LOOP Project Announces Successful Completion of Field Trials on Teacher Induction and Mentor’s Capacity Programs and invites you to the Final Conference.

One month ahead of the official closing of the LOOP project, we are thrilled to unveil the outcomes of the field trials focusing on teacher induction and mentor’s capacity programs. The trials were conducted in selected schools across Portugal, Greece, Slovenia, Spain, Croatia, and Italy during the first half of 2023. Leading up to the field trials, a series of events involving a total of 1072 teachers were organized, including the Train the Mentors training course, My Induction Programme workshop, and Info Sessions for Mentors and New Teachers. This resulted in the active participation of 1017 teachers in the field trials.

The key findings from the national events have been synthesized in a comparative report, offering insights into the preparation and execution phases in each partner country. This report will soon be available on the project’s website. The field trials aimed to validate seven hypotheses central to the LOOP project, utilizing tools such as surveys, focus groups, and online interviews.

In the serene and inspiring environment of Planica, Slovenia, known for its natural beauty and tranquility, a significant event recently took place that marked a turning point in the educational landscape of Slovenia. A dissemination workshop was organized, bringing together various professionals from the Ministry of Education. The primary focus of this event was to discuss and strategise the integration of the LOOP project into the Slovene school system.

The workshop in Planica was not just a meeting; it was a breeding ground for ideas, strategies, and collaborative efforts. Professionals from different educational work backgrounds came together, united by a common goal – to effectively implement the LOOP project in a way that it resonates with the needs and aspirations of both teachers and pupils/students.

The LOOP Project – Empowering Teachers’ Personal, Professional, and Social Continuous Development through Innovative Peer-Induction Programmes aims to implement a systemic action that ensures the induction of teachers at the beginning of their professional activity, supported by mentorship, seeking political legitimacy, particularly through the definition of a legal framework suitable for the national contexts of the countries within the consortium (Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece and Italy).

The work carried out as part of the project over the past two years has led to the publication of two Policy Briefs, culminating now in the preparation of this Policy Report 3: On field trials – the impact of a teacher’s induction programme and a mentors’ capacity programme on the teaching profession. This report is a result of Work Package (WP) number 4 “Developing policy recommendations from field activities” of the LOOP project.

Policy Report 3, targeting the same audience as the two previous reports, aims to make known the induction programme and the mentors’ capacity programme’s impact on the teaching profession. It highlights the challenges faced during their implementation, presents the main conclusions drawn from this experience (namely regarding the changes in career opportunities, the motivation of experienced teachers and school principals, and the professional development and motivation of beginning teachers), and provides recommendations that are considered to be of great relevance for decision-making in the context of the future definition and implementation of these programmes.

The objectives of this report are aligned with those of the LOOP project, as they aim to develop the implementation of formal teacher induction programmes and informal practices, as well as mentors’ capacity programmes. These programmes are significant for both facilitating access to the teaching profession and maintaining the quality of its practice.

👉 Full report here

A gathering that brought together representatives from the Catalan Ministry of Education, spearheading the SENSEI pilot induction program. The event saw active participation from UVIC-UCC professors engaged in both the LOOP project and teachers’ training.

The LOOP project made its debut at the 16th annual International Conference of Education, Research, and Innovation, attracting the attention of global researchers and experts in education and technology.

The presentation kicked off by addressing the challenges that inspired the project, outlining its objectives with precision. As part of the methodology, the authors elucidated key concepts, such as co-designing solutions, experimenting with policies, and implementing a teacher induction program based on mentoring and peer mentoring.

Here you can find information on project publications, such as the Teacher’s Induction Programmes and Mentors Capacity Programmes, the field trials and policy seminars, as well as project activities and meetings, along with the growth of the LOOP network in all partner countries!

👉 Read our newsletter here: https://t.ly/3aN2F

🗓️ On September 28, a remarkable event took place in Italy that left over 800 participants, including teachers, policymakers, researchers, and scholars, buzzing with enthusiasm.

Sponsored by LUM University and supported by INDIRE, the event centered on the MCP (Mentors’ Capacity Programme) course, part of the larger LOOP project.

📚 The event delved deep into the multifaceted aspects of the MCP course, emphasizing its importance in bridging theory with practical application.

The enthusiasm for the MCP course was off the charts! So much so that, due to an overwhelming number of applicants👤, we are planning a special registration day to ensure everyone gets a fair chance.

👉 Mark your calendars for October, as the course will soon be available on the S.O.F.I.A. platform, offering a wealth of knowledge and resources to all educators.

We can’t wait to see how the MCP course impacts education and learning across the board!

Mentoring and induction programmes are essential to support teachers at different stages of their careers, ensuring their well-being, motivation, and retention, according to a European report.

The report, published by the LOOP project, supported by the European Commission, reveals that induction programmes for teachers supported by mentoring offer opportunities for personalized training, professional development, and career progression, as well as preparing teachers to face the challenges they encounter, supporting them in five dimensions of their action – didactic-pedagogical, disciplinary, bureaucratic and administrative, emotional, social, and cultural.

The successful experience of programmes in countries such as Germany, Italy, and Croatia suggests that they should be politically legitimized and incorporated into teacher training, so the experimental implementation involving 888 teachers currently underway will prove the need for their effective implementation in countries such as Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, and Greece.