Luxembourg will host a new European mobility dedicated to coding, innovation and cooperation in early childhood education
From May 4th to May 8th, Luxembourg will welcome a group of kindergarten teachers from the Italian partner schools of FISM – Federazione Italiana Scuole Materne di Parma for a Job Shadowing experience within the European project CODING&CO-DOING.
Coordinated by KEHSIA asbl, with FISM Parma as project partner and in collaboration with the European School Luxembourg II, CODING&CO-DOING aims to promote innovative educational methodologies in early childhood education through coding, computational thinking and experiential learning.
The mobility in Luxembourg will represent an important new step in the project journey. Over the past months, the participating teachers from Italy and Luxembourg have already taken part in a series of training activities organised by the University of Bologna, exploring the pedagogical potential of coding and reflecting on creativity, collaboration and educational design in preschool education.
In May, teachers will have the opportunity to bring this learning into an international educational environment through one of the key mobility tools promoted by the Erasmus+ Programme: Job Shadowing.
A week of observation, training and exchange
During their stay in Luxembourg, the Italian teachers will meet their colleagues from the European School Luxembourg II and have the opportunity to observe educational practices directly within a multicultural and multilingual school environment.
The programme will combine observation, training and hands-on activities, allowing participants to explore how coding and computational thinking can be introduced to children aged 3 to 6 in playful, accessible and meaningful ways.
The mobility will open with a training session led by the Luxembourgish NGO Kids Life Skills, specialised in innovative coding methodologies for young children.
Teachers will explore the role of coding in early childhood education and reflect on the balance between digital and unplugged activities, considering how both approaches can contribute to children’s logical thinking, creativity, problem-solving and collaboration skills.
Practical workshops will also give participants the opportunity to experiment directly with coding activities and educational tools before observing how similar methodologies can be applied with children in the classroom.
From coding to educational robotics
A further part of the programme will focus on educational robotics and its potential in preschool education.
Teachers will explore concepts such as input and output, sequences and cause-and-effect learning and will have the opportunity to experiment with educational robots designed for young learners.
Particular attention will be dedicated to Sphero Indi, an educational robot that uses colour sensors and coloured tiles to create paths and sequences.
The activities will allow teachers to investigate how educational robotics can support not only computational and logical thinking, but also communication, cooperation and active learning.
An important focus will also be placed on inclusion and on how coding activities can be adapted to different learning needs, abilities and educational contexts.
Experiencing Job Shadowing in an international environment
One of the central elements of the mobility will be the opportunity for teachers to move from theory to direct classroom experience.
By observing and participating in activities with different classes and linguistic sections of the European School Luxembourg II, teachers will be able to see how coding methodologies can work within a genuinely multicultural and multilingual educational environment.
Job Shadowing will provide an opportunity not only to discover new activities and tools, but also to observe different teaching approaches and reflect on the role of educators in supporting children’s autonomy, creativity and problem-solving.
The objective will not be to simply reproduce practices observed in Luxembourg, but to gather ideas, perspectives and methodologies that teachers can later adapt and transfer to their own school contexts in Italy.
Building European connections through education
The mobility will also offer opportunities for informal exchange between Italian and Luxembourgish educators, strengthening the human and European dimension of the CODING&CO-DOING project. Teachers from different educational systems will have the opportunity to share experiences, discuss challenges and discover common perspectives on the future of early childhood education.
The programme will also include a visit to Europa Experience in Kirchberg, providing participants with an opportunity to learn more about the European Union, its institutions and the value of international cooperation. The May mobility will therefore represent much more than a training week. It will bring together professional development, observation, experimentation and intercultural exchange, turning Luxembourg into a meeting point for educators interested in exploring new approaches to teaching and learning.
Through the collaboration between KEHSIA asbl, FISM Parma and the European School Luxembourg II, CODING&CO-DOING continues to create opportunities for teachers to learn from one another and transform European cooperation into concrete educational experiences.
From training to Job Shadowing and from individual learning to shared practice, the May mobility will mark another important step towards a common goal: using coding, creativity and collaboration to build more innovative and inclusive learning experiences for young children across Europe.