The basic philosophy of the Comenius Association is to contribute to furthering the intercultural dimension in training European teachers through the cognitive, behavioral, methodological, pedagogic and linguistic domains.

It concerns learning to appreciate our differences, building tools in order to understand other cultures, and opening up to the intercultural dimension in Europe as teachers.

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The objective is not the training of teachers to be capable of teaching in any European country, but rather to develop a distinctive cultural competence and all that is associated with that in relation to new relationships with others and the necessary knowledge if we wish to encourage future teachers to go beyond “ethnocentric culture” passed on by most of our educational systems.

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The principles underlying our organisation are not of an imposing nature. The Comenius Association does not substitute itself for initiatives taken by different training centers that adapt themselves to their realities and objectives, which they are responsible for at the start of our common project. The Comenius Association provides a large network for contacts between teacher training institutions and European mobility via student work experiences (future teachers for preschool, primary and middle school) and their trainers or teachers.

 

Essentially the aim is to facilitate the different levels of coordination, as well as exchange of information, relative to different intercultural projects and products.

Also this contributes to continuously questioning the basic principles of the intercultural dimension in the European context, as the organiser of basic training and continuity in our teachers.

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To be an active member of the Comenius Association requires respect of a common philosophy and respect for the quality criteria defined in the statutes and rules of internal organisation. For instance, we ask members to:

 

• Accept the intercultural dimension as one of the organisers of teacher training.

• Participate in exchange programmes (International Weeks and/or Erasmus and/or placement or research programmes etc.) respecting the common objectives and organisational methods.

• Organise a reception programme in collaboration with partner institutions.

• Organise at least one intercultural training module in preparation and drawing from the exchanges.

• Participate in seminars and twice yearly general meetings of the Association and to participate in initiatives of at least one new activity, or new project which benefits other member institutions (e.g.publications, seminars).

• To confirm in a clear manner in relation to financial posts of responsibility to the rules as stipulated in the statutes (e.g., annual subscriptions covering the functioning costs of the Association).