10 March 2026
The first HUPE Slavonski Brod branch meeting in the school year 2025–2026 was held on Tuesday, 24 February 2026 at the Elementary School “Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić” in Slavonski Brod. The meeting lasted for three and a half hours and gathered 10 HUPE members and 2 guest speakers from South Korea for an inspiring afternoon of professional development, collaboration, and exchange of ideas.
The agenda included:
- Rosie Kang, Brian Park: HWPL Peace Project
- Mirta Kos Kolobarić: Thinker’s Keys for Critical Minds
- Marija Janković: AI Tools for Teachers
- HUPE news
The first workshop, titled HWPL Peace Project, was delivered by Rosie Kang and Brian Park, our colleagues from South Korea. In their presentation, Rosie and Brian introduced a project that promotes dialogue, empathy, and shared responsibility in building a more peaceful world. Emphasising the importance of peace education in contemporary society, they highlighted how such initiatives can be integrated into the English classroom to foster intercultural understanding and meaningful communication. They also shared Peace textbooks that are an integral part of the peace project.
The second workshop, Thinker’s Keys for Critical Minds, was held by Mirta Kos Kolobarić.
Focusing on the development of critical thinking as a crucial 21st-century skill, Mirta addressed the growing challenges teachers face in keeping students intellectually engaged in the age of AI. She presented Tony Ryan’s Thinker’s Keys as a practical and adaptable tool that helps students analyse, question, and discuss everyday topics more deeply and critically. The workshop provided participants with concrete examples and ready-to-use ideas for encouraging thoughtful discussion and independent thinking in their classrooms. The participants also took part in a practical activity of using the Thinker’s keys – it was a lot of fun!
The third workshop, titled AI Tools for Teachers, was delivered by Marija Janković. In her presentation, Marija showcased various AI tools that can support teachers in lesson planning, creating engaging teaching materials, and saving time on everyday administrative and preparatory tasks. Participants gained insight into practical ways of integrating AI into their professional practice while maintaining pedagogical purpose and creativity. The workshop sparked interest and discussion about the balanced and responsible use of AI technology in education., while emphasizing the fact that teachers are irreplaceable.
Participants were also informed about the latest HUPE news, including upcoming professional development opportunities, HUPE Day, HUPE in Storyland writing competition, Languages United and HUPE cultural bake-alongs and conferences by our partner associations. Members were encouraged to actively contribute to HUPEzine by submitting ESL teaching-related articles and to apply as speakers at future branch meetings in order to share examples of good practice and innovative teaching ideas.
HUPE Slavonski Brod is sincerely thankful to all the speakers and members who attended the meeting and contributed the encouraging working atmosphere. We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.
Tihomir Matković
HUPE Slavonski Brod Branch President
