European Conference

Opening of the conference by Katharina Heil, Deputy Secretary General, Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in Germany (Kultusministerkonferenz)

Creating the school of the future: the Finnish concept of phenomenal education (phenomenon-based learning)

Dr. Marjo Kyllönen is a Development Service Director at Helsinki Education Division. With 15.000 professionals, the Helsinki Education Division provides educational services from early childhood education to adult training for around 160.000 customers. With over 20 years in a leading possession for education services, advising on national core curricula, student well-being and assessment at national committees, she has many years of extensive experience in the Finnish education sector. She has played a leading role in the curriculum renewal and implementation of the Future School concept in Helsinki, which was recently presented "Vision for Education 2030: Helsinki learns - future competences". 

Marjo has a PhD in Education on the topic of "Future School and Leadership", she subsequently further developed the concept of the future school and its role and perspective in society and has published various articles on the topics of “Future School”, “Social Cohesion and Well-being”, “Leadership”, “Evaluation”, “Multicultural issues” and “Multi-professional cooperation”. Due to the great international interest, she has given lectures as part of the TED talks (e.g. Vilnius, 2017), been a keynote speaker at conferences in various countries (e.g. Witten, 2021) and was nominated “Educator of the Month” in December 2015 by the BBC. Convinced that education makes a difference and is crucial for social cohesion and well-being, she also volunteers for the education of children in developing countries.

Personalized Learning in Digital-Enhanced Classrooms

Digital technologies can enhance learning in schools. However, their effectiveness unfolds only in meaningful combination with pedagogical concepts. Using examples from Scandinavian and international schools, personalized learning in classrooms will be presented. A framework for teachers how to design for personalized active learning will be discussed – called Digital Didactical Design.  It will be reflected upon to what extent schools can benefit from these experiences.

Prof. Dr. Isa Jahnke is the Founding Vice President for Academic and International Affairs at the newly established University of Technology Nuremberg (www.utn.de/en) and also a professor of Learning Technologies. Previously, she spent 10 years abroad: most recently as a professor and Director of the Information Experience Lab at the University of Missouri, USA (2015-2021) and before that, she led the research group Interactive Media and Learning at Umeå University, Sweden (2011-2015). From 2008-2011, she was an Assistant Professor at University of Technology Dortmund. Her research expertise lies in digital didactical design, educational technologies, and learning experience design. For more information visit www.isa-jahnke.com.
 

Building Resilience to Disinformation in a Digital Media Age

Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck is Executive Director and Founder of Lie Detectors. She created Lie Detectors and directs its activities, partnerships and strategy. She heads the organisation’s advocacy. She has advised governments, policy-makers and the EU on strategies to counter disinformation and radicalisation, including within the EU’s High-Level Expert Group on Fake News and its Media Literacy Expert Group. Juliane designed the concept, scripts and training approach of Lie Detectors. For this, she has been recognised both personally as an EU “Local Hero” and via the project’s awards and award shortlists. To create Lie Detectors, Juliane put aside an award-winning journalism career, during which she wrote for The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Reuters, MLex and Spiegel Online among others. She is an alumna of New York’s Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the University of Edinburgh and speaks German, English, Spanish and French.
Lie Detectors was a key provider of media literacy teacher-training workshops during the 2021 eTwinning year of Media Literacy and gives frequent media literacy training to children and teachers in Erasumus+ and eTwinning fora. Lie Detectors is a Supportive Partner of eTwinning. It is Europe's leading provider of journalist-led media literacy training for children aged 10-15.
Lie Detectors - Critical Thinking

“Erasmus+: Activities and Funding Opportunities”

Sabine Lioy, originally trained as a teacher, has been working for PAD as a senior programme officer for more than thirty years. She has a vast experience of the former and the current Erasmus+ programme generations in the school sector and is currently responsible for Key Action 2 Cooperation Partnerships and NA-contact person for the programme priority “participation and Euopean values”.

