate specific themes—such as battles, inventions, or the roles of famous women—allowing classes to analyze patterns and correlations across different eras and continents simultaneously. 

- Active inquiry: The platform serves as a powerful "questioning medium." Educators can prompt students to investigate why certain regions become hotspots for innovation or conflict during specific decades, encouraging them to think like historians by exploring the "why" behind the data points. 

- High student engagement: The immersive 3D interface and the inclusion of multimedia links (such as Wikipedia and YouTube) for each entry provide a "trigger" for deeper research. It is an ideal resource for the beginning of a lesson to hook students' interest or for mini-survey activities where small groups verify and expand upon a specific event found on the globe. 

- Critical thinking: By showing the interconnectedness of global cultures, the tool challenges the Eurocentric or isolated views often found in traditional textbooks, helping students develop a more holistic and global understanding of history.

https://www.globeofhistory.com/

What are the likely impacts of rising temperatures on students and how are countries adapting?

This OECD policy brief examines the growing challenges that rising global temperatures pose to education systems, spcifically focusing on how extreme heat affects students' health, cognitive performance, and overall learning outcomes. 

The report highlights that by 2050, a significantly higher number of students in OECD countries will be exposed to extreme heat during school days, which directly undermines academic achievement and well-being. To mitigate these risks, the document outlines various adaptation strategies currently being implemented or considered by different nations, such as modifying school calendars and timetables, investing in sustainable cooling infrastructure, and redesigning outdoor school environments. 

It also emphasizes the importance of balancing these interventions, noting that while infrastructure upgrades are effective but costly, administrative changes like adjusting schedules must be carefully managed to prevent a loss of total instruction time.

https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2026/03/what-are-the-likely-impacts-of-rising-temperatures-on-students-and-how-are-countries-adapting_c75d6817/960244d5-en.pdf

The Learning Corner. Learn about the European Union

The Learning Corner is an educational platform created by the European Commission to help children, teenagers, and teachers learn about the European Union in an interactive and engaging way. The website offers free educational materials in all 24 official EU languages, making it accessible to schools across Europe.

The platform is organised by age groups and topics, allowing users to explore subjects such as EU history, climate and environment, culture, European institutions, citizenship, and digital safety. It includes quizzes, games, competitions, videos, activity books, timelines, and teaching resources designed both for classroom use and independent learning at home.

One of its main goals is to make learning about the European Union more accessible and enjoyable. Instead of presenting information only through traditional texts, the site uses interactive activities and multimedia content to encourage participation and curiosity. Students can test their knowledge through games and quizzes, while teachers can access ready-to-use lesson materials and ideas for classroom activities.

The Learning Corner is also especially useful for teachers because it provides educational resources for different educational levels, from primary school to upper secondary education. In addition, it helps schools connect with other teachers and institutions across Europe, promoting collaboration and international projects.

https://learning-corner.learning.europa.eu/index_en

A brief history of melancholy

The TED-Ed lesson A brief history of melancholy, created by Courtney Stephens and directed by Sharon Colman Graham, explores how the idea of sadness and melancholy has changed throughout history. Through an animated and accessible format, the lesson explains that melancholy has been understood in many different ways over time: as a medical condition, a philosophical state, a creative force, or simply part of the human experience.

The resource examines historical beliefs such as the ancient theory of the “four humors,” where melancholy was linked to an excess of black bile, and later cultural ideas that connected sadness with wisdom, creativity, or artistic sensitivity. It also reflects on modern views of depression and emotional well-being, encouraging viewers to think critically about how societies interpret emotions.

One of the main strengths of this resource is that it combines history, psychology, philosophy, and culture in a short and engaging lesson. The TED-Ed format also includes discussion questions and additional materials, making it especially useful for educational contexts. Teachers can use it to promote conversations about emotions, mental health, and the historical evolution of ideas related to sadness and human behaviour.

https://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-brief-history-of-melancholy-courtney-stephens

OECD Digital Education Outlook 2026

The OECD Digital Education Outlook 2026, Exploring Effective Uses of Generative AI in Education," is a flagship report published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.  

It serves as a comprehensive guide for policymakers and educators on how to integrate Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) into education systems without compromising the quality of learning. Its central argument is that while AI can improve task performance (e.g., writing a better essay), it does not automatically lead to better learning. 

The OECD warns of "metacognitive laziness," where students offload cognitive tasks to AI. Studies cited in the report show that while students using AI produce higher-quality work, their performance often drops or reverses during exams when the AI is removed. 

