In an ever-evolving educational context, exploring and implementing new teaching and learning models in the classroom and equipping teachers with reliable professional development opportunities is crucial.

That's why, European Schoolnet supports schools and teachers' development by encouraging school cooperation in Europe, testing and promoting innovative teaching approaches and methods, encouraging teachers' lifelong learning and continuous professional development, and offering them innovative pedagogical resources, new training and networking opportunities, through the following initiatives:

Future Classroom Lab (FCL)

The Future Classroom Lab (FCL) initiative has been a flagship initiative in Europe since 2012, encouraging countless public authorities, schools, headmasters and teachers to embark in a journey of transformation and constant innovation.  The FCL is currently supported by over 30 industry partners and a community of 26 FCL Lead ambassadors from 16 different countries. Lead ambassadors are often paired in their countries by their local counterparts and contribute to rooting the opportunities offered by the FCL in their respective communities. The FCL also boasts a network of more than 250 innovative learning labs from across the world that have all been inspired by the FCL concept. The initiative supports the network of innovative learning labs & spaces by sharing a monthly information letter about upcoming events, courses and webinars. An online workshop is also organised twice a year to offer the member labs an opportunity to come together and share about their best practices and ideas for future projects and cooperation opportunities.

 

European Schoolnet Academy

The European Schoolnet Academy was launched in 2014 in response to the need to scale up professional development opportunities for teachers, so as to help them with the growing number of challenges they face in the classroom. The European Schoolnet Academy therefore primarily offers massive open online courses (MOOCs), which are entirely free of charge and open for anyone to join, with no limit to the number of participants.

This focus on openness, and the pedagogical approach that goes alongside it, is based on three premises:

  • The need to cost-effectively scale professional development offers to larger numbers of teachers, so as to give more teachers the opportunity to access and benefit from these.
  • The conviction that teachers need to be self-reflective practitioners, willing to interact with peers and with a high level of self-efficacy.
  • The fact that successful professional development encourages the development of learning communities where teachers share their expertise, according to research results.

Over the previous decade, the Academy had launched 115 courses, engaged 190,000 teachers, produced over 40,000 lesson plans, achieved a 52 per cent engagement rate, marking its significant contribution to education.

 

School partnerships, networks and tools

As a leading organisation in providing services to schools in Europe, European Schoolnet is active in supporting schools across Europe providing different services, tools and fostering European exchange and collaboration:

  • ESEP: Launched in 2022, the European School Education Platform (ESEP) offers editorial content, professional development activities and networking opportunities for school education stakeholders across Europe. These stakeholders include school staff; researchers; policymakers; and other professionals, and cover early childhood, primary, secondary and vocational education. The platform, an initiative of the European Commission and funded by the Erasmus+ programme, is also the home of the eTwinning community.
  • eTwinning, available in 43 European countries and funded under the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission, promotes school collaboration and teachers' professional development. It provides support, tools and services for schools through a variety of means, including a digital environment. eTwinning is part of the European School Education Platform where school staff can develop projects together and participate in online learning opportunities.
  • SELFIE tools on how technology is used in schools: https://education.ec.europa.eu/selfie/home
  • European Digital Education Hub: improving cooperation on digital education at the EU, national and regional levels. European Digital Education Hub - European Education Area

Resources 

ContinueUP project outputs and resources: Bridging the gap between initial teacher education and continuous professional development

Find more European Schoolnet resources on our dedicated resources page.

Expert Views

Watch the interview with Carlos Vargas, Chief of Section for Teacher Development at UNESCO, as he delves into the main challenges facing the teaching profession today, the importance of teacher professional development, and the fundamental role of teachers in the transformation of education.

Watch the interview with Heidi Harju-Luukkainen, Professor at the University of Jyväskylä and NORD University, as she discusses the lack of teachers in the field today, the importance of aligning education policy with practice, and the need for more cross-country collaboration within the education community.