The educational center in Foios has expanded its international experiences thanks to the Erasmus+ program. These mobilities and placements have allowed teachers and students to learn about other educational systems, exchange knowledge on pedagogical methodologies, and enrich the learning opportunities for the entire educational community.
Students from the Basic Vocational Training in Office IT participated in projects in Brussels (Belgium) and Belluno (Italy). One initiative, titled 'European Parliament and Disinformation: A Guide to Understanding the EU,' focused on understanding European institutions and developing critical thinking against fake news and disinformation. The stay in the Belgian capital facilitated direct contact with various European Union institutions.
The mobility to Belluno provided another opportunity for international learning and coexistence. Both stays have served to enhance key competencies such as personal autonomy, confidence, social skills, and greater intercultural openness among the young participants.
The Erasmus+ project was also presented during the II Conference on the Dissemination of Internationalization Experiences, organized by Cefire at the end of the past academic year. With the start of the new academic year, the institute plans to continue with the Erasmus+ VET project, facilitating new international experiences for Basic Vocational Training students.
The school's teaching staff has also benefited from the Erasmus+ program during the 2025-2026 academic year, participating in observation placements and specialized training activities in France, Germany, and Spain.
In Rennes (France), a teacher undertook an observation placement at Lycée Sévigné to learn about the school's functioning and its pedagogical methodologies. Upon returning, she shared work dynamics and practical examples with the teaching staff.
In Tenerife, another teacher participated in the course 'Brain-Based Learning: Understand How Students Really Learn,' focusing on learning processes, memory, attention, movement, and student motivation. The training included the creation of a visual map with proposals applicable to the classroom environment.
Meanwhile, the school's counselor traveled to Dijon (France) as part of the ACADEMIA professional guidance program. During her stay, she learned about the French guidance system and visited multicultural reception classrooms, with students from over twenty nationalities, as well as SEGPA classrooms, designed for students with learning difficulties.
Finally, a teacher completed an observation placement at Heinrich-Heine-Gymnasium in Dortmund (Germany) from June 15 to 18, 2026. Over four days, she attended classes using CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) methodologies, which combine content learning with foreign languages, and learned about the evaluation system, the use of digital tools, and linguistic reception procedures for newly arrived students.
These international experiences enable the center to establish contacts with other European educational institutions and discover innovative practices that contribute to enriching teaching and the holistic education of students.
