Future of Teacher Training in Erasmus+

Éva Pató Csabáné Szebényi, Hungary

Éva Pató Csabáné Szebényi is a teacher at Bicskei Csokonai Vitéz Mihály Primary School in Bicske, Hungary. (http://csokonaialtisk.hu/) She is interested in language teaching and how to use ICT in the classroom. Her latest article was published in Tempus’s (Hungarian National Agency) magazine, Spring 2014. (http://issuu.com, page 11.) She is an enthusiastic coordinator of a Comenius project called Drops. (http://drops2013.webnode.hu)
E-mail: pato.szebenyieva@gmail.com

Menu

Introduction
Teacher training

Introduction

This article is not about ready-made answers or solutions on how to get the funding for Erasmus+ KA1, but rather ideas and tips to guide you towards a successful application.

It might be YOU who would like to apply for Eu funding as you did in the so called Comenius area”.

First of all find someone who supports you, for instance the headmaster/ headmistress or a colleague.

The first step is to ask for permission from the Head of your school because he or she has to sign the application and later the contract. Then there is a register procedure for your school on the ECAS website: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/home.html

Now about the application: There are several opportunities to apply for:

• Language studies – I would recommend them especially for a teacher who teaches other subjects but wants to improve his or her language skills.
• Teacher training courses – there are methodology courses for language teachers or for teachers who speak a foreign language fluently.
• Job-shadowing – where teachers visit a school abroad, to acquire and exchange relevant experiences in different fields of education. – For these you have to check EU priorities in advance.
• Teacher exchanges/teaching practice abroad – with this you could go abroad and have a chance to try out yourself in a “foreign” school.

Teacher training

1. What to do in advance?
   1. Create a team of teachers who will help you. Primarily not to write the application, but rather to give ideas, to support you.
   2. Give opportunities to other teachers to join you because this is not an individual application. It could contain several other mobilities not only yours.
   3. Decide what you would like to study/ what kind of training you are interested in and ask all the applicants to do so too.
   4. Find teacher training schools abroad. (This is very important because you cannot apply for courses in your own country.)You can also help your colleagues to find courses.
   5. Find alternatives, i.e.: several options to choose from.
   6. Check dates and fees.
2. What to do next?
   
   If you check the application form you will see that this application is about the school’s need, so you have to be very precise about the following:
   1. Choose a coordinator or a person or people (a team)responsibly for different tasks
      • for writing the application
      • creating new contacts
      • finding training courses
      • evaluating the project. etc.
   2. What are your school’s needs?
      • Give a good reason based on European added value.
      • Specify why the content of the application is important for the school, for the students, for the teacher colleagues and for you?
      • What fields of teaching/education need to be improved? Give reasons.
   3. What are the benefits of this course or these courses?
      • Justify the benefits: why are they important for the school/ for colleagues/for students?
      • How can the school use these benefits?
      1. In teaching
      2. In free time activities
   4. Give a good reason why the chosen teachers will participate in a course?
      • Justify the needs from the school’s point of view.
      • Involve the higher authority - if any - of the school in participating in the project with support in financial matters ( just list ideas of what to do and how to do it abroad, what kind of invoices you will need and so on) they can also help in the organization of journeys.
   5. Effects
      • What positive effects can be predicted?
        1. In teaching
        2. In the development of the teachers
        3. In parent-teacher interaction
        4. In students education/behaviour/involvement in other international projects
      • Who can profit from the effects?
        1. Students
        2. Teachers
        3. Parents
        4. Local community etc.
      • How can they profit from these effects?
        • Using it during lessons (both teachers and students)
        • Disseminating ideas (Workshop for other teachers etc.)
      • How can these affect the future?
        1. New colleagues want to be involved
        2. A good example for other teachers
        3. The reputation of the school etc.
   6. How will you evaluate the project?
      • Who will evaluate it?
        1. Headmaster/coordinator/other teachers/parents/local community/ a chosen team etc.
      • How frequently does the chosen person/ do the chosen people evaluate the project?
      1. Every six months/after each mobility/after finishing the project/etc.
      • What method(s) will they use to evaluate it?
        1. written evaluation
        2. oral evaluation
        3. evaluating in meetings, etc.
   7. How will you disseminate it?
      • To whom?
      1. School
      2. Other schools
      3. In the local community
      4. Parent-teacher meetings etc.
      • How?
      1. Media (local/regional newspapers)
      2. Local TV
      3. Meetings for teachers/parents etc.
      • At what intervals?

   To sum up, what you need is courage to start, good colleagues to help and clear ideas about your school’s future. I wish you luck with your application.

   

   Please check the Pilgrims courses at Pilgrims website.