European Conference

Dr. João Costa, Director of the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (EASNIE). 
Full Professor of Linguistics at NOVA University Lisbon, he holds a PhD in Linguistics (1998) from Leiden University and was a visiting scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1996. 
His research activity focuses on the domains of theoretical syntax, language acquisition, development and impairment, and educational linguistics. 
João Costa was the Portuguese Minister of Education from 2022 to 2024. He joined the Portuguese Government in 2015, serving as Secretary of State for Education until he was appointed Minister of Education. 
Chair of the Advisory Group of the OECD Global Forum on the Future of Education and Skills 2030, since 2024. 
Chair of the OECD Education Policy Committee, since January 2024. 
Chair of the Governing Board of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), from 2017 to 2022. 
Member of the UNESCO Steering Committee for Sustainable Development Goal 4, from 2022 to 2024. 
Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, NOVA University Lisbon, until November 2015, and Chair of the Scientific Council for Social Sciences and the Humanities of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), until November 2015. 
He was a member of the Scientific Council of the National Reading Plan, of the National Commission of the International Portuguese Language Institute, and of the Advisory Board of Camões Institute. 
President of the Portuguese Linguistics Society (2006–2008). 
Visiting professor at universities in Brazil, Macao, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy. 

Presentation [pdf, 4,85 MB]

The multisensory “Prikkeltuin” (Sensory Garden) at de Kade Buitengewoon Basisonderwijs Spermalie (BuBaO Spermalie), Brugge (BE), is an innovative reading environment designed for blind and visually impaired children. The space allows children to experience stories through multiple senses: they can explore tactile illustrations, listen to audio stories, and smell scents connected to the narrative, making reading more engaging and accessible. The BuBaO Spermalie is a school for special education serving blind and  visually impaired children.
The project was developed within the Erasmus+ project KA210-SCH (2022–2024) in collaboration with the partner school Johann-August-Zeune-Schule für Blinde in Berlin. The aim was to increase reading motivation and literacy by combining braille, tactile materials, and multisensory storytelling in an inclusive learning environment. Teachers, therapists, and families were involved in the project, strengthening language development and participation.
For its innovative approach, the project received the European Innovative Teaching Award 2025 category European Language Label. 

Anneleen Meire: I am a speechtherapist at the school and also a coordinator of a network for expertise, an initiative of various partners in Belgium. The main objective is to promote cooperation between the various partners and to professionalise the professionals working with the target group, as well as to gain greater recognition for them. 

Tina Mutschinski: I am an occupational therapist at the school. I support students in developing functional skills, independence, and access to learning, including teaching braille and training them in accessible software and digital tools such as the iPad.
Born and raised in Berlin, Germany, I have always had a passion for internationalisation and networking. 

Both have five years of experience working in Erasmus+ projects and are actively involved in international collaborations that focus on multisensory learning and improving accessibility in education for students with visual impairments.

Presentation [pdf]

The KA210 project ‘Picturing Peace’ can be summarized as two schools working together to improve the peace literacy of their students—and of their teachers at the same time. Creating common ground and a shared understanding of what peace could be seems to us the key to a flourishing European culture.
Our vehicle for starting the conversation about the need for peace education was the creation of a comic book about the legacy of peace activist Bertha von Suttner. It serves both the school community of ‘Bertha’ in Oberhausen - helping them learn more about their patroness - and an international school in The Hague, where students learn about the special status of the city when it comes to international law and the prevention of violent conflict.
The comic book offers an accessible, short, and visual version of the world-famous 19th-century novel ‘Lay Down Your Arms!’, embedded in a story about young people today. It is used in classrooms as a kick-off for lessons about peace and gives answers to the question: What is peace beyond the ‘absence of war’?
We use models developed by Galtung, Covey, Glasl, and Polak to deepen our understanding of how peace is perceived, what it can be, how it is rooted in a democratic and inclusive society, how we can work towards it, and why it needs to be maintained.
These models serve as thinking tools and act as a bridge between the conceptual understanding of peace (which we call ‘peace literacy’) and the visualization often needed to engage students. It can be an eye-opener to see world peace not only as an ambitious objective that highly placed leaders may (not) take care of, but as a never-ending process of pursuing peace through choices and actions that all of us can take every day.
The backbone of this empowering approach is the ‘Peace Matrix’, a model created by the students themselves. Within this model, they illustrate the different dimensions of positive and sustainable peace - from inner peace, to peace in cities and between countries, and even peace with Nature or Planet Earth.
Through this process, they discover that there is a long and valuable tradition of peacebuilders to learn from, and that the ideals that inspired Bertha von Suttner are not far removed from what we still aim for today when picturing peace.