Empowering students through collaborative projects: The chances of eTwinning

As part of the Erasmus+ programme, eTwinning offers the possibility of realizing digital exchanges that foster digital literacy and provide an authentic setting for language learning. Through collaborative projects the focus is laid upon pupil’s autonomy, creativity and active participation, as well as on intercultural communication and understanding.

Laura Restrepo Parrado holds a Master’s degree in European Literary Cultures from the Universities of Strasbourg and Bologna. She has also studied Literature and Foreign Languages in Colombia, from where she is a native and in Germany. She has a background in publishing, education, and international cooperation. Currently, she works as Senior Officer for eTwinning at the National Agency for Erasmus+ School Education, the Pedagogical Exchange Service (PAD) in Bonn. Her Focus areas include the coordination of the National professional development courses online and the organization of eTwinning’s initiative for Initial Teacher Education: “eTwinning for Future Teachers”.
 

The project was implemented by seven kindergartens from Greece, Estonia, France and Portugal aiming to raise awareness among the involved school communities about social and environmental problems in their area, having as ultimate goal cognitive and social well-being. The objectives of the partnership were focusing on students aged 3-6 years, supporting them to acquire new knowledge and develop their skills. To be more exact, teachers used innovative methods and techniques. To sum up, the partners encouraged and promoted the connection of well-being with the implementation of the 17 Global Goals of Sustainable Development through synergies and public awareness. All activities were based on group work and the active role of the members of each school community. Here you can find more information about the project final results

Jelena Rattik is a kindergarten teacher from Tallinn, Estonia, who has been working with children aged 1.5 to 7 years for about 20 years. She currently works at Tallinn Sõbrakese Kindergarten where she also coordinates the kindergarten's project work. 
Being an experienced eTwinner, her projects have been awarded the eTwinning Quality Label at both national and European level. She has also participated in several Erasmus+ projects, both as a coordinator and as a partner. She is also the mother of three children, with whom she enjoys spending time in nature, visiting museums, travelling, reading books and doing sports.

It was the first project of our primary school in new Erasmus+ cycle until 2027. As like in previous years, we wanted to make possible to maximum number of students to participate in the project and travel around the Europe. A total of 35 students and 14 teachers went abroad in 7 different countries, from Finland to Spain and from Germany to Croatia.

Petar Pantić, Primary school Sveti Sava, Požarevac, Republic of Serbia. I'm history teacher and project manager from primary school "Sveti Sava" for the last 8 years. So far, I've successfully finished 7 Erasmus+ projects, both KA1 and KA2, both in school and adult education.

Developing social engagement and democratic behaviour through a critical approach to digital media is the aim of this German-Spanish Erasmus+ project supported by, among others, the Institute for Quality Development in Schools in Schleswig-Holstein (IQSH), Germany. At the beginning of the project, the students were trained in workshops on the topic of Digital Citizenship Education (DCE), where they learned, for example, how social media influences our opinions or how to "beat the algorithm".They then developed transnational projects using the method Service-Learning (S-L),which combines formal learning with meaningful civic engagement, with two interrelated objectives: To strengthen democracy by changing the culture of learning. 
Find out more about this blended learning project and how you can use Erasmus+ and eTwinning to work with different European partners. 

Schirin Polzien is a former teacher of French, Spanish and German as a second language. She is currently working as a teacher trainer in the programme "Future School in the Digital Age" at the Institute for Quality Development in Schools in Schleswig-Holstein (IQSH), Germany. Her focus is on creating innovative teaching and learning scenarios for foreign language teaching. She actively supports schools and teachers in integrating these approaches into their teaching. In addition, Schirin Polzien has been an enthusiastic participant in Erasmus+ exchange projects for many years. She is eTwinning Ambassador for Initial Teacher Education (ITE), promoting eTwinning to future teachers. She is part of the Digital Citizenship Education-Promoters-Network. 

This workshop is all about your most motivational teaching ideas. What do you do to motivate your pupils to be happy learners? In this workshop you will be able to share your story about activities in class that always get your pupils to learn happily. At the same time, we will focus on image grammar: how to use smartphones as teaching tools and how to help you to make meaningful use of your smartphone in class.
Go to Happiness@school for more information on Martin’s inspiring work.

