One of the most valuable outcomes of my T4EU Chair mobility was the opportunity to conduct an in-depth comparative study of teaching practicum in initial teacher education in Slovenia and Italy. The research brought together the perspectives of students, university coordinators and tutors, as well as teachers and early childhood educators involved in mentoring students in schools and kindergartens.
The mobility and the research conducted within it resulted in my monograph, Comparative Analysis of Teaching Practicum in Initial Teacher Education: A Comparison of Selected Study Programmes in Slovenia and Italy. Beyond the publication itself, however, I consider the strengthened academic links between the University of Primorska and the University of Trieste to be an equally important outcome. The experience opened new possibilities for joint research, teaching, student and staff mobility, and future projects, creating a strong foundation for long-term cooperation between the two institutions.
Sometimes, you do not have to travel far to discover a very different academic environment. The University of Primorska and the University of Trieste are geographically very close, yet my T4EU Chair mobility gave me the opportunity to gain a much deeper understanding of two different educational systems and approaches to teacher education.
What I value most about this experience goes beyond the research itself. Participating in lectures and discussions, exchanging ideas with colleagues and learning about their practices gave me new perspectives on my own teaching and academic work. Most importantly, the mobility created lasting academic connections. Today, I feel that I can easily reach out to colleagues at the University of Trieste with an idea, a research question or a proposal for collaboration.
For me, this is one of the greatest values of initiatives such as Transform4Europe: they bring institutions closer by bringing people closer. My T4EU Chair mobility did not mark the end of a collaboration; in many ways, it was only the beginning.
