The Iberoamerican University Foundation (FUNIBER), together with the rest of the partners of the Erasmus +DigitalTA project (2022-2025), held last May 5 and 6 the final conference of the project “Connect, dialogue, and transform: education in the service of transition” at Universidad Europea del Atlántico (European University of the Atlantic, UNEATLANTICO), with the realization of several conferences and workshops. The event was aimed at the professional world of teacher training but also at university students and brought together 290 participants from the educational community.
The event coincided with the inauguration of the second Erasmus+ International Staff Week 2025, organized by the International Relations Office (ORI).
The main objective of the project is to improve the practical training of primary and secondary school teachers in initial and continuous training (particularly novice teachers) in European Union countries, reducing burnout and professional attrition. The partners involved in the project are from European initial and continuous teacher training institutions in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Poland, and Spain.
The conference, coordinated by Josep Alemany and Dr. Thomas Prola, coordinators of the DigitalTA project, aimed to address the phenomenon of professional and educational transition from a multidisciplinary perspective, focusing on professional learning in the teaching profession from the completion of initial university training.
During the two days, two main talks focused on the results and impacts of the project, as well as eight workshops and a keynote lecture on teacher training by Spanish expert Pepe Menéndez.
Neuroeducation in transition, working methodologies in the classroom, and the use of the platform were addressed by international experts, with the participation of external European students and teachers. The workshops, coordinated by Dr. Silvia Pueyo (UNEATLANTICO), Dr. Anna Szczepanek-Guz (Uniwersytet Jana Kochanowskiego w Kielcach, Poland), and Dr. Thomas Prola, which were attended by 190 participants over the two days of activities, focused on reflective methodology, a neuroeducation training escape room, and the DigitalTA platform.
Monday’s conference focused on the results of the project. The session started with the participation of another Erasmus+ Teachers’ Academy, Scientific Literacies in the (Mis-) Information Age (SciLMi), by Maria Steger, scientific coordinator of the project, who presented her first results. The project, which will culminate next year, focuses on the impact of lack of information on education and the preparation of all students to act as responsible, competent, and effective democratic citizens.
After his speech, Dr. Thomas Prola introduced the other invited members. Dr. Iva Koribská (Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, Czech Republic) mentioned the needs of novice teachers, especially from the focus groups and interviews conducted by the team. After exploring the needs, Salvador Banderas, FUNIBER’s Director of Educational Technology and Translation, presented the DigitalTA platform and how the tool has been developed over the last 36 months. On behalf of CFIE Segovia, (Spain) María Fuentes spoke about the mentoring process in the platform. Finally, Lisa Van Streydonck (Artesis Plantijn University of Applied Sciences, Belgium) and Izabela Krzak-Borkowska (Swiętokrzyskie Centrum Doskonalenia Nauczycieli, Poland) gave the audience a clear idea of user feedback.
Tuesday’s conference focused on the results of the project and the unexpected impacts that exceeded those expected: 271 participating educational institutions during the pilot phase and 428 institutions impacted during the implementation of the project (17 public institutions), 9 published articles, 11 international conferences and 50 local events held, and 17,316 participants in the activities.
Dr. Prola indicated that in a climate of global uncertainty the project is an example of commitment to education and peace from an intercultural perspective and within the teaching community. The participation of education professionals, primary school teachers, secondary school teachers, mentors, and also education students has made it possible to build a dialogic and tolerant learning community that has given rise to a common model among European countries, the basis of the virtual platform developed.
“The main resource for learning about teaching is the teacher himself,” said Prola. After 36 months of work, the project concludes with a digital space for the teaching transition that hosts a learning community of 1,175 international users and allows interactions for learning from the vulnerability of the participants, focusing on the co-responsibility of the users.
Those interested in the project can find out more about it through the project’s website.
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