The objectives underlining the design of this project, were the following in each of the priorty areas: a) adoption of innovative methodologies: • to improve the teachers’ competences, in order to innovate their practices; • to give teachers the tools that will enable them work the cultural and social diversity and inclusion; • to enable teachers’ in service training with peers from other countries, deepening their educational European awareness. b) school modernisation and development: • to get to know international innovative structures and models that can be reproduced, as a means to promote a modern vision of the school; • to improve the school organizational, administrative and management skills. c) acquisition of digital skills: • to familiarize teachers and managers with tools and concepts connected with digital learning; • to improve teachers' and managers' awareness of the importance ICT has in education and how they affect the teaching and learning processes.
The project “Training to Learn, Learning to Improve” was designed having as its basis the Educational Project and the self-assessment report both concerning Agrupamento de Escolas Elias Garcia. At the time these 2 documents had identified needs concerning: a) the adoption of innovative educational methodologies; (b) the teaching and learning of key competences; (c) the school modernisation and development; (d) the acquisition of digital skills and the enhancement of ICT usage; (e) the development of students’ social competences; (f) the pedagogical diferentiation; (g) the curricular articulation and reflexion practices focused on the curriculum management; (h) the generalization of pedagogical supervision and advisory practices. Though the efforts developed lately by the school cluster as well as by the teachers in order to overcome the identified weak points, we felt we needed to have an external contribution to help in this journey. Thus, and taking into account the needs identified above there were 3 axes underpinning this project, considered as priorities by the staff, namely: a) adoption of innovative methodologies; b) school modernisation and development; c) acquisition of digital skills.