From 16 to 20 March 2026, three teachers from the CHAIN Erasmus+ Consortium participated in a job shadowing mobility at CEIP Doctor Juan Espino Sánchez in Ingenio, Gran Canaria, Spain.
The visit offered us a valuable opportunity to observe the daily life of a primary school in another European educational context and to reflect on practices that can enrich our own schools. During the week, we attended lessons, school projects and workshops related to digital learning, STEAM education, CLIL, inclusion, wellbeing, coexistence, environmental awareness and intercultural education.
A particularly interesting part of the programme was the opportunity to see how the school integrates digital tools and collaborative learning into everyday teaching. We observed activities connected with the CONOTIC digital learning programme, STEAM projects, English and French language learning, reading plans and classroom practices that support active student participation.
At the same time, the mobility created space for meaningful exchange between the teachers of the two schools. Sotiris Georgiou presented the CHAIN Erasmus+ Consortium to the colleagues of the host school, sharing information about its structure, aims and activities. Kiki Amarantidou presented the practices of parallel support and remedial teaching implemented in our schools in Florina, as well as the Lethe project. In addition, Ioannis Arvanitakis and Sotiris Georgiou had a productive discussion with the host teachers about STEM programmes, focusing on how such activities are designed and implemented both at CEIP Doctor Juan Espino Sánchez and in our own school context.
We were also impressed by the school’s work on inclusion and student wellbeing. Through activities related to therapeutic pedagogy, coexistence, equality, traditional sports, active breaks and the children’s playground workshops, we had the chance to see how care, participation and respect for diversity are embedded in the school culture.
Another important aspect of the mobility was the presence of many trainee teachers who were completing their practical training at the school. Their participation gave us the opportunity to observe how teacher education, mentoring and school practice are connected in a real educational environment. This was especially meaningful for us, as it opened interesting discussions about the professional development of future teachers and the role of schools as learning communities.
Beyond the educational programme, we also had the chance to experience the beauty of Gran Canaria and to learn more about the local culture, landscape and everyday life of the island. These moments strengthened the human and cultural dimension of the mobility and reminded us once again that Erasmus+ is not only about professional development, but also about building bridges between people, schools and communities.
We warmly thank CEIP Doctor Juan Espino Sánchez for the excellent organisation of the visit and for the generous hospitality we received throughout the week. We would especially like to express our sincere gratitude to Carely Liria Gonzalez, who coordinated our programme with great care and kindness. We also thank the school leadership, the teaching staff, the trainee teachers and all the members of the school community for welcoming us, supporting us and sharing their practices so openly.
This mobility was a rich learning experience for our consortium. We returned with new ideas, valuable reflections and renewed motivation to continue developing international cooperation, inclusive practices, digital innovation and meaningful European partnerships within the CHAIN Erasmus+ Consortium.
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