PROJECT
Erasmus+ Project: Peer Observation & Co-Teaching in Adult Language Education
Project Overview
This project aims to enhance the quality of adult language education through collaboration, reflection, and peer learning across Europe.
By exploring different forms of peer observation—seen as the first step toward co-teaching—we want to turn Job Shadowing (JS) into a structured and impactful professional development tool.
Our Objectives
We want to build a shared culture of observation and cooperation that benefits both educators and learners.
To achieve this, we will:
Explore and test various approaches to peer observation in international language teaching for adults.
Develop practical tools and guidelines to help educators design and carry out successful Job Shadowing activities.
Define clear observation criteria and structures for each session to ensure smooth, productive exchanges.
Engage adult students in the process to create a holistic, learner-centred perspective on effective teaching.
Encourage reflection sessions where educators can discuss observations, challenges, and new insights.
Identify best practices that lead to positive classroom change and create ways to measure their impact.
Evaluate and sustain the project’s long-term benefits within the Erasmus+ network.
Why Collaboration Matters
Collaboration is key to professional and institutional growth. Through structured observation and analysis, we can better understand what defines effective teaching and how it meets the diverse needs of adult learners.
Job Shadowing promotes inclusion in two fundamental ways:
It breaks the isolation of individual teachers, fostering dialogue and cooperation among professionals from different countries.
It multiplies the resources available to learners, offering more perspectives, more feedback, and higher teaching quality.
Who We Work With
1. Partner Institutions
Our first target group includes the participating organisations themselves, all active in adult education but with different levels of experience in Erasmus+.
For newcomers (like CPIA), the project is a chance to gain experience in European project management and international cooperation.
For partners with moderate experience, the goal is to strengthen organisational and financial management skills.
For those with more experience, the aim is to share expertise, mentor others, and improve overall capacity within the partnership.
This cooperation will empower institutions to integrate Job Shadowing as a sustainable teaching practice, both internationally and locally.
2. Adult Educators
Our second target group includes language teachers, trainers, consultants, and coordinators.
They are actively involved from the start, sharing experiences and shaping activities to ensure real benefits for everyone involved.
At a broader level, the tools we develop will support all teachers engaged in Job Shadowing—especially within Erasmus+ KA1 mobilities.
3. Adult Learners
Learners play a crucial role in the project.
We’ll involve diverse groups of adults to help identify what makes a “good teacher” and to test how feedback can best support learning improvement.
As researcher Maxwell reminds us in Making Every MFL Lesson Count (2020):
“Students are unlikely to benefit from our feedback unless we set aside time for them to reflect on it, review strategies to meet targets, and act on improvement.”
Their voices will guide us toward more effective, inclusive teaching practices.
Our Approach
This is an exploratory and participatory project: each activity is built around key questions designed to stimulate reflection among teachers, students, and institutions.
By collecting and analysing these insights, we aim to identify turning points for improvement and to strengthen the professional skills of educators through everyday observation and exchange.
Lasting Impact
With the support of the Erasmus+ Programme, our partnership is committed to creating tangible, lasting outcomes:
practical tools for professional growth,
a stronger network of adult education institutions across Europe, and
a culture of learning that values exchange, reflection, and collaboration.
Project Timeline
| Phase | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢 Preparation | Nov 2024 – Feb 2025 | ✅ Completed |
| 🟢 Kick-off Meeting & Training Course – “Job Shadowing Principles” | 8–15 Mar 2025 | ✅ Completed |
| 🟢 Internal Testing – Observation Criteria | Mar – Oct 2025 | ✅ Completed |
| 🟢 Co-Creation Workshop (Ljubljana) | Nov 2024 – Feb 2025 | ✅ Completed |
| 🟢 Internal Piloting – Draft Tool | Nov 2025 – Mar 2026 | ✅ Completed |
| 🟢 Co-Creation Workshop (Maspalomas) | Mar 2026 | ✅ Completed |
| 🟡 Internal Fine-Tuning | Mar – Jun 2026 | 🟡 Ongoing Phase |
| ⚪ Final Showcase (Milan) | Oct 2026 | ⏳ Upcoming |