On March 24–26, the European Forum of Innovative Teachers was held in Vienna. Teresa Prokowska, a teacher at Municipal School Complex No. 2 and a laureate, together with Grażyna Graczyk, of the national Innovative Teacher competition, took part in it.
The main aim of the Forum is to exchange ideas and experiences, as well as to present best practices in integrating technology and innovative teaching methods. This year’s conference focused on the European Year of Creativity and Innovation.
More than 170 teachers from across Europe took part in the Forum. Poland was represented by two teachers: Teresa Prokowska and Anna Wołoszyn from the Lower Secondary School in Żmigród. The Polish delegation also included Jan Polak, director of Microsoft’s “Partnership for the Future” programme, and Maciej Kułak, editor of Głos Nauczycielski.
For three days, teachers presented their work, shared successes and discussed problems concerning educational solutions in individual countries. “Thanks to Microsoft’s initiative, we were able to compare our achievements with the activities of other countries, exchange experiences and learn from others. It is an extremely valuable and useful initiative,” says Teresa Prokowska. “We confirmed that we not only do not lag behind, but are genuinely performing at a European level. We had a fantastic week, viewed many interesting presentations, met many fascinating people and saw Vienna’s incredible monuments,” she adds.
Participation in the Innovative Teacher competition and the European Forum of Innovative Teachers allowed the school to present its achievements in working with students at such a broad forum for the first time. The experience gained will certainly result in new projects.
(information from MZS No. 2/ii)