Summer Retreat in Karlovci 2026

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We are delighted to announce that our next teacher retreat in Karlovci will take place from 9–16 August 2026, led by internationally recognised teacher trainer Thom Jones. After two inspiring years with Jody Medland, focusing on oracy and drama-based activities, this retreat brings a fresh perspective. The programme is designed to respond to teachers’ current needs and to develop skills in areas that have recently been highlighted at ELT association conferences across Europe and beyond. At SOL, we are committed to staying relevant, supporting teachers, and providing high-quality training with experienced trainers. We warmly invite you to join us in Karlovci for another week of professional growth, cultural exchange, and community building.

‍The programme will run from 9th - 16th August 2026, the price is €545 inclusive of everything in the programme including food and accommodation, but does not include the cost of transport to and from Novi Sad/ Karlovci.

OurVenue – Ecological Centre Radulovački

The SOL Summer Teacher Retreat is hosted at the Ecological Centre Radulovački,a unique educational venue located in the heart of the historic town of SremskiKarlovci, Serbia.

Surrounded by beautiful gardens and within walking distance of the town centre, the Centre provides comfortable accommodation, modern training facilities, and welcoming communal spaces where participants can learn, collaborate, and build lasting international friendships.

More than simply a place to stay, the Centre shares SOL's commitment to education, sustainability, intercultural dialogue, and community engagement, making it the ideal setting for an immersive professional development experience.

Why Sremski Karlovci?

Sremski Karlovci is one of Serbia's most picturesque and historically significant towns. Known for its elegant architecture, rich cultural heritage, vineyards,and welcoming atmosphere, it offers the perfect balance between professional learning and cultural discovery.

Throughout the retreat, participants explore the town through interactive activities, local visits, and community-based experiences that encourage reflection, creativity, and collaboration. Rather than simply observing the local culture, participants become part of it, meeting local people, discovering traditions, and experiencing everyday life in an authentic way.

The central location also allows us to organise inspiring excursions to nearby destinations, giving participants a broader understanding of Serbia's history, culture, and contemporary life.

 A Complete Immersion Experience

At SOL, we believe that professional development extends far beyond the training room.

Our Summer Retreat combines interactive workshops with cultural exploration, collaborative projects, and informal networking, creating an environment where participants learn from both experienced trainers and one another.

Many describe the week not simply as a course, but as an international community of educators, a place to exchange ideas, develop professionally, and form friendships that continue long after the programme has ended.

 What makes the SOL Summer Retreat different?

Unlike traditional teacher training courses, the SOL Summer Retreat places equal emphasis on professional development, intercultural exchange, and personal connections.

Participants work alongside colleagues from across Europe and beyond, sharing classroom experiences, exploring innovative teaching approaches, and building an international professional network. The programme combines practical workshops, cultural activities, local excursions, and collaborative projects in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere.

Our aim is not only to inspire teachers with new ideas, but also to create lasting partnerships and friendships that continue through future projects, conferences, and international collaboration.

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‍A bit about Thom:

‍Thom Jones has lived in more than a dozen countries and delivered training in over70. Having been a truly useless student (and proving it frequently by failing all the exams he was set) he started his professional life as a waiter before going into teaching, then management, before going freelance. He now works with a range of organisations on a wide variety of projects. He is College Principal for an international summer programme in Cambridge each summer. He presents regularly at conferences around the world on a range of topics and is a guest lecturer at four universities. He is also a freelance trainer in business and management. Ten years ago he cycled from the UK to Turkey, travelling through 11 countries. He is Ambassador of Buzz for Express publishing.  

He is rubbish at maths. His mother thinks he is great. 

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Teaching for tomorrow

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‍Course overview:

The human race has seen more rapid change in the past 50 years than in the previous 5,000….who needs to know what? And how can we teach it?

We’ll be working together to navigate where education is now. If tech can do it all, in terms of both content and language…what are we for? Are there skills, values and ideas we should be passing on? In The Age of The Un enlightenment, what kind of things do people need to learn? And who are we to decide? And what makes us right?

We’ll look at motivation (student AND teacher),energy, classroom management and all the techniques we can use to ensure we not only achieve our aims, but enjoy it. Perfecting balance and making our classrooms a place to think, learn and laugh.

We’ll look at ideas, methodology, actual exercises and techniques and explore why we teach. We’ll ask a clever room full of people(you!) a lot of key questions and share our thoughts.

You will leave this course with concrete plans and things to build a classroom context you will want to be in and a group of colleagues you’ll want to share your victories with. This is for teachers of anyone, learning anything, at any age. It will be delivered in English. 

Each day will end with a 30 minute group session where participants will work in small groups reflect and assess what thief seen so far and what the want to do with it.

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Sunday night

Introductions, dinner, welcome

Monday:

Starters: Who wants what from this course? Aims, goals and where you want to be by Friday.

Motivation: Why do we do it? Why do they do it? How to turn apathy into apathy and ways to create engagement, for everyone-student teacher, parents.

Tuesday:

Classroom management: ways you can structure the class so that discipline isa nuisance and not a full time job.

Tech and tomorrow, today. What we use, how and why? The role of devices and how we make friends with them AND teach non-dependence. The lens-observer or participant? How can we see the world? Hyper-reality: your avatar vs who you are.

Wednesday:

Where are we at? What do we know now? Show us what you’ve learnt. A workshop of participants sharing what they have seen so far and what they want to do with it.

Going the distance: planning and strategies for the end point of the class you're running-the students exam, their proposed CEFR level etc. How do we get there and how can we keep the journey interesting and relevant?

Energy levels: How to maintain yours and theirs?

Thursday:

Storytelling: Why does the narrative arc matter? Pace, engagement and hooks to a lesson plan.

Boundaries: Identity-how well should you know your students? What should they know about you? What is okay to share? To ask? To know? When to realise we aren't therapists. 

Dealing with rejection: It’s not always a sunny summer day, some classes can be bleak and you won’t win with every student. We’ll look at how to cope with the raw underbelly of teaching. And how to keep our heads up. ‍

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Friday:

Things to do to make students talk! Ways to build conversation, dialogues and presentations into classes in a relevant and realistic way. Taking the fear out of failure. Laughing in the face or error!

Making students feel confident and clever: Working on techniques and structures that will make sure students leave your class feeling better than when they came in.

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                        To register for our wonderful course in Sremski Karlovci please scan the QR code and fill in the form.