A major focus is on ensuring that AI augments rather than replaces teachers. In 2024, approximately 37% of lower secondary teachers were already using AI, and the report emphasizes that involving teachers in the "co-design" of these tools is essential for success.  

Beyond the classroom, the 2026 Outlook explores how AI can streamline school administration, curriculum alignment, and educational research.  

This resource is significant because it is the first major OECD publication to provide a "state-of-the-art" overview of GenAI since the technology became widely accessible. It establishes design principles to ensure that digital transformation in schools supports human growth, critical thinking, and equity, rather than just technical efficiency.

https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2026/01/oecd-digital-education-outlook-2026_940e0dd8/062a7394-en.pdf

Why is grammar so confusing?

Grammar rules have sparked strong debates across different languages and cultures for centuries. While it is clear that people care deeply about using language “correctly,” it is not always obvious why these rules exist or where they come from. Many of them seem arbitrary, raising questions about whether they truly matter or are simply conventions that have developed over time.

In the video, Arika Okrent explores this issue by examining several well-known examples from English that have generated ongoing disagreement among speakers and writers. Through these cases, the video shows how grammar is not fixed, but shaped by history, usage, and changing attitudes, encouraging viewers to rethink what “correct” language really means.

Earth Hub #EarthDay

Earth Hub is a comprehensive digital platform designed to inspire people, especially young learners, to understand environmental issues and take action. It brings together a wide range of educational resources such as quizzes, toolkits, fact sheets, petitions, and news stories, all focused on key global challenges like climate change, plastic pollution, biodiversity loss, and sustainable living.

At its core, Earth Hub is built on the idea that knowledge leads to action. The platform offers interactive quizzes that help users test their understanding of environmental topics, as well as practical toolkits that suggest concrete actions individuals and communities can take. It also includes fact sheets that explain complex issues in a simple and accessible way, making it easier for users to understand how environmental problems affect both the planet and human life.

From an educational perspective, Earth Hub is a highly useful tool for the classroom. It provides authentic, up-to-date content in English, which can support language learning while also raising awareness about environmental issues. Teachers can use the quizzes as engaging warm-up activities, the fact sheets for reading comprehension tasks, and the toolkits for project-based learning, encouraging students to move from theory to real-world action.

Moreover, the platform promotes critical thinking and global citizenship. By exploring real environmental problems and possible solutions, students are encouraged to reflect on their own habits and responsibilities. This makes Earth Hub particularly suitable for celebrating Earth Day in schools, as it helps transform the event from a symbolic date into a meaningful learning experience.

This type of resource is especially valuable in the context of Earth Day, a global initiative that encourages people around the world to reflect on environmental challenges and take steps to protect the planet, celebrated every year on April 22. 

Visit Earth Hub:

https://www.earthday.org/earth-hub/

World Book and Copyright Day

The English Department at IES Azorín has recently organised an exhibition in the corridor of the -1 floor under the title “Reading is more than a book.” This initiative aims to highlight the many ways in which reading is part of our daily lives, going beyond traditional books to include digital texts, images, media, and new forms of communication that shape how we understand the world.

The exhibition has been created to mark the celebration of World Book Day, a date that reminds us of the importance of reading as a key tool for learning, imagination, and personal growth. It is also an opportunity to recognise the value of literature in connecting cultures, sharing ideas, and fostering empathy among people.

Bringing this celebration into the school environment is especially important. In a time when students are constantly exposed to fast and fragmented information, promoting reading helps them develop critical thinking, concentration, and a deeper understanding of language. By making reading visible in shared spaces like school corridors, the exhibition encourages students to reflect on their own reading habits and to discover new ways of engaging with texts.

Supporting AI Literacies for Young Adults Aged 14-19

Supporting AI Literacies for Young Adults Aged 14–19 is a research-based framework designed to help young people understand and use artificial intelligence in a critical, responsible, and informed way. It was developed through a collaboration between organisations such as the Responsible Innovation Centre, the Bridging Responsible AI Divides Programme, and We Are Open Co-op.

The report explains what it means to be “AI literate” today. It goes beyond just knowing how to use tools like chatbots or recommendation systems, and instead focuses on helping young people understand how AI works, how it affects society, and how to use it ethically. The framework is especially aimed at public service media organisations, showing how they can support young audiences in developing these skills.

