Our goal was to acquire more knowledge about creating an inclusive environment and accommodating diverse needs. We wanted to connect with interested colleagues internationally and initially we tried to cover various subjects through the participating teachers so that it would be a project for more than just one field. Later, through dissemination, more colleagues at our school would benefit from the mobilities, not only the ones who participated. Through the implementation of the project, our objective was to observe and learn from the best practice ideas that we heard and learnt about at the different schools and to apply them in our classrooms and schools by presenting possibilities to the schools management. We wanted to learn about different learning environments and about the education of teachers, about tools and methods used in other schools to keep the students motivated or obtain additional knowledge and to help them develop cultural awareness so to make them open-minded for the exciting possibilities that are out there and available to them through Erasmus+.
We meet so many students in our classrooms, and they have different needs, different interests, different backgrounds. Even though there are similarities, they are all unique and special. Our job is to make sure that all of them are motivated, that they are learning and reaching their potential. To be able to achieve these goals we have to make sure that all our students feel included in the classroom with their peers and in school in general. We have to make sure that the tasks we hand out are manageable for all of them, that we don’t lose anyone for any reason. These are the main reasons why we applied for this project. We are constantly looking for new methods and ideas to ensure that every student is included and that we take care of their well-being and self-esteem. We knew that other schools in other European countries organize their teaching differently, work with inclusion in the classroom in a different way and we wanted to learn more about the way they work and why, how this would create a better learning environment for a student. Erasmus+ and the possibility for job shadowing seemed like an ideal opportunity for us, it was exactly what we were looking for. We hoped that we would get to see best practice ideas and to learn so that we could bring new knowledge back to our own classrooms, and our colleagues. We also hoped to be able to present some of our ideas and best practice to the schools we visited. During a teacher training a few years ago, we discussed this challenge with the colleagues we met there and that was a useful experience. You learn a lot by reflecting and debating with a group, and we don't get to do that a lot, there is not enough time. For that reason we were also really interested in the possibility to exchange ideas and discuss further, and also their feasibility with regards to different schools, different curricula and different national limits with other teachers who had the same goal. With this project we hoped to learn more about different learning environments, how to differentiate in the classroom, how other teachers work to make sure there are Room For All. We hoped to get new knowledge about this important topic. We applied for his project because we thought it could provide for new knowledge, improve our skills and competences, and hopefully some new tools and ideas that could be just what we need to be able to ensure that all of our students get what they need to stay motivated for learning, interested and have the feeling of belonging in class regardless their individual needs.