Martin Meissonnier is a French producer, film director, and artistic director. 
Martin has directed and produced numerous documentaries that have been broadcast on major television channels around the world, such as ARTE, France Télévision, Canal+, the BBC, and NHK like “The Life Of Buddha”, “In the footsteps of the Queen Of Sheba” and “Invisible War” amongst many others. In the last 10 years, he has focused on exploring themes related to work and education, including "Mein Wunderbarer Arbeitplatz" (Arte, 2015), "What Women Want At Work” (France 5, 2017), and the TV series “Happiness at School" (2022) as well as set up the platform wunderbareschulen.org.

Places of education can be understood as material ecologies in which central, peripheral, and social nervous systems develop and change. In these spaces, personal music biographies combine diverse music heritages within shared sensory environments. In this co-active and dialogical workshop, we will focus on ways of being together in music. We will explore analogue and digital music practices that can promote well-being for students and their teachers within educational settings. We will also learn about resources that offer co-creative possibilities between schools, whether they are just down the road or in countries that are far away and distant from each other.

Simon Gilbertson is Associate Professor at The Grieg Academy – Department of Music at the University of Bergen, Norway. After working since 1993 as a state-registered music therapist in neurosurgical rehabilitation with people with idiosyncratic biographies in residential, educational, and institutional settings, and two decades of transdisciplinary learning, Simon is committed to research and education related to significant-but-difficult-to-access issues at crossing points of critical thinking, health and the arts.
 

The quality of democracy is reflected in our everyday life and in our daily encounters and actions. In this workshop we will explore the application of a current Council of Europe reference framework for democracy to life in digital times. “Activity cards” with energizers and games on the topic of “Living and taking part in democracy” will be introduced that can be applied in different teaching and learning settings. 

Gelly Aroni holds a PhD in Social Psychology (Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences) and a master’s degree on “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 in the General Secretariat for Vulnerable Persons and Institutional Protection in the Ministry of Migration & 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, content, and values of Democracy and Human Rights Education (EDC/HRE).
Since 2020 she is working as an expert and a trainer in the European Wergeland Center’s programme "Schools for All – Integration of Refugee Children in Greek Schools.

Dr. Svetlana Lazić works in the Preschool Teachers Training College in Novi Sad (Republic of Serbia) as professor in charge of pedagogic courses and also as associate professor at the Pan-European University (Bosnia and Herzegovina). After graduation she worked as a television journalist where she researched topics, such as children in dormitories, foster care and adoption. In the Office of the Ombudsman of the Province of Vojvodina (Republic of Serbia), she advocated for the protection, implementation and improvement of children's rights. During her time at the Ombudsman's Office, she completed her Master's degree in 2008 and her PhD in 2011 and started working as a vocational teacher at the Preschool Teacher Training College. She is committed to the idea and key concepts of EDC/HRE in Serbia and promotes the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) at all levels of formal education. She also participates in the work of the Serbian Association for Women in Science "DOE" and the National Agency for Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education (NEAQA). Her areas of expertise include children's rights, issues of partner violence, inclusive and intercultural education and early childhood education. 

Rolf Gollob was a primary school teacher for many years before studying cultural anthropology at the University of Zurich. After obtaining his master’s degree, he concentrated on ethnological research and later became a lecturer at the Zurich University of Teacher Education. He focused on civic education and intercultural pedagogy. Since 1996, he has worked several times in Eastern/South-eastern Europe, Asia and Africa as an expert in general teaching methodology, human rights and civic education (often for the Council of Europe). As a founder of the Department IPE at the Zurich University of Teacher Education, he is responsible for projects in the field of education for democratic citizenship and human rights, general didactics, development of educational strategies, teacher training concepts and curriculum development. Since 2008, Rolf Gollob has been the Swiss National Coordinator for Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights/EPAN for the Council of Europe. Since 2024 he is member of the Swiss UNESCO-commission.For his 20 years of commitment to teacher training and education for democratic citizenship and human rights, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University "St Kliment Ohridski", Bitola, North Macedonia, in December 2013.