A key idea in the report is that AI literacy should be value-based. This means it is not only about technical knowledge, but also about understanding issues such as fairness, bias, privacy, and the impact of AI on people’s lives. The framework encourages critical thinking, creativity, and active participation, so that young people are not just passive users of technology but informed citizens who can question and shape it.

The report also provides practical guidance, including examples of activities, strategies, and approaches that organisations can use to engage young people aged 14 to 19. It highlights the importance of accessible language, inclusive design, and real-world contexts to make AI education meaningful and relevant.

This document is a guide to help educators, media organisations, and policymakers support the development of AI literacy as a key competence for the future, combining technical understanding with ethical awareness and social responsibility.

https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/responsible-innovation/responsible-innovation-centre-ai-literacies-young-adults.pdf?ref=blog.weareopen.coop

Pedestrians First

Pedestrians First is an interactive online tool designed to help people understand and measure how walkable a city is. It has been developed by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP. New York) and focuses especially on the needs of babies, young children, and their caregivers, using them as a reference to design better cities for everyone.

The site offers several tools that allow users to explore and analyse cities at different levels. For example, you can see maps and data about how close people live to services like schools or public transport, evaluate whether a neighbourhood is easy to walk around, or even assess a specific street using a checklist of features such as sidewalks, crossings, safety, or shade. These tools are based on indicators like access to services, population density, or the quality of pedestrian infrastructure, helping users understand what makes a city more or less walkable.

The main idea behind the project is that walkable cities are healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable. When cities are designed so that even the most vulnerable people can move safely on foot, they become better places for everyone to live.

This website can be very useful in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. First, it provides authentic, real-world content in English, which helps students develop reading and vocabulary skills related to topics like cities, environment, and transport. Second, it can be used for interactive activities, such as analysing a city, comparing different places, or discussing how to improve urban life. These tasks encourage speaking and critical thinking.

https://pedestriansfirst.itdp.org/

Amnesty International Supporting Human Rights Education

This document is a resource catalogue created by Amnesty International for teachers and educators. It is like a guidebook that shows all the teaching materials available to help students learn about human rights.

Inside the catalogue, you can find:

- Lesson plans and classroom activities

- Educational materials for different ages (from young children to older students)

- Ideas to teach topics like freedom, justice, equality, and global issues

- Resources for both classroom use and independent learning at home

The main purpose of this catalogue is to help teachers teach human rights in a practical and engaging way. It encourages students to understand other people’s experiences, think critically, and become active, responsible citizens.

It also explains how to access these materials (most of them are free online) and offers extra support, such as training courses for teachers.

https://media.amnesty.org.uk/documents/Resource20Catalogue202025.pdf

Help Teaching

HelpTeaching is a free online collection of English Language Arts worksheets designed for teachers, students, and parents.

In simple terms, it is a website where you can find ready-to-use materials to teach and practise English skills. These worksheets cover areas such as reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension, and they are organised by grade level, from early education to high school.

The main purpose of this resource is to make teaching easier. Teachers can download or print worksheets to use in class, assign them as homework, or use them for quick assessments. Many of the materials are designed to reinforce what students learn in lessons, helping them practise skills step by step.

The content is very varied. For example, you can find:

• Reading passages with questions
• Grammar and spelling exercises
• Writing prompts and activities
• Worksheets focused on specific skills like prefixes, punctuation, or text analysis

https://www.helpteaching.com/free-english-language-arts-worksheets.htm

Teaching relationship skills #OECD

The publication “Teaching relationship skills: Evidence from classrooms to inform policy” by the OECD is a short policy brief that explains why relationship skills are essential in education and how teachers actually use them in the classroom.

In simple terms, the report focuses on skills such as communication, empathy, cooperation, and conflict resolution, which are considered fundamental for creating a positive learning environment. These abilities help students engage more in learning, improve relationships between classmates, and allow teachers to spend more time teaching instead of managing behaviour.

The study is based on data from Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2024, one of the largest international surveys of teachers. It uses real-life classroom scenarios to analyse how teachers respond to situations involving student relationships—for example, conflicts or positive interactions—and what strategies they say they would use.

One of the key ideas is that teaching these relationship skills is not always easy. Many teachers feel less confident supporting students’ social and emotional development compared to teaching academic content, which suggests that more training and support are needed in this area.

