In June 2023, we launched our Erasmus+ Teacher Academy Teacher Education for a Future in Flux (teff) – and a lot has happened since then. Numerous teff events and activities - in the following referred to as teff Learning Opportunities (LOs) - have taken place in online, hybrid, and digital formats and we have explored and evaluated the possibilities of cross-phase and cross-border teacher education. Based on this foundation, we have now reached a point where we can derive some recommendations for cross-phase and cross-border teacher education, which will likely be further expanded as the project progresses – and beyond.

As an Erasmus+ Teacher Academy, bringing together providers of different stages of education, from initial teacher education (pre-service) to continuing professional development (in-service) lies at the heart of teff as it is one of the main objectives named by the European Commission. Erasmus+ Teacher Academies are meant to develop and test different models of mobility (virtual, physical and blended) as well as to develop sustainable, innovative and practical collaboration between teacher education providers. Through such collaborative means and an overall “sharing is caring”-approach, teff, as the other Erasmus+ Teacher Academies, is aiming at enhancing the European dimension and internationalisation of teacher education (Erasmus+ Teacher Academies, 2024). 

Over the course of the project so far, numerous ways have already been identified to share insights, findings, and concrete materials with other education enthusiasts across Europe. The recommendations presented here offer yet another way to inspire others to engage in cross-phase and cross-border collaboration and to pave the way for a (further) teacher education system shaped by collaboration, innovation and future-thinking.

What defines cross-border teacher education?

According to Pedersen (2023), “over the past decades, increasing the levels of international student mobility has received significant political attention in the Nordic countries and Europe beyond” (1). In 2025, the Higher Education Area - “the highest level and perhaps most influential European policy cooperation for student mobility” (Pedersen, 2022, p. 2) - highlighted the importance of cross-border teacher education: “We also wish to promote the mobility of teacher education students in view of the important role they will play in educating future generations of Europeans” (European Ministers Responsible for Higher Education, 2015). 

Cross-border teacher education refers to any form of teacher education that crosses national boundaries, either physically or virtually. It encompasses programs, policies, and practices designed to train (future) teachers across countries. This includes, among other things international mobility, program and institutional partnerships, online and distance learning, curriculum and pedagogical transfer as well as global education standards. Students and, although often more difficult to realise, teachers move across borders to study or teach - often facilitated through exchange programs, scholarships, or international recruitment. Collaborations between institutions in different countries are implemented to co-design or deliver teacher education programs together. This may involve dual degrees, twinning programs, or online modules shared across borders. Here, a huge chance lies in the transfer or adaptation of educational theories, practices, and policies from one country to another. The goal of cross-border teacher education is the production of globally competent educators. High-quality teacher training, Schön, Sliwka and Bühler (2017: 4) emphasize, should take account of the challenges of a globalised world and prepare future teachers to face the increasingly diverse reality of schools. What has long been a reality for other degree programmes should now also be implemented in the teaching profession: an internationally oriented degree programme (ibid.). Cross-border programs must adapt to local cultural, linguistic, and educational contexts while maintaining international quality. Sometimes, tensions between global best practices and local relevance may occur. 

Last but not least, in today’s world, Global Competence - the ability to engage in dialogue across differences - has become as essential as literacy, numeracy, or scientific skills (Boix Mansilla & Schleicher, 2022). To prepare (future) teachers accordingly, learning environments must foster dialogue across borders, encouraging “curiosity, sensitivity, and appreciation for diverse worldviews, languages, and cultures” (Boix Mansilla & Schleicher, 2022, p. 8).

What defines cross-phase teacher education?

“Dialogue across differences” is also the greater purpose behind cross-phase teacher education. This term has been popping up more and more across the educational sector (cf. Kaiser, 2023), often in the context of university projects in the field of teacher education (e.g. Bremen University, University of Greenwich or the University of Cologne). However, as of yet, no explicit definition of cross-phase teacher education has been agreed upon. The term ist still and often used as an empty word that, rather loosely, describes an approach that allows participants from all phases of teacher education to somehow accumulate their skills and knowledge with the intention to learn together as well as from each other. Implications regarding its consequences for teacher education in general can rarely be found in literature. It appears that almost all of the relevant research and projects in the field seem to focus on linking teacher students or trainee teachers with in-service teachers, but almost never consider bringing all three groups together under one roof – working together on a par (Benincasa & Springob, 2023, p. 473). Communication and interaction between student teachers and in-service teachers (and, sometimes, teacher trainees) usually takes place in the context of various internships throughout the teacher study course. This context, however, is often shaped by an implied hierarchy between the ‘master’ (= in-service teacher) and the ‘apprentice’ (= student teacher). In-service teachers seem to be considered more knowledgeable and more competent merely on the grounds of their individual teaching experience, while little attention seems to be paid to the skills, competences and ideas students as well as trainee teachers bring into the workplace (Benincasa & Springob, 2023, p. 474). 

