On 4–5 June 2024, the third international partner meeting of the LEARNITECT project took place in Ponte de Lima, Portugal. The two-day event was hosted by Previform, which welcomed the Hungarian, Italian and Portuguese partners. The focus of the meeting was on school visits, reviewing the progress of the project, and planning the forthcoming joint tasks and deliverables. The programme was both professionally focused and community-building, perfectly reflecting the core philosophy of LEARNITECT: the meeting of innovative learning design and inclusive community approaches.

School visits

On 4 June the partners visited Escola Secundária de Ponte de Lima, guided by the school leader, Professor Madalena Macedo. During the visit, the partners conducted interviews and prepared detailed diaries of their experiences. On 5 June the group visited Escola Básica de Freixo, where school leader Jorge Dias introduced the institution.

Both schools demonstrated how they develop their learning spaces with the involvement of teachers and students – from participatory budgeting and democratic decision-making to the extensive use of digital tools.

The details of the professional work

The afternoon project meetings provided the professional backbone of the gathering. During these sessions, partners not only looked back on results so far, but also explored the tasks of the next period and reflected on the long-term impact of the project.

Lessons from the school visits

On the afternoon of the first day, the partners jointly evaluated the visit to Escola Secundária de Ponte de Lima. The Italian representatives from IAL Toscana highlighted the model of shared leadership, where instead of the headteacher making decisions alone, responsibility is distributed within a council. This democratic practice was seen as an inspiring model for other schools.

Previform underlined that, although the school operates in a brand-new building, the spaces still need to be “humanised”: concrete walls and wide, empty corridors must be filled with community life and pedagogical meaning. Learnitect Design pointed to the absence of community design as a key lesson: without the involvement of teachers, students and parents, buildings are less likely to become true homes for their communities.

The diagnosis and processing of surveys

Another important topic was the questionnaire survey, which engaged more than 300 teachers and numerous school leaders across the partner countries. Although the closure of the survey was later than initially planned, the partners agreed that the data will provide valuable insights into the state of learning environments and potential directions for development. The Hungarian Association for Digital Education (MDOE) undertook to coordinate the processing, with first results expected by the end of the year.

Preparing the interview booklet and architectural study

The upcoming interview booklet was also a central theme. The partners agreed that the volume should not merely consist of school-by-school reports but rather thematic comparisons: for example, how inclusion, digitalisation and the use of community spaces are manifested across different countries.

When preparing the architectural study, the Learnitect Design team proposed that the publication should also function as an “album”: richly illustrated with photographs and presented in a simple, accessible format. This would ensure that the volume serves not only experts but also teachers and school leaders as a practical reference.

Dissemination and knowledge sharing strategy

A significant part of the discussions was devoted to dissemination. Partners confirmed that LinkedIn is the most effective platform to reach the target groups (school leaders, teachers, decision-makers, experts), while also reviewing opportunities to present results at conferences. Among these are the Hungarian Free to Learn! event in September 2024 and the National Conference on Educational Science, both of which will provide opportunities to present the outcomes of the project to a broader professional audience.

Shared thinking about the future

The closing part of the professional sessions focused on planning the concrete tasks of the months ahead, including:

• processing the survey data into an international study,
• editing the interviews and diaries,
• organising the Hungarian study visit,
• launching the project website,
• publishing the forthcoming podcast episodes.

There was also discussion of possible follow-up collaboration in the form of a new Erasmus+ proposal.

The positive atmosphere of the partnership

One of the main strengths of the meeting was its open and inspiring atmosphere. Although there were some minor delays in the project, all partners reaffirmed that tasks are being completed, and the joint work is being carried out at a highly professional standard.

Shared lunches and dinners – including an evening in a traditional Portuguese restaurant – further strengthened the friendships and professional ties between partners.

Feedback from the partners

Gabriella Pusztai, IAL Toscana:

The Portuguese experiences highlighted how important shared leadership and democratic decision-making are in the life of schools. These are elements we should definitely take home.

Lisa Inês Gomes, Previform:

It was a pleasure for us to host the partners. The visits and discussions confirmed that we are on the right track in researching and supporting human-centred and inclusive school environments.

Bertalan Péter Farkas, Learnitect Design Ltd.:

From an architectural perspective, it was instructive to see how schools in newly renovated buildings attempt to create community spaces. The most important lesson for us is that community design is indispensable.

Conclusions and next steps

The Ponte de Lima meeting clearly demonstrated that the project is progressing well and that partners are able to jointly address emerging challenges. The key tasks for the coming months include:

• completing the processing of survey results,
• editing the interview booklet,
• preparing the architectural study,
• organising the Hungarian study visit.

At the end of the meeting, participants agreed that the LEARNITECT project goes far beyond a simple Erasmus+ cooperation: it is about shared reflection, mutual inspiration, and building an international community capable of shaping school spaces in a way that will have a long-lasting impact.

Partners

• Magyar Digitális Oktatásért Egyesület (Hungary – co-ordinator)
• IAL Toscana Innovazione Apprendimento Lavoro srl. Impresa Sociale (Italy)
• Previform – Laboratório, Formação, Higiene e Segurança do Trabalho, Lda (Portugal)
• Learnitect Design Kft. (Hungary)

Project duration: 1 September 2023 – 31 August 2025

Grant amount: EUR 60,000

Grant Agreement No.: 2023-1-HU01-KA210-SCH-000152699

LEARNITECT – Az innovatív tanulási tervezés és inkluzív tanulási terek találkozása c. projekt (Hungarian)

LEARNITECT – Meeting of innovative learning design and inclusive learning spaces (ENG)

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

GA Nr.: 2023-1-HU01-KA210-SCH-000152699.

With the main partner of the project, the Hungarian Association for Hungarian Digital Education, and with partners Learnitect Design Ltd (Hungary),  Previform Lda (Portugal) IAL Toscana carries out the project activities, financed by Erasmus Plus programme.