The report also shows that teachers’ approaches can vary depending on factors such as their experience, training, or even gender. For instance, some teachers are more likely to use comprehensive strategies that include listening to students, working with colleagues, and directly addressing problems, while others may rely on simpler or more limited approaches.

https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/teaching-relationship-skills_d882368e-en.html

PhET Interactive Simulations

PhET Interactive Simulations is a free educational website that offers interactive simulations to help students learn science and mathematics in a simple and visual way. It was created as a non-profit project at the University of Colorado Boulder with the goal of improving how subjects like physics, chemistry, biology, and math are taught.

The main idea of PhET is that students learn better by exploring and experimenting instead of only reading or listening. On the website, users can interact with virtual simulations that behave like real scientific systems. For example, they can build electric circuits, explore how forces work, or see how molecules move. These simulations are designed to be fun, visual, and easy to use, often with tools like sliders, buttons, and drag-and-drop actions.

One important feature of PhET is that it helps make abstract or invisible concepts easier to understand. Things that are normally hard to see—like atoms, energy, or electric fields—are shown through animations and graphics, allowing students to see how they work in real time. The simulations also give immediate feedback, so learners can observe cause-and-effect relationships as they change variables.

Another key aspect is that all the simulations are research-based and tested in real classrooms to make sure they are effective for learning. They are also free, open-source, and available online or for download, which makes them accessible to teachers and students all over the world

https://phet.colorado.edu/

Common European data space for cultural heritage

The Common European data space for cultural heritage is a flagship initiative by the European Union designed to bring Europe’s rich history into the digital age. Launched and funded through the DIGITAL Europe Programme, it serves as a massive, unified digital ecosystem where museums, galleries, libraries, and archives across the continent can share their collections in a way that is open, trustworthy, and easy to use. 

Essentially, it acts as a high-tech bridge connecting the past with the future, ensuring that Europe's cultural treasures, from ancient manuscripts to 3D scans of historical monuments, are not just preserved in physical basements but are accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

At its core, the data space is built on the foundation of Europeana, a platform that already provides access to over 60 million digitized items. However, the data space expands this mission by providing a more robust "behind-the-scenes" infrastructure. It offers a suite of advanced tools, standards, and frameworks that help cultural institutions digitize their assets in high quality, including a major focus on 3D technology and Artificial Intelligence. This makes the data much more than just a gallery of pictures; it becomes "interoperable" data that researchers, educators, and creative tech developers can plug into their own projects, such as virtual reality tours or educational apps.

What makes this initiative unique is its focus on community and collaboration. It isn't just a website; it’s a vibrant network of thousands of professionals—curators, data scientists, and policymakers—working together to solve the challenges of digital transformation. By providing training through the Europeana Academy and fostering a democratic network of experts, the data space ensures that even smaller local museums have the support they need to share their stories with the world. For the average citizen, this means a more inclusive and multilingual experience where European culture is treated as a public good, available for everyone to explore, learn from, and enjoy.

https://www.dataspace-culturalheritage.eu/en

Understanding Young News Audiences at a Time of Rapid Change

Over the past decade, the Reuters Institute Digital News Report has tracked a major shift in how young people (18–24) engage with news—and the transformation is striking. Today’s young audiences are no longer just “online-first”; they are firmly social-first, accessing news primarily through platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube rather than traditional outlets or even news websites.

This shift is not just about where news is consumed, but how. Young people increasingly prefer audiovisual and personality-driven content, often paying more attention to individual creators than to established news brands. News is now part of a broader stream of content—mixed with entertainment, lifestyle, and social interaction—making consumption more incidental than intentional.

At the same time, engagement patterns reveal a more complex picture. Young people consume news less frequently and report lower levels of interest compared to older generations. Many perceive traditional news as irrelevant, overly negative, or difficult to understand, which contributes to a sense of disconnection. However, this does not mean they are disengaged from information altogether—on the contrary, they navigate a diverse and fragmented media environment, often across multiple platforms.

The report also highlights emerging opportunities. Young audiences are more open to new formats and technologies, including AI, which they use to simplify and access news in more personalized ways. They are also more comfortable with the idea that journalism does not always need to be strictly neutral, especially on issues like climate change or social justice.

Ultimately, the findings suggest that the challenge for journalism is not only to reach young people where they are, but to rethink what news looks like and how it connects to their lives. Engaging this generation is essential—not just for the future of the news industry, but for the health of democratic societies that depend on informed citizens.

Visit:

https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/understanding-young-news-audiences-time-rapid-change

https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2026-03/Young_people_and_the_news.pdf