🌱 Back to Learning: Your September Kick-off
Welcome back, ETF Community for Innovative Educators!
We hope you had a chance to slow down, recharge and enjoy the summer. Now September is here - bringing new learners, new ideas, new challenges and, hopefully, plenty of inspiration.
A new school and learning year is a perfect moment to reconnect and look ahead. So, whether you are stepping back into a classroom, designing learning programmes, supporting educators or experimenting with new approaches, we have gathered a few things to help you start September with fresh energy.
🚀 What’s on your September radar?
💡 Get inspired: Webinar "Connecting the Dots: what’s next after the ETF New Learning Award 2026?"
Innovation in education doesn’t always mean reinventing the wheel. Sometimes, it means looking at familiar challenges from a different angle, sharing what works and learning from others.
This September, explore the latest stories, practices and resources from the ETF Community for Innovative Educators and discover how colleagues across our community are turning ideas into action.
The ETF Community of Innovative Educators gets together again next week!
📅 16 September 2026 🕑 14:00–15:30 CEST
💻 Online via Zoom 🔗 Save your spot and join the conversation: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/3-ZmBU6aTp-MpatnP_3Uww#/registration
🏆 Meet the ETF New Learning Award 2026 winners and discover what made their teaching practices stand out.
🏆 Anna Kyrpa – Become an Agent of Social Changes, Ukraine
🏆 Farah Zeedia – Young Builders, Germany
🏆 Nana Marghania – “Theatre and Simulation Methods, Georgia
🏆 Noora El Wer – Masahati Student Clubs, Jordan
📌 Coming up:
The coming months are packed with opportunities to meet, exchange and learn.
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If you’re STEAM APPASIONATE, autumn 2026 is the season to get involved. 🚀
Across Europe, the STEM calendar is packed with opportunities to learn, connect, collaborate and shape the future of education.
From the European Summit of STEAM Educators exploring Agentic STEAM and human-centred learning, to EU Code Week, maker education, quantum computing, engineering education, AI and the future of digital skills — there’s something for every educator, innovator and STEM enthusiast.
💡 10–25 October: EU Code Week
⚛️ 14 October: Quantum Computing in STEM Education
🤖 13 November: STEM Digital Conference — Tech & AI to tackle teacher workload
…and many more across Europe.
👉 Explore the full autumn STEM events calendar from the EU STEM Coalition: https://www.stemcoalition.eu/news/stem-events-to-watch-this-autumn/
2. Squad and workshop on policy support for AI literacy implementation
🚀 A great opportunity for the ETF Community for Innovative Educators - especially our Teaching with AI Club!
How can we move from talking about AI literacy to actually making it happen in education across Europe? 🇪🇺🤖
The European Commission is inviting participants to join the AI Literacy Implementation Squad and an in-person community workshop in Brussels, focused on:
💡 Policy Support for AI Literacy Implementation
This is particularly relevant for members of our Teaching with AI Club who are exploring, experimenting with and sharing practices around the use of AI in teaching and learning.
The initiative offers a chance to bring your hands-on experience from classrooms and educational practice into the European policy conversation.
Participants will have the opportunity to:
🌍 Collaborate with peers from across Europe
💬 Share experiences, challenges and promising practices around AI literacy
🔎 Explore what educators and institutions need to make AI literacy implementation work in practice
📝 Contribute to recommendations on policy support for AI literacy
🤝 Connect with others working at the intersection of AI, education and policy
📅 Online squad: October 2026 – January 2027
📍 Community workshop: Brussels, December 2026 (1.5 days; exact dates TBC)
✈️ Travel, accommodation and meals are covered
⏰ Application deadline: 20 September 2026
Apply here: https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/eacea_oep/items/952258/en
🤝 Your community is waiting
One of the best things about coming back after the summer? Reconnecting with people.
The ETF Community for Innovative Educators is a space to exchange experiences, ask questions, share resources and discover what colleagues are doing in different contexts.
Have you tried something new in your teaching or learning practice?
Found a useful tool?
Developed an innovative approach?
Learned something from a project that others could benefit from?
There are several ways to keep the conversation going throughout the year:
💬 Join the ETF Community Open Space - a place to exchange ideas, ask questions, share experiences and connect with fellow innovative educators.
🔗 Join Community LinkedIn group - stay up to date with community news, opportunities, events and inspiring contributions, and continue the conversation with peers.
✨ Your September checklist
Before the month gets too busy, why not:
☑️ Reconnect with the ETF Community
☑️ Check out the latest resources and stories
☑️ Save upcoming ETF events in your calendar
☑️ Share an innovative practice with your peers
☑️ Discover something new
☑️ Ask a question - and start a conversation
https://openspace.etf.europa.eu/innovativeeducators
📚 Reading Corner: Ideas worth exploring
We’ve selected a few recent publications and resources that may spark new ideas, challenge your thinking and inspire your practice. Grab a coffee, take a few minutes, and explore what colleagues and education communities across Europe are working on.
1. 💻 Advancing Digital Education for Every Learner
How is digital education evolving across Europe - and what can we learn from innovative practice?
The new publication Advancing Digital Education for Every Learner – Innovative Practices from the EU brings together 54 inspiring practices demonstrating how digital education is making a difference for learners, educators and institutions.
📖 Explore the publication here: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/efa878de-6ea9-11f1-ae88-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
2. 🌍 Rethinking teacher education: across phases and borders
How can we make teacher education more connected, collaborative and future-oriented?
The teff Teacher Academy has been exploring this question through online, hybrid and international learning opportunities, bringing together student teachers, trainees and experienced educators.
Drawing on these experiences and their evaluation, teff has developed recommendations for cross-phase and cross-border teacher education.
Among the key messages:
🔹 Build communities of practice across institutions, countries and career stages.
🔹 Create spaces where future and experienced teachers can learn from each other as equals.
🔹 Connect theory and practice continuously.
🔹 Offer flexible mobility opportunities - from virtual collaboration to hybrid and physical exchanges.
🔹 Start with real needs through continuous needs analysis.
🔹 Embrace experimentation: cross-phase collaboration is still evolving, and not everything has to work perfectly the first time.
At its heart, the message is about moving beyond fragmented teacher education towards a continuous, collaborative and international learning journey.
📖 Explore the publication here:
Recommendations on Cross-Phase and Cross-Border Teacher Education
3. 📘 New UNESCO Publication: The Algorithm in the Room
How is AI really reshaping education — and what does this mean for students, teachers, families, and communities? This new UNESCO publication brings together 25 thought-provoking pieces exploring the opportunities, challenges, and often overlooked questions surrounding AI in education. A timely read for anyone interested in shaping more just, equitable, and meaningful futures for education.
📖 Explore the publication here:
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000399335
🌍 Let’s make this a year of learning together
The start of September is a reminder that learning never really takes a break. It evolves, adapts and grows - just like our community.
Let’s bring the energy, ideas and inspiration of our community into the new learning year.
Stay connected. Stay curious. Keep innovating.
- The ETF Community for Innovative Educators
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