The third HUPE Osijek branch meeting in school year 2022-2023 was held on 20 May 2023 at the Faculty of Education in Osijek. 29 members attended the meeting.

The agenda included:

1) Isabelle Grace Penta: How to use ChatGPT as an educator
2) HUPE news
3) HUPE Osijek branch president elections
4) Marina Tomas: The Great Outdoors - taking the classroom outside
5) Mirjana Jerković & Tanja Pokupić: Love Edinburgh? Kilt-y as charged!

At the beginning of the meeting, Isabelle Grace Penta, a Fulbright scholar and an English Teaching Assistant at the English Language Studies Department at the Faculty of Education, held a workshop titled How to use ChatGPT as an educator. During the workshop, Grace introduced ChatGPT and presented its applications as an AI tool in and outside of the classroom with its advantages and limitations. The participants were able to test the program and learn how to create suitable question prompts in order to produce specific educational materials.

Members were informed about the news in HUPE including the new HUPE Board members, changes in membership fees from 1 June 2023, future teacher training courses in London and Edinburgh, and regular branch updates. The branch president also notified the members about the details of the upcoming 31^st Annual International HUPE Conference, which is taking place in Valamar Diamant Hotel, Poreč from 20 to 22 October 2023, such as call for speakers, registration fees, accommodation and transportation. Since many of Osijek branch members participated in the 3rd National Writing Competition, selected mentors were presented with the printed copies of the book HUPE in the Storyland with more than 210 students’ stories on 850 pages.  

After the updates, the HUPE Osijek branch president elections were held. There was only one candidate, Adrijana Roždijevac from Primary School Josip Kozarac in Soljani and acting Osijek branch president. She shortly addressed the members and explained the voting procedure, after which the voting was held and she was unanimously voted the new HUPE Osijek branch president.

Following the coffee break, the second workshop, titled The Great Outdoors - taking the classroom outside, was held by Marina Tomas from Primary School Ane Katarine Zrinski in Retkovic. Marina presented the advantages and disadvantages of teaching outdoors and provided the participants with practical and engaging ready-to-use activities teachers can incorporate into their spring lesson plans to make their students practice various vocabulary and grammatical structures.

At the end of the meeting, Mirjana Jerković from Primary School Tin Ujević in Osijek and Tanja Pokupić form Primary School Miroslava Krleže in Čepin held a presentation titled Love Edinburgh? Kilt-y as charged!. Through mysterious and interesting storytelling, they shared their experience from a 5-day teacher training course in Edinburgh, Scotland, organized by HUPE in April 2023, where they not only got new teaching ideas, but also explored Scotland’s heritage, culture and numerous sights.

HUPE Osijek is grateful to the speakers and all the members who were able to attend the meeting on Saturday morning and create a lovely and relaxing atmosphere ideal for teachers connecting, collaborating and exchanging ideas. Thank you for putting your trust in me to continue to be the branch president.

Hopefully, we will see you at one of our future meetings next school year. Enjoy the long-awaited and well-deserved summer holidays!

Adrijana Roždijevac
HUPE Osijek Branch President