Increasingly, partnerships in education are used to promote a joint and across-border navigation of complex dynamics and problematic situations that have emerged due to a continuing globalisation which is again leading to a predominantly multicultural and multilingual landscape (Bailey & Dolan, 2011). Likewise, the European Commission places stronger emphasis on building so-called strategic partnerships with the aim “to support the development, transfer and/or implementation of innovative practices as well as the implementation of joint initiatives promoting cooperation, peer learning and exchanges of experience at European level.” (European Commission, 2020, 100)
This panel discussion is based on qualitative data (e.g. SWIVL-recordings, dialogic e-portfolios) collected in the context of an ERASMUS+ project partnership consisting of 11 teacher educators. Starting in 2017 the project partners brought together researchers and practitioners of language teacher education from five European Universities to promote professionalism, innovation and transnational collaboration in their field (Schwab & Oesterle, 2019). The partnership was motivated by common issues, for example the lack of time to develop, trial and collaboratively research innovative learning and teaching scenarios (Mann & Walsh 2017). However, in the course of the project, the partnership underwent a series of situations experiencing “otherness” as something that can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts, but can also serve, if recognised and supported, as a facilitator for connecting with each other, for critical thinking and professional development. In line with Smith (2016), as well as Groundwater-Smith (2017), this discussion is guided by the belief that fruitful partnerships are not emerging by chance, but need to be initiated and scaffolded (ibid., xviii).
The panel will begin with five-minute contributions from three project partners from the UK, Spain and Germany which will be based on the collected data and the project outputs, as well as on their experiences as active members of the partnership. Drawing on illustrative examples and describing their viewpoints, the panel members will additionally address their perceived value of transnational partnerships in the field of language teacher education. Alongside this, their contributions will include several challenges that they have identified to find common grounds within a partnership that consists of researchers and practitioners coming from different cultural contexts, working in diverse institutional settings. Following on from this, the panel intends to initiate a critical discussion about transnational partnerships in education opening up the following questions for debate:
What are common issues that arise in a partnership consisting of practitioners and researchers in (language) teacher education? How can these issues be addressed?
To what extent do rather unique European project settings allow the transfer of good-practices and research findings into other social contexts?
What can a supportive framework look like that promotes effective and sustainable transnational partnerships?
To what extent can ICT serve as a facilitator when a) having the use of ICT as a shared topic in the partnership (e.g. implementing digital tools in language teacher education) and when b) applying various digital tools to promote and research transnational partnerships as such (e.g. Slack or SWIVL)?
What changes must internal policies undergo to encourage transnational partnerships? (see März & Kelchtermans, 2013)
To what extent can transnational partnerships in teacher education help to prevent certain risks (e.g. lack of feeling of belonging) and foster not only the professional development, but also the human personal development of its members?
Opening the discussion for further questions, this panel aims at creating a forum for reflection on transnational partnerships in teacher education. Moreover, the panel intends to discuss current developments that suggest different and innovative formats of partnerships in teacher education and beyond this field. Thus, the panel members welcome all networks to participate.