Researcher and teacher educator Sharon Feiman-Nemser (2001) has been arguing for a coherent, continuous model of teacher education that bridges pre-service preparation, induction, and ongoing professional development since the early 2000s. As one solution to uniting fragmented systems and an enabler for structured, collaborative teff LOs across career stages, a well-designed continuum helps build strong teaching practices, supports teacher retention, and fosters reflective, adaptive professionals . Other researchers in the field of teacher education and teacher learning have advocated Professional Learning Communities - with educators across career stages - to facilitate cross-phase professional growth (e.g. Lieberman & Miller, 2008, Teachers in Professional Communities). Further connections have been made between the importance of cross-phase learning and exchange and the boost of important educational contexts such as Deeper Learning, enabled by deeper professional exchange across phases in realistic learning environments (Darling-Hammond et al., 2019). 

While collaboration between students and teaching staff is growing, supported by extended practical phases, cross-phase professional development remains underexplored. The settings developed and carried out in teff, however, offer ideal conditions for mutual exchange: student teachers, trainees, and experienced educators can learn from one another. This fosters a dynamic, non-hierarchical expert community that bridges academic and practical domains through shared inquiry and development (Benincasa & Springob, 2022). Hence, and based on data collected from students and teachers in Germany, Benincasa et al., 2023, p. 483) came up with a first definition for cross-phase teacher education: 

Cross-phase teacher education is shaped by purposeful, goal-oriented cooperation and communication on equal terms. It is the professional, methodical and above all structurally anchored exchange between all three phases of teacher education, aiming at profitable benefits for every person at any point during their teaching education and career, allowing each participant to get involved regardless of their teaching experience.

What does this mean for teacher education?

Cross-phase teacher education has been a central aspect to the teff Teacher Academy from the very beginning. Although the phasing of teacher training differs greatly in the participating countries (from single-phase to three-phase teacher training) and/or the focus in some countries is (currently or fundamentally) more on one phase than another, it is a common concern to bring together all those actively involved in teacher training under one proverbial ‘roof’. In concrete terms, this means that cross-phase teacher training enables prospective teachers and working teachers to work together and collaborate in an organised way. Here, it is particularly important to ensure that the collaboration can be profitable for all sides: Even if tried and tested approaches such as ‘learning from experts’ are still popular, cross-phase learning should also focus on the other direction of work, from future to experienced teachers  (Benincasa & Springob, 2022). 

How can cross-border and cross-phase learning be organized?

The Academy has trialled numerous teff LOs to enable and implement cross-phase and cross-border teacher education. Examples range from Educathons, Makerspaces, Urban Laboratories, Lecture and Seminar Series, Hybrid Seminars, Digital Learning Modules and Conferences.  Those LOs have been developed throughout the project time, often in international or inter-institutional collaboration, by experts from the field of Education. In line with this principle, the adoption of an outcome-based approach strengthens the transnational and transversal dimension of the teff LOs. This approach can be considered both cross-cultural and cross-phase, since it is anchored in clearly defined learning objectives (Intended Learning Outcomes - ILOs). This focus on competences allows for greater adaptability to different cultural, institutional and educational contexts, ensuring that the teff LOs and the related Intended Learning Outcomes remain consistent while maintaining the necessary flexibility in different contexts.

In addition, the outcomes-based approach (see Booklet) fosters continuity in teacher education, covering the entire professional journey: from initial training to early career development and continuing professional development. The alignment of professional standards with observable outcomes facilitates mutual recognition of competences, promoting academic mobility and lifelong learning.

In this way, the outcomes-based model supports a shared framework for teacher education that is sensitive to local specificities while promoting a common vision of quality and professional development.

Each of the teff LOs that have been carried out so far have been evaluated, and the feedback received has been used to improve the teff LOs as a future-oriented format.

Voices from cross-phase experts

We asked developers in teff to share their experience with cross-phase and cross-border collaboration during the development and the actual implementation of their respective teff LO (please click to enlarge):