Study of the Impact of Comenius Assistantships : Executive summary

The present study is one of the means available to the European Commission of evaluating the impact of Comenius on school education in Europe and identifying opportunities to increase the effectiveness of the programme. It is the aim of the Comenius Assistantships Action to give future teachers the opportunity of gaining a better understanding of the European dimension of teaching and learning, of enhancing their knowledge of foreign languages, other European countries and their education systems and of improving their teaching skills. Furthermore, the assistantships are intended to contribute to the improvement of the language skills of the pupils at the host schools and to increase both their motivation to learn languages and their interest in the assistant’s home country and culture. Future teachers who are nationals of the countries participating in the Lifelong Learning Programme or who are living in one of these countries under the conditions fixed by each of them as well as schools in these countries are eligible to apply for a Comenius Assistantship