I CO-COPE Multiplier Event - Building inclusive schools together: from collaboration to community
The I CO-COPE Multiplier Event brings together educators, students, and professionals to explore how interprofessional collaboration and Communities of Practice can foster more inclusive and engaging learning environments.
Participants will gain hands-on tools, inspiring insights, and practical strategies to make collaboration in schools more transparent, effective, and student-centred. Through workshops, school stories, and reflection tools, you’ll leave with a concrete plan to enhance inclusion in your own context.
Note: You can also participate in the event online.
This event is designed for everyone involved in shaping inclusive learning environments:
- teachers and student counsellors
- school leaders and pedagogical advisors
- learning support teams and CLB staff
- teacher educators and students in teacher education
By the end of the event, participants will:
- Understand the principles of Communities of Practice and their role in inclusive education.
- Discover concrete tools to enhance collaboration between teachers, students, and school professionals.
- Learn from real-life examples of schools successfully implementing CoPs.
- Reflect on their own school’s inclusion goals and define actionable next steps using a tailored reflection tool.
09h00 - 09h30: Welcome, coffee & connection
09h30 - 09h30: Opening & presentation of project results
10h45 - 11h30: Workshop round 1 – Choose your focus
11h30 - 11h45: Break & informal exchange
11h45 - 12h30: Workshop round 2 – Deepen Your Insights
12h30 - 13h30: Walking lunch & networking
Els Teijsen
Els Teijsen holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education (KdG) and a master’s degree in Pedagogical Sciences (KU Leuven). She began her career as a mathematics teacher in Antwerp, where she noticed that students’ voices are still underused in school care policies. Since 2020, she has been a researcher within Inclusive Society, working on various (European) projects in the field of inclusive education, with a focus on interprofessional collaboration and student participation. She also has experience as a lecturer in the educational bachelor programme in Secondary Education at KdG.
Hannah Boonen
Hannah Boonen, PhD, began her research career at the Parenting and Special Education Research Unit of KU Leuven, where she focused on parenting in families of children with autism. Since 2016, she has worked at the Expertise Center Inclusive Society (UCLL), contributing to national and European practice-based research on inclusive education. Her research interests include interprofessional collaboration—with a special focus on the voices of learners and parents—reasonable accommodations, and professional development for educators to foster inclusive and neurodiversity-affirmative learning environments. In addition to her research work, Hannah gained practical experience as a pupil guidance counselor in a secondary school.
This event is offered to you free of charge.