Anne Tabak: Teaching History and Integrated Humanities at International School of The Hague (NL), around 2020, she became increasingly concerned about a curriculum largely centered on violent conflict. The underlying message seemed to be that people are ultimately violent and that war drives societal change. Believing this narrative should be balanced with the often unseen efforts of millions to build peace, she founded Stichting Denkroutes and launched an Erasmus+ project on the need for - and practice of - peace education.

Jonathan Heuer: Teaching Mathematics and Music at Bertha-von-Suttner-Gymnasium in Oberhausen (DE) he was immediately inspired by Anne’s idea of creating a comic book about his school’s patron, reflecting her commitment to peace-building. With regard to fostering a more peaceful and feminist world (Bertha von Suttner’s second legacy), he believes that change must begin with one’s own convictions and actions, followed by education as the next crucial step.

Presentation [pdf, 4,02 MB]
 

The European Exploration Society 23-25 was a project between Hjerting Skole in Esbjerg and a partner school in Corsica. Students aged 12-14 worked as explorers to study the past and present of Europe. They used the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals to learn about nature, culture, and our shared values.
During the physical meetings, thanks to the Erasmus+ accreditation, the students focused specifically on Goal 14: Life Below Water, as both Esbjerg and Corsica are located near the sea. They met local people and compared the different coastal environments in Denmark and France.

Before meeting in person, the students worked together every week on TwinSpace. They made this digital platform their own and learned a lot about each other's lives. These digital activities prepared them for their trips and face-to-face meetings.
The project helped students improve their English in reading, writing, and speaking. They also gained better digital skills and learned how to investigate stories in the media. By looking at history and modern life, the students gained a better understanding of what it means to be part of Europe today

Louise Clemmensen: I have been a teacher since 2004, my international journey began as a language assistant in Italy via a Comenius project. Since 2005, I have taught Danish and English at Hjerting Skole, covering Primary and Lower Secondary levels (ages 7–16). Today, I also serve as the school's Erasmus+ Coordinator and as an eTwinning Denmark Ambassador.

Peter Aaen: I am 51 years old and have been a teacher for 25 years. I teach 1th-6th grade math and PE and 6th-9th grade PE and German in a primary school. The past 16 years I have also been the union representative at our school. In my free time I love travelling, to practice sports and running. 

Presentation [pdf, 34 MB]

Problems make us stronger! Join an exciting, hands-on workshop where societal challenges become opportunities for your own learning and that of your school and your students. Participants will work together, reflect, and test practical approaches and solutions inspired by the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework for a Culture of Democracy (RFCDC) and the website Living-Democracy.com. In doing so, you will discover how democratic competencies can be actively fostered in everyday school life and how problems are not seen as obstacles, but as catalysts for active learning and action. Through interactive activities and realistic scenarios, theory is brought to life, and ideas are shared that can be immediately implemented in the classroom within the school environment.

Gelly Aroni holds a PhD in Social Psychology (Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences) and a Master’s degree in Psycho-social Aspects of Physical Activity (City University of New York, USA). She is the Head of the Unit for Integration and Support of Unaccompanied Minors at the General Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum in Greece. She has extensive experience as a Physical Education teacher in Intercultural Schools, where she used cooperative games and sports to promote, through active participation and collaborative learning, the principles and values of Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education (EDC/HRE).
Since March 2013, she has served as the Coordinator for Greece and an expert in the projects Living Democracy and CORE (Children of Refugees in Education). Within this framework, she contributed to the development, writing, translation, piloting, and publication of teaching and learning materials for the Living Democracy website. She has also worked as an expert and trainer in the European Wergeland Centre’s programme Schools for All – Integration of Refugee Children in Greek Schools. Since last year, she has been a lecturer in the Joint MA Programme Identity, Education and Competences for Democratic Culture (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens & European Wergeland Centre), teaching the course Teaching Controversial Issues in Human Rights and Education for Democratic Citizenship – Human Rights Education and Their Management in the Classroom.