Join this engaging 90-minute workshop to find out how to equip children and teens with the skills to verify disinformation in this engaging 90-minute workshop by Lie Detectors. Led by experienced journalist Yilmaz Gülüm and media literacy teacher & Lie Detectors advisor Annemieke Akkermans, this session covers essential aspects of media literacy, including fact-checking, source verification, and effective image searches. Explore materials for teaching and gain insights into fostering a critical and safe engagement with the digital information landscape. Lie Detectors, an acclaimed independent media literacy organisation, collaborates with professional journalists to empower students and educators in navigating the digital world responsibly. 

Dr. Annemieke Akkermans has a strong academic and professional background in media literacy and education. She is head of IT and Media and teaches Media Studies at an international school in Berlin. Annemieke actively engages in research within the field of educational science and is an advisor of educational development at Lie Detectors, contributing her expertise to the NGO's mission.

Yilmaz Gülüm is a TV-journalist and works for the Austrian public broadcaster ORF. More than 10 years ago, he joined the media watchblog Kobuk, which debunks misinfomation in the mainstream media. In 2021, he also joined the Lie Detectors team of journalists. Since then, he has visited over 30 classrooms to talk about misinformation and help teachers and students detect it.

Service-Learning is a globally established method for connecting academic learning with real engagement of students outside of school. Service-Learning is not only about gaining practical experiences, but also about understanding social contexts, fostering critical thinking, and personal development. Empirical studies also demonstrate positive effects of Service-Learning in all different areas of democratic competence. In the workshop, participants develop their own cross-border digital Service-Learning projects, which help to promote democratic competencies.

Dr. Markus Gloe is Professor of Political Education and Didactics for Social Studies at the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute of Political Science at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich. His research focuses on democracy education and democracy pedagogy, political judgment, European education, human rights and children's rights education as well as historical-political education.

Join this workshop to explore how being attentive shapes our daily experience and is a basis for self-management. You will be able to learn practical techniques for staying present, taking mindful breaks and balancing yourself in a fast-paced environment. You will experience brief yet effective mindfulness exercises, helpful to enhance focus, facilitate quick relaxation and cultivate a clear and peaceful mind.
Furthermore, gain valuable insights into the outcomes and experiences, collected with the programme “Schools and Kindergartens Creating Wellbeing” by NGO Minutes of Stillness (Vaikuseminutid MTÜ)

Malle Rajangu, an Estonian mindfulness trainer, conducts workshops in various settings, including kindergartens, schools, businesses, as well as for parents and healthcare professionals. As a solution-focused coach, she collaborates with leadership teams in kindergartens and schools, striving to integrate wellbeing into the organizational culture, values and procedures. More information: www.vaikuseminutid.ee

Teaching about the European Union poses significant challenges for many educators. Join our workshop designed to help you overcome these obstacles and discover the potential of digital learning environments (XR-Hubs) in fostering a comprehensive understanding of the EU. Developed as a part of the "EU goes school!" project at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, this workshop is specifically tailored for teacher trainees and secondary education teachers. During this workshop, you will have the opportunity to navigate a learning environment using Virtual Reality, enabling you to expand your knowledge and skills in the fields of digital media and civic education. By leveraging this immersive technology, you will gain practical insights into effectively teaching about the European Union, equipping you with the tools to motivate and engage your students. 

Fabian Heindl is a Research Associate for Civic Education and Didactics for Social Studies at the Geschwister Scholl Institute of Political Science at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich. His research focuses on anti-racist education, EU-learning, digital learning tools in civic education, as well as intersections between historical and civic education.

Nils Preissner is a Research Associate at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, overseeing the "EU Goes School" project to maintain its scholarly content. He's crafting his dissertation on the role of educators in shaping European identity. With a Master's in "European Affairs" from Sweden and a Bachelor's in "International Relations" from England, he has a rich international background. He actively promotes the integration of European subjects into education, highlighting the synergy between multilingual education and international collaboration to enhance EU engagement.