prova logo verde accesoMELT

Managing Emotions in Learning and Teaching
Building Inclusive Learning Environments

6 Primary/Lower-secondary schools from 6 different countries (IT, FR, LT, MT, PT, UK), representing diverse European pedagogical traditions, have joined in the MELT partnership (Managing Emotions in Teaching and Learning-Building Inclusive Learning Environments) in the conviction that inclusive learning environments can only be developed if two converging processes are started: on the one hand, it is necessary to outline a common professional profile for teachers in Europe. The challenges that teachers have to face are due to two main concurrent factors: changed and complex pupils’ needs and curricula which often do not respond to different learning contexts and the fact that teachers themselves are often not aware of their actual training needs, due to the absence of a clear professional profile at both national and international level.

On the other hand, MELT schools believe that the principle of social inclusion, one of the goals of the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development, cannot be translated into practice unless we build a pattern of transversal inclusive competences for all pupils. Although these competences are already contained in the articulation of the 8 Key competences for lifelong learning ( Dec 2006 Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council) and in the transpositions that each partner country has made of them, most teaching practice is still based on a widely spread approach which plans learning pathways for most pupils (the so-called normally intelligent pupils) first and differentiates the routes for those experiencing difficulties (special-needs pupils) later. The cultural change we would like to propose inverts that approach and seeks to identify a hard core of competences for all pupils, to be taught to all pupils.

To this purpose, MELT proposes to carry out a two-fold participatory action research involving around 40 % of teachers and 50 % of pupils (mostly 10-14 years-of-age) of the partners schools with the aim of

  • perceiving training needs of European teachers with regards to inclusion;
  • outlining a teacher's professional profile at both national and international level;
  • implementing a training pathway for teacher trainers centered on the teacher’s profile.
  • identifying inclusive competences for European pupils;
  • implementing learning activities on inclusive competences.

The MELT research will be developed through cooperation at distance and joint short-term staff training events. A scientific committee of experts and coordinators of the partner institutions will guide and assess all the process: initial surveys, reviews of education systems, teachers and pupils’ mobilities, final products. Teams of teachers will contribute to outline the characteristics of the inclusive teacher’s profile and identify the pupils’ inclusive competences, as well as receive training from the experts of the coordinating institution during mobilities. A professional profile of the inclusive teacher, a teacher training protocol and a map risks of social exclusion in the partner schools will be produced.