Erasmus+ Teacher Academy teff takes flight at the University of Cologne

10/30/2023 | by Dr Jan Springob | Digital Education European Universities Teacher Education Sustainability Well-Being

The „teff“ (Teacher Education for a Future in Flux) Teacher Academy hosted its kick-off meeting at the University of Cologne on 19-20 October 2023.

A cheerful group of attendees in a well-lit auditorium, seated and waving at the camera. Many participants are smiling and seem engaged. In the foreground, a few individuals are sitting on wooden chairs, with a sign labelled 'teacher' placed on an unoccupied seat. In the background, banners displaying words like 'education' and 'future' are visible.
Focused group of professionals seated around a table during a meeting. A woman in the centre, wearing a striped top, speaks and gestures with her hands. To her left and right, other attendees, including a man with glasses and a laptop, listen intently. The table is adorned with name tags, colourful mugs, notebooks, and electronic devices. In the background, a window showcases rooftops, hinting at an urban setting.
Two cheerful individuals, a man and a woman, standing in front of promotional banners for 'Teacher Education for a Future in Flux' academy. The man, wearing a dark jacket and white shirt, holds a sign reading 'teacher'. Beside him, the woman, dressed in a light-coloured suit, holds a sign reading 'education'. The atmosphere is positive, and the venue has a modern interior with hints of a catering area in the background.

The Teacher Education for a Future in Flux (teff) Teacher Academy is now officially underway. From 19-20 October, over 70 representatives of the ten European founding universities, the participating schools and educational institutions met at the University of Cologne. This gathering marked the first in-person meeting, serving as a platform for the participants to celebrate their success and to concretise their goals for the teff Academy, which was established in June 2023 as one of 16 Erasmus+ Teacher Academies. 

At the heart of this new European academy lies a commitment to targeted educational offers centered around future-oriented (school) topics, such as digitality, sustainability, diversity and well-being. With this approach, the consortium responds to the need for joint training and further educational offers that help (prospective) teachers to cope with current and future challenges. The academy, one of the largest consortiums in this funding line, is firmly oriented toward European  and transdisciplinary collaboration across all phases of teacher professionalisation.

Dr. Jan Springob, the project manager for teff, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “For the first time, all the colleagues involved are coming together to celebrate the great success and to delve deeper into the concrete design of the ambitious project. We are very much looking forward to now really kicking off the cooperation and the work.”

Initiated by EUniWell, Prof. Dr. Beatrix Busse, Chief Development Officer for both teff and the European University for Well-Being highlights the significance of this Academy: “This Teacher Academy cultivates change-makers in dire times. We are obligated to develop European-wide responses to European-wide problems using agile, cross-phased methods and resources that enable all teachers to focus, importantly, on the well-being of our children, students, teachers, universities, and local, regional, European and global societies.” 

Background: The teff Teacher Academy and EUniWell

teff is a joint project of over 20 institutions from France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. The academy leverages existing synergies resulting from the cooperation of European universities within EUniWell and the Teacher Education Network. teff draws upon the established structures and experiences of these institutions and their tangible results. During the first funding phase of EUniWell, for example, blended pilot seminars on central cross-cutting issues (inclusion or sustainability) were developed, implemented and evaluated across the participating universities. These are based on the European Standards for Teacher Education, which are currently being developed by EUniWell as well as the teff consortium. 

Further information

Find out more about the teff Teacher Academy here: https://www.teff-academy.eu

Contact

Dr. Jan Springob, Managing Director teff: jan.springob[at]uni-koeln.de

 

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