Comenius: Leraren werken aan ideeën voor toekomstige partnerschappen voor scholen (en)

Met dank overgenomen van Directoraat-generaal Onderwijs, jeugd, sport en cultuur (EAC) i, gepubliceerd op maandag 7 mei 2012.

On 3-4 May, 270 teachers, headmasters and policy-makers from across Europe met in Brussels to discuss how teaming up with partners in other countries can help schools boost teaching quality and pupils' skills. By bringing together these diverse groups the conference offered participants a unique forum to establish contacts, exchange views and develop new ideas for school partnerships.

In workshops on learning environments, teachers' competences, inclusive education and internationalisation of schools, conference participants explored the success factors which give school partnerships a lasting impact on the entire school, and beyond.

Among the project ideas coming out of the conference was a project in which partner schools from different countries would integrate ICT in teaching and learning in a meaningful way. They would adapt it to different age levels, use video conferencing through mobile devices and introduce web 2.0 tool¬s to improve students' motivation. Another idea generated was to help schools give themselves a more international profile by creating physical and virtual 'support points' as a service for teachers and pupils who want to benefit from the school's international contacts and activities.

School partnerships: the policy context

Two keynote speakers set out the main challenges schools face today and how teaming up with external partners can help them make a change for the better.

Professor Klaus Hurrelmann, youth researcher and author of several major youth studies in Germany, gave an account of young people's perspectives on what they expect from schools and how they should equip them for life. He identified growing status and gender gaps in education as one of the greatest concerns, with boys and children from low socio-economic background increasingly falling behind.

Paul Collard of Creativity Culture & Education, United Kingdom, presented the Creative Partnerships programme as an example of how external partnerships can bring about real change in schools. From 2002-2011, this government-funded scheme brought creative workers such as artists, architects and scientists into schools across England to work with teachers to inspire young people and help them learn.

The conference showcased 20 Comenius i projects in workshops and an exhibition , presented by schools from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Portugal, Cyprus and Norway.

About Comenius

Comenius, a part of the EU’s Lifelong Learning Programme, is the main European funding scheme for schools, from pre-school to secondary level. It also offers grants to teachers and future teachers, supports pupil exchanges and research on teacher training.

The European Union invests more than €140 million a year through the Comenius programme in support of partnerships involving around 11 000 schools in 33 European countries (the EU countries plus Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey).

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