Study of the impact of Comenius school partnerships on ...

Figure 3 Impact on teachers
Improvement <strong>of</strong> teachers’ social and organisational competences
<strong>Comenius</strong> <strong>school</strong> <strong>partnerships</strong> improve teachers’ ability to work in European and
interdisciplinary teams. The <strong>impact</strong> is stronger in multilateral than in bilateral
<strong>partnerships</strong> and, in <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> former, varies depending on <strong>the</strong> number <strong>of</strong>
teachers and partners involved. Teachers appreciate <strong>the</strong>se new styles <strong>of</strong> collaborative
work, which <strong>of</strong>ten differ vastly from <strong>the</strong>ir usual pr<strong>of</strong>essional practices.
<strong>Comenius</strong> <strong>school</strong> <strong>partnerships</strong> have a proven <strong>impact</strong> on teachers’ – and, above all,
coordinators’ – organisational competences. It is <strong>of</strong>ten a question <strong>of</strong> acquiring new
competences that contribute to <strong>the</strong> highlighting and pr<strong>of</strong>essional development <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
coordinator’s function, and which may be reinvested beyond <strong>the</strong> project’s contractual
duration.
Improvement <strong>of</strong> language skills, mainly in English
<strong>Comenius</strong> <strong>school</strong> <strong>partnerships</strong> contribute to specialist and non-specialist teachers’
language skills by providing <strong>the</strong>m with an opportunity to converse and work in a
foreign language. In over half <strong>the</strong> <strong>school</strong>s, <strong>partnerships</strong> had a major <strong>impact</strong> on <strong>the</strong>
improvement <strong>of</strong> participating teachers’ English language skills. Their <strong>impact</strong> on <strong>the</strong>
development <strong>of</strong> skills in languages o<strong>the</strong>r than English was less marked.
Besides <strong>the</strong> effect this has on teachers’ pr<strong>of</strong>essional development, <strong>the</strong> indirect <strong>impact</strong>
it has on <strong>the</strong>ir pupils should also be emphasised. By putting teachers in a position
where <strong>the</strong>y have to communicate in ano<strong>the</strong>r language and different cultural context,
<strong>the</strong> projects make <strong>the</strong>m aware <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> linguistic and cultural difficulties that some <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong>ir pupils have to cope with, and so take better account <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m.
Computer skills
<strong>Comenius</strong> <strong>school</strong> <strong>partnerships</strong> enable teachers to develop <strong>the</strong>ir ICT pr<strong>of</strong>iciency. Such
competences are largely developed through self-training or peer training, even if
dedicated courses may sometimes be held in-house. Collaborative work methods
generate new competences that may readily be invested outside <strong>the</strong> project itself.
November 2012, p.6