VALUED in ACADEMIC FORUMS

The EARLI Conference is the most prestigious international platform for research on learning and teaching, bringing together scholars from around the world to examine emerging challenges and the future of education. From 25–29 August 2025, the Faculty of Education, University of Prishtina, Valued Team represented Kosovo with a scientific contributions-  Beyond Rhetoric in Teacher Education for Democratic Citizenship. The paper, presented by Assoc. Prof. Blerim Saqipi, PhD Candidate Arian Musliu, and Asst. Prof