Exploring the Teach Europe MOOC and the journey towards learning for and about the European Union

From 10 March to 16 April 2025, over 900 educators from more than 40 countries participated in the “Teach Europe: A Classroom’s Roadmap to Europe” MOOC, a professional learning opportunity offered as part of Teach Europe project. The course promoted a European perspective across the curriculum and introduced piloted, validated and ready-to-use learning scenarios, materials and resources on topics such as European values, democratic participation, and sustainability. The course was divided into 4 modules, each one of them dedicated to a specific EU-related topic, and a final activity, aiming to encourage teachers to create short activities that can be implemented in their classrooms.

Module 1: Europe in my classroom

The first module introduced the Teach Europe project and outlined the course structure, setting the expectations for a respectful and successful participation. Learners explored the difference between “teaching about” and “teaching for” Europe and collaboratively reflected on their definition of “Europe.” Four Learning Scenarios (LSs) were introduced, focused on European values, rule of law, mathematics, and statistics. Participants examined these scenarios through testimonials and prepared to implement them in their classrooms.

We asked our taskforce teachers how they would introduce a new topic, related to teaching about and for Europe, in their classroom, and here is what they said.

Module 1 also included a live event, a webinar that presented practical strategies for integrating European citizenship education into various school subjects, aiming to support critical thinking, inclusion, and active participation among students.

Module 2: Europe in daily life

Building on the foundational ideas of Module 1, this module explored how the EU influence identity, democracy, global engagement, and everyday life. The MOOC introduced a series of activities, resources, materials and theoretical quotes relevant to the European identity, youth participation, and the EU’s global role. Theory and practice were connected through 4 learning scenarios, focused on consumer rights, space exploration, youth participation in the elections and collaboration between EU countries.

This week’s interview highlighted the aspects of the European identity combined with how we can use European events (e.g., Europe Day, Erasmus+ programs) to enhance students’ connection to a shared European identity. Find more here.

Module 3: Teaching for active citizenship

Moving forward, module 3 focused on youth engagement, activism, and the concept of active citizenship giving the opportunity to the learners to explore real-life youth initiatives and various examples coming from different countries. A new set of learning scenarios was introduced, focusing on sustainability, energy, climate change, and human rights. The “whole-school approach” was also highlighted both from the content of the module but also from the interviews.

In this section, the interviews also explored the topic of active citizenship. Teachers were invited to share examples of their own practices, highlighting how they involve students in decision-making processes or in activities that contribute to the well-being of the school or wider community. Take a look here.

One more live event took place after module 3 was launched. This time, a group of teachers who participated in the validation of the Learning Scenarios showcased their experience participating in the Teach Europe project and shared their advice on how to implement the project’s pedagogical materials.

Module 4: European Citizenship and Cultural Education

This enriching learning journey concluded with Module 4, which focused on citizenship education, European culture, and shared values. Participants engaged in interactive activities such as mapping cultural heritage and recommending films to promote European identity. To wrap up their learning, they were asked to design a short, classroom-ready learning activity based on one of the core topics introduced during the course.

A final closing interview couldn’t be missed! Watch our teachers talk about how they inspire their students to take an active role in their communities and sharing examples of classroom activities that they have successfully implemented to foster a deeper understanding of European citizenship among their students. Watch the interview here.

Discussing the impact of the MOOC

The MOOC “Teach Europe: A classroom’s roadmap to Europe,” held from March to April 2025, had a significant impact, engaging over 900 educators from more than 40 countries.

The course successfully promoted the idea of “teaching for and about Europe” by introducing innovative pedagogical methods and practical materials on topics such as European values and democratic participation.

The integration and reflection on Learning Scenarios, supported by testimonials from the teachers, empowered the learners to actively adapt materials to their classrooms. As a final task, learners were asked to create their own learning activities for their students, on themes like sustainability, democracy, and European culture. To build on this, we invited them to submit their activities for possible inclusion in a digital toolkit, which will support teachers across Europe and inspire them to bring the above topic in their classrooms. The toolkit is still being developed and is planned for release in September 2025, offering a collection of creative, teacher-tested activities for the classroom.

Stay tuned to be among the first to access the “Teach Europe: A classroom’s roadmap to Europe” digital toolkit, featuring 12 Learning Scenarios translated into six European languages and a selection of innovative learning activities created by course participants.