Two professors from the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (FEP-UCP) participated in a pedagogical training for university teachers at the University of Vilnius, Lithuania, from 6 to 8 May.
The training is part of the activities of the project "PBL4TEA - PBL framework for Digital Collaborative Teacher Training", coordinated by FEP faculty Diana Mesquita, and follows the first edition of the training on active learning approaches for teachers, which took place at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) in February.
50 teachers from Turkey, Lithuania, Ireland and Portugal attended this second edition of the training in Vilnius. From the Universidade Católica in Porto, Diana Mesquita and Filipa Sobral (FEP), Eva Dias Oliveira (Católica Porto Business School) and Ana Teresa Ribeiro (Faculty of Law) were present.
The challenge of transforming a curricular unit
"As in the first edition, participants were challenged to transform a curricular unit or part of a curricular unit, inspired by the sessions organised by the project team, which covered various active learning strategies, the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom and other digital tools (such as the padlet), assessment and feedback. During the sessions, the participants collaborated as a team, based on reflections and discussions developed in a participatory and interactive way," says Diana Mesquita, who is also a researcher at the Research Centre for Human Development (CEDH).
Filipa Sobral, a FEP professor, highlights the added value she found in this session, in which she took part as a trainee: "My participation in this initiative allowed me to stop and think about my teaching practices in the classroom. I was able to listen, reflect and work together with national and international experts in pedagogical innovation, who challenged me to integrate the teaching and assessment tools and methodologies that were discussed and presented into my teaching practice."
"In addition, sharing experiences and exchanging ideas with colleagues from other countries has further enriched this learning experience. I hope that my students will soon notice that the lessons have become more challenging and stimulating," she adds.
About the PBL4TEA project
The training is part of the activities of the ERASMUS+ project "PBL4TEA - PBL framework for Digital Collaborative Teacher Training", funded by the European Commission and organised by CEDH, the R&D Unit of the FEP-UCP.
The two-year project (2022 to 2024) is coordinated by the Universidade do Minho and has a partnership with the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Koç University (Turkey), Munster Technological University (Ireland) and Vilnius University (Lithuania).
It should be noted that this international project consolidates partnerships with higher education institutions in other countries and is also in line with the mission of CLIL - Católica Learning Innovation Lab.