Rolf Gollob (Professor Emeritus at the Zurich University of Teacher Education) focused in his work on democracy and human rights education as well as intercultural pedagogy. Since 1996, he has been working in Eastern/Southeastern Europe, Asia and Africa. As the founder of the IPE department at the Zurich University of Teacher Education, he launched countless democracy initiatives in cooperation with the Council of Europe and developed corresponding teaching materials for various target groups. Since 2008, Rolf Gollob has been the Swiss National Coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights Education/EPAN for the Council of Europe. Since 2024, he has been a member of the Swiss UNESCO Commission.

Presentation [pdf]
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Poster “Competences for Democratic Culture” [pdf]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly shaping education, school culture and decision-making. As its impact grows, AI literacy becomes essential for school leaders, educators and students to engage with AI in informed, responsible and ethical ways. AI literacy is crucial for preparing students to thrive in a society and economy increasingly influenced by AI technologies. Drawing on the latest work by the European Commission, the OECD, and Code.org, this interactive workshop will explore AI literacy from a whole-school perspective. Through practical activities, real-world scenarios and ethical reflection, participants will examine how AI influences teaching and leadership and collaboratively identify practical human-centred approaches to AI use across their institutions. 

Arjana Blazic, Teacher Trainer, Course Designer and Curriculum Developer at EduDigiCon: Arjana Blazic is a teacher trainer, course designer and curriculum developer, based in Zagreb, Croatia. She is a certified British Council teacher trainer in integrating ICT in the classroom. She is co-author of the Croatian National Curriculum for English as a Foreign Language and the National Curriculum for the Cross-curricular Use of ICT. She leads the expert group developing the Croatian AI Curricula for primary and secondary schools, which are now being implemented across Croatia.  She has actively contributed to the European Commission’s publications on Digital education content, Revised ethical guidelines for AI and data in education and Explainable AI. She has led the European Digital Education Hub squad focused on the main drivers of AI adoption in education. Her interests focus on technology-enhanced teaching and learning and the impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence on teacher professional development. She has designed and led numerous workshops for teachers and school leaders about the pedagogical use of digital technologies and AI all over Europe. She likes experimenting with digital tools and learning how to effectively use technology in the classroom.

Bart Verswijvel is an independent Belgian educator and expert trainer who works as a Senior Pedagogical Adviser for European Schoolnet in Brussels. He is the pedagogical lead of the Future Classroom Lab. He also coordinates the European network of Future Classroom ambassadors. With his private company Lernacon, he facilitates professional development for organisations and teachers. Lernacon is also a partner in European funded projects, including some Teacher Academy Projects. Bart designs and delivers online and on-site courses and workshops. He is an expert in the field of Artificial Intelligence for the classroom as well as in digitally enhanced, flexible learning environments. He has worked as a course leader for communities, schools and institutes in Europe and the Middle East. Bart is an international keynote speaker. He is also very active in the European Digital Education Hub.  Bart is the co-founder and co-host of the International Teachmeet at BETT. He is also an expert at the National Agencies of Belgium and the Netherlands. Bart's power is to spread the joy of learning. Store your knowledge in friends, is his favourite quote.

Presentation [pdf]
 

In this interactive workshop, participants explore how schools can strengthen basic skills (literacy, writing, numeracy) by moving from “having data” to using data for adaptive teaching. We introduce a simple Data-to-Action routine and show how whole-school team routines, roles and a shared responsibility community help the approach stick beyond individual classrooms. Participants co-create a one-page Data-to-Action Map and leave with concrete next steps for implementation.

Tina Simon is an education manager, program designer, and coach at the German Children and Youth Foundation (DKJS). Based in Frankfurt am Main, she heads the DKJS regional office in Hessen and supports with her team schools and local education systems in developing effective and equitable learning environments. A key focus of her work is on strengthening fundamental skills through data-driven school improvements, adaptive teaching, and school-wide routines, as well as developing approaches to “shared responsibility” with school authorities and local partners. In addition, programs are implemented to enforce the legal right to full-day support, early cultural education, and the development of digital skills during the transition from school to work. She holds an MBA in educational organization management and has several years of experience as a teacher and coordinator for full-day programs. She is also an experienced trainer and facilitator for school management and development processes.

Presentation [pdf]
Instructions [pdf]
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How can school leaders shape environments where every learner truly belongs? This interactive workshop invites participants to explore real-world challenges, reflect on inclusive leadership practices, and co-create meaningful policy actions. Through collaborative activities, case-based discussions, and practical idea exchanges, you will discover effective strategies to support diverse learners, empower teachers, and strengthen school communities. Join us to rethink leadership for the schools of tomorrow—and leave with inspiration, concrete tools, and renewed commitment to inclusion.

Inclusive School Leadership: A Tool for Self-Reflection on Policy and Practice

Results of the workshop [pdf]

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) empowers students to think critically, act responsibly, and shape a resilient future. By integrating sustainability into school culture, you can strengthen problem‑solving skills, foster global citizenship, and prepare learners to navigate environmental, social, economic, and political challenges with confidence and purpose.
Starting points for ESD can be found both in classroom teaching and in whole-school development. In this workshop, we will explore the underlying concept of ESD and various fields of action, such as curriculum development, school operations, collaboration with external partners and school leadership. You will also be given time to develop ideas for implementing selected aspects at your school and to connect with partner schools that share similar interests. Furthermore, we will offer you practical guidance on how to advance in your whole-school development process inspired by ESD. 

ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL (Global Civic Engagement - Service for Development Initiatives) provides information and advice to individuals, civil society, municipalities, schools, the private sector, and foundations on development policy initiatives and offers financial support for such projects. We provide needs based qualification, connect people and institutions, and support civic and municipal engagement.

You can find further information via this link

Wiebke Schwinger is a political scientist and project lead for training programmes on Education for Sustainable Development at ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL.

Birte Strebel is an educational scientist and project lead for training programmes on Education for Sustainable Development at ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL. 

Presentation [pdf, 4,09 MB]

This presentation introduces the Case4EU project, developed at KU Leuven as a Jean Monnet project. The project aims to empower citizens to participate in the democratic life of the European Union. It targets teachers, educators and secondary school students and proposes an innovative pedagogical approach to teaching the EU and citizenship through case-based learning. Case4EU places concrete situations faced by citizens at the centre of the learning process. Through the analysis of cases, students explore EU rights, values, objectives and principles, while developing critical perspectives on the exercise of public power within the EU.

Maxime Tecqmenne: Maxime is a research associate at KU Leuven, where he works on the case4EU project under the supervision of Kris Grimonprez. In addition, he is also teaching social law in a vocational training programme. He previously obtained a PhD in law at the University of Liège (2025).

Presentation [pdf]

In a world shaped by complex global challenges, misinformation, and polarised public debate, students need more than subject knowledge. They need the competences to evaluate sources, think critically, value diversity, and connect learning across disciplines. For teachers, this means embedding meta-scientific literacies into everyday teaching while navigating packed curricula, increasingly heterogeneous classrooms, and subject boundaries that rarely reflect the complexity of real-world problems. 
This is where the Erasmus+ Teacher Academies SciLMi and ICSE STEAM Vision come in. They offer practical strategies and activities that help teachers embed learning in authentic contexts, address real-world challenges, and create meaningful connections between subjects within existing school structures. SciLMi distinguishes itself through its practical approach. Complex competences spanning digital, media, and information literacies, critical thinking, equity and diversity literacies, and digital citizenship skills are systematically translated into measurable learning outcomes and structured HOWs – concrete, progressive steps that guide learners in a coherent and scaffolded way. Teachers are supported through an interactive wiki, digital activities, and ready-to-use lesson plans that enable them to integrate HOWs into their everyday teaching. 
The ICSE STEAM Vision Teacher Academy supports teachers in designing interdisciplinary learning experiences centred on real-world problems. By linking competences traditionally taught in separate subjects, students learn to apply knowledge in meaningful contexts and work collaboratively on complex challenges.

Maria Steger: Maria is the Managing and Academic Director of EduNet Europe, a Germany-based non-profit organisation that partners with schools and universities across Europe to develop research-informed and practice-oriented teacher education and school development programmes. Currently she leads EduNet Europe’s involvement in two Erasmus+ Teacher Academies: SciLMi, which supports teachers in strengthening students’ media and information literacies, critical thinking, digital citizenship, and diversity and equity literacies; and ICSE STEAM Vision, which promotes integrated approaches to STEAM education.
She strongly believes in collaboration across disciplines and beyond borders as a driving force for better schools – and ulimately a more peaceful and democractic Europe.

Presentation [pdf, 12,89 MB]