I’ve been in Erasmus+ world for 12 years, already!
I’ve learnt a lot about Erasmus+ benefits, but in this blog post I would emphasize:
*learning from fellow teachers,
*develop your teaching and personal self,
*teaching your students implementing useful teaching methods and approaches and
*sharing a good practice onwards.
I’ve just got back from another job shadowing visit.
This time, after a year from the last job shadowing visit, I learned from Lithuanian fellow teachers, doing one more job shadowing activity, last week, in Kaunas, the second biggest town in Lithuania.
Learning from fellow teachers
When I prepare the programme for my guests, I always plan to show high quality preparation, my experience and knowledge, and my teaching performance.
It is normal and usual to represent yourself the best you can.
Useful tip: try to plan activities that involve fellow teachers actively in your teaching process, make them your active students and at the same time your trainees who will transfer new experience to their classes.
So, I kindly asked my hosts to prepare lessons and workshops that I can actively participate, because that way you learn better.
I felt more productive by being more engaged, and consequently I asked questions which pop up out of practice…otherwise, your quiet sitting in the back row for 45 minutes would turn into an uninteresting observation that dries out your concentration and motivation.
Useful tip: let your hosts prepare a monitoring form with a shadowing programme for you…here you can download our example:
Keep your notes regularly day in, day out. If not, after two days and intensive rhythm of observation, you can easily forget what previously happened. All notes you write in your monitoring form, are really fruitful for your later practice.
Develop your teaching and personal self
Let yourself learn!
There’s always something to learn about…even if the practice you observe doesn’t meet your teaching standard.
It’s important to compare yourself to other fellow teachers’ methodologies, because then by self-reflection, you can estimate where your teaching standard is placed!
Useful tip: It’s not just about observing the classes, everything that your visit there is about, counts! So, after working hours and shift, you are free to use the rest of your day the way you want. Use it! Experience what culture of that place brings to you: history, nature, food, language, customs…After such an active week, you’re about to see slight changes within yourself…those positive, motivational, inspiring ones.
Open yourself to embrace new teaching methodologies, approaches, tips & tricks, as you can experience them at every our, Lina Edu Erasmus+ Teacher Training course in Split, Croatia you can choose: https://linaedu.eu/teacher-training-courses/.
Teaching your students implementing useful teaching methods and approaches
When you plan your observation programme, think always about your students.
You do that to improve your practice and to make your students better at dealing with learning obstacles and results.
Useful tip: Make a plan of implementing new, useful teaching elements you learned and set off to the action! That way, you will refresh your teaching style, innovate some parts of your teaching lesson and lesson plan, involve your students more, the same way you were introduced to the activities back then at your hosting institution.
Sharing a good practice onwards
After you finish your job shadowing visit, it is expectable to disseminate your experience to your peers. Leave your impact on them, by sharing your excitement and rich emotions that you feel after a dynamic, kind, friendly, useful cooperation with your hosts.
Useful tip: By transferring your experience, you are becoming more self-confident, and you are doing again self-reflection by preparing your review on your Erasmus+ experience. Be ready to deal with your peers’ questions, but there’s nothing you can be easily surprised by…you’ve experienced that!
Note!
One thing stands out, as usually does: that special hospitality that teachers can show to another teacher.
I can’t feel that warming welcome anywhere. Incredible!
Wherever you go, and whichever hosting institution it is, this is the most certain…a hosting, proud heart is at your service.
And this is what matters: good practice that reflects pride of the school teaching community.
When teachers do their best, make the school proud of them, and raise the school good work at higher level.
That’s the bottom line of Erasmus+ programme.
Yours truly, Ivana Bokavšek, Lina Edu lead educator
