Today's European challenges, namely the promotion of common values of equality, democracy and citizenship, pose very demanding tasks for education, requiring permanent questioning of the role of schools and teachers across Europe. This is a real problem that requires a common approach at European level. Strongly marked by this complexity, the main educational actors need urgent support to face some of the main priorities facing them: (i) school dropout, (ii) school failure, iii) socio-economic and educational inequalities and (iv) the inclusion of refugees and ethnic minorities. These problems require new methodological proposals, which value the important work of teachers and support them, not only at an early stage of their career, but also at different stages of their professional life. If it is certain that there is an academic curriculum that scientifically prepares teachers, it is no less true that it does not prepare them to face many difficulties, which they will experience from the first year of professional activity. On the other hand, teachers with more years of career and with an in-depth knowledge of the educational system need to follow the evolution of knowledge and the current experiences of students. This reality shows the urgent need to support both professionals, motivating them, not only for their professional development, but also creating conditions to improve their effectiveness and consequently their satisfaction. This can be achieved, as TALIS, 2018 demonstrates, with a clear commitment to Induction Programs and, in particular, Mentoring Programs. Coherently, the LOOP (designation associated with unity, wisdom and evolution), which is based on values such as diversity in education, equal opportunities for school and educational success, pillars of this strategic partnership, allows the construction of new pedagogical approaches and teaching methods, especially focused on inclusion and cooperative work. The LOOP intends to contribute for the training opportunities that are given, to the teachers at the beginning of their careers and in the face of new school contexts, supporting the acquisition of pedagogical practices articulated in the contexts, in a perspective of intergenerationality, reinforcing the skills of teachers, trainers and Mentors of teachers, through resources and the promotion of community learning networks. The effective sharing of knowledge, based on cooperation between teachers, at different stages of their careers, must be properly insured, there is no deep and insurmountable gap between generations of teachers, risking an irreparable loss of knowledge, which you can see the average age of teachers in active employment. The passage of acquired knowledge is not safeguarded in the training of teachers and should be considered, through a bet on the valorization of acquired knowledge, interpersonal relationships and the recognition of what this entails for the acquisition of knowledge, emotional and social development, professional performance and career motivation. LOOP provides real access to Training Programs for Mentors, Mentoring for teachers and their effective implementation in the countries of the Consortium. LOOP is developed around five workpackages, ten activities and three intellectual products (LOOP landscape, LOOP toolkit for mentoring and LOOP provider for better outcomes), with a clear bet on the assumption that training is the key to the success of students.
LOOP aimed to: - Foster European Citizenship and Teacher Development: LOOP supported teacher growth and European citizenship through shared experiences among countries; - Promote Innovative Pedagogical Practices: LOOP encouraged innovative teaching methods and online networks among educators and stakeholders. - Influence Teacher Training Policies: LOOP's goal was to impact global training policies, enhancing collaboration; - Elevate the Teaching Profession: LOOP aimed to raise the teaching profession's status by providing support, feedback, and career guidance to educators. - Enhance Mentoring Programs: LOOP sought to improve mentoring, benefiting teachers and students; To achieve these goals, the initiative established objectives, including understanding mentoring, providing training, implementing feedback processes, certifying programs, and disseminating results. The target audience encompassed teachers at various career stages, educational administrators, and institutions responsible for teacher training. LOOP engaged educators at all career stages, educational administrators, and teacher training institutions for comprehensive insights, using questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and (un)conferences for needs assessments.
The "Education Council" emphasizes supporting early-career teachers through induction programs, combining formal and informal activities. These programs reduce absenteeism and retain educators, as highlighted in TALIS 2018. TALIS 2018 data reveals limited induction program access in OECD countries, with 60% of teachers not participating. Participation rates vary: OECD 42%, Portugal 40%, Italy 25%. Induction includes mentoring, meetings, lesson planning, and peer evaluation, with mentoring considered crucial (OCDE, 2019). Team teaching with experienced teachers is rare in the OECD (45%), and only 22% of novice teachers have mentors in the OECD, 14% in Portugal, and 5% in Italy. Addressing low mentorship rates, including training and methodology, is urgent, given the importance of qualified teachers due to retirement. The central focus of this LOOP project revolves around partners collaboratively establishing mentorship programs aimed at supporting early-career teachers across diverse educational contexts. These programs are designed to be dynamic, personalized, and continuously updated, providing crucial guidance to the next generation of educators.