Aims and objectives
Teachers in the 21st century need to respond to a rapidly changing environment characterized by fast technological progress, changing labour market needs and demographic changes. Evidence shows that fostering strong working relationships among teachers, as well as promoting professional collaboration between teachers and other educational stakeholders allows them to deepen their knowledge, keep their competencies up-to-date, while professional collaboration improves student outcomes as well.
In line with these findings, the main focus of the EFFeCT project was improving teacher competencies through enhanced opportunities for teacher learning at all stages of their career.
The overarching objective was to facilitate policy development and well-evidenced innovative improvements related to teacher learning at a system (state),a regional and a local level. In particular, the project aimed to enhance opportunities for teachers’ collaborative learning by promoting networking and professional collaboration between teachers and other educational stakeholders (teacher educators, researchers, etc.). The project thus contributed to enhancing teachers’ competencies in order that they can provide better learning opportunities for all students.
Specific aims
The EFFeCT project set out the following specific aims:
- to identify innovative approaches to the development of collaborative learning between teachers and other stakeholders
- to rigorously assess (through national and cross-national analysis) the benefits, processes and challenges of the identified innovative approaches/practices
- to develop a European Methodological Framework incorporating a range of user-friendly resources (based on these innovative and well-evidenced practices) to inspire and inform policy-makers and practicioners
- to test the developed framework by adapting it in three national contexts: developing specific professional programmes that facilitate teachers’ collaborative learning and piloting them
- to formulate recommendations for policy on how to use the methodological framework to effectively facilitate collaborative teacher learning