If you and your organisation have taken part in an Erasmus+ project of excellence, you could be contacted by our Léargas team to receive the 2025 European Innovative Teaching Award (EITA). This award showcases outstanding teaching practices carried out as part of Erasmus+ projects. It recognises the work of teachers and schools and celebrates the exceptional contribution they make to their profession.
Check out our 2024 Award winners from Scoil Phádraig, Coláiste Muire Máthair and Ó Fiaich Institute of Further Education.
What is the European Innovative Teaching Award?
The European Innovative Teaching Award (EITA) aims to:
- Celebrate the achievements of teachers and schools and give more visibility to their work.
- Identify and promote outstanding teaching and learning practices.
- Foster mutual learning between teachers and school staff.
- Highlight the value of Erasmus+ to teacher collaboration across Europe.
There are four European Innovative Teaching Award categories:
- Early Childhood Education and Care
- School Education (primary education and general secondary education)
- Vocational Education and Training
- Adult Education
What is the EITA 2025 Theme?
The European Innovative Teaching Award 2025 theme is ‘‘Citizenship education - participation in democratic life, common values and civic engagement”.
The annual theme explores empowering people to become active citizens, promoting social inclusion and ensures that diverse voices contribute to shaping a more inclusive and democratic Europe. This includes understanding the European Union context, notably with regards to the common EU values, including respect for democratic principles, human dignity, unity and diversity, intercultural dialogue as well as the European social, cultural and historical heritage.
The theme also addresses citizens’ limited participation in democratic processes and their lack of knowledge and tries to help them overcome the difficulties in actively engaging and participating in their communities and in the Union's political and social life through formal or non-formal learning activities. Active citizenship and ethics in lifelong learning can help foster the development of social and intercultural competences, critical thinking and media literacy.
How are teachers and schools selected for the award?
The European Innovative Teaching Awardees are selected in Ireland by Léargas. Léargas will shortlist potential awardees by screening projects that meet the eligibility criteria, are compatible with the annual EITA theme and have received a high-quality score on their final project report.
Léargas will contact the short-listed projects to collect an expression of interest to take part in the EITA selection process.
Short-listing Criteria and Process
When organising the selection process, relevant projects dealing with the annual theme could be identified based on key words or priorities/topics, available in the Erasmus+ dashboards and the Erasmus+ project results platform: “EU citizenship”, “EU awareness”, “Democracy”, “European identity”, “Democracy and inclusive democratic participation”, “Civic engagement”, “Responsible citizenship”, “European identity and values”, “Media literacy and tackling disinformation”, “Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong) learning”, etc.
Awards Criteria
Methodologies used
In what ways are the teaching and learning approaches elaborated and implemented in the project innovative?
- Multidisciplinary approaches
- Key competence development (knowledge, skills and attitudes) and assessment (formative assessment)
- Linking formal, non-formal and informal learning
- Inclusion, participation, cooperation
- Learners’ active role in the learning process
- Cooperation with external stakeholders
Innovation Environments
In what ways do learning environments involved in the project support innovative teaching and learning approaches?
- Schools are enablers of innovation
- Building a positive school climate
- Sustainable use of available resources
- A whole school approach
- Cross-sectoral cooperation
Teachers
In what ways do teachers/educators involved in the project influence the innovative teaching and learning processes?
- Teachers’ agency as innovators
- Teachers fostering well-being
- Teachers’ skills and competences
- Teachers’ cooperation and peer learning
Impact
What is the impact of the innovative teaching and learning processes elaborated and implemented in the project?
- Direct impact on the target groups
- Inclusion of participants with fewer opportunities
- Spill-over effect (to other students, teachers, schools, local communities and parents)
Get in touch
For more information on the European Innovative Teaching Awards contact Mila at mpopovic@leargas.ie and Tom at toneill@leargas.ie in our programme support and development team.
