The activities of the PractiMent Project, funded by the Bilateral Relations Fund (FBR), have come to an end.
The project left a significant legacy for the comparative analysis of initial teacher training programmes in Portugal, Norway and Iceland. Developed over eighteen months, it aimed to study the structure of different initial training models, with a particular focus on strengthening the Supervised Teaching Practice (STP) component and the work carried out by the mentors teachers in the co-operating schools in supporting and supervising the students on placement.
Thanks to FBR funding, PractiMent was able to directly involve representatives from central education administration bodies, teachers from the training institutions, mentor teachers and initial training students, through a multilateral action programme involving: from Portugal, the Directorate-General for School Administration; from Norway, the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences; and from Iceland, the School of Education at the University of Iceland, in partnership with the School of Education at the Setúbal Polytechnic Institute.
As part of the project, the consortium members had the opportunity to participate in two study visits, which took place in Bergen and Lisbon respectively. The closing seminar, held from May 8 to 10, 2024, in Lisbon and at the School of Education in Setúbal, also featured the participation of the Universidade Aberta. This was an opportunity for consortium members to meet with representatives of higher education institutions, cooperating schools, and trainees involved in initial teacher training programmes.
The closing seminar focused on analysis of pedagogical supervision activities, strategies for strengthening the quality of PES, and collaborative work practices between higher education institutions and cooperating schools. During the event, strategies were discussed to ensure the sustainability of the initiatives implemented and the results achieved were presented, including:
- The development of a detailed comparative study of the initial teacher training systems in Portugal, Norway and Iceland, with an emphasis on the organisation and quality of PES.
- The presentation of proposals to reformulate initial teacher training programmes, particulary regarding the review of the status and relevance of the work carried out by teachers from cooperating schools.
- The promotion of an international collaborative network, enabling the exchange of experiences and good practices between the three countries.
The collaborative work developed by this international network enabled a fruitful exchange of experiences and knowledge between Portugal and the donor countries. This transnational dimension was essential for identifying innovative solutions and adapting them to the reality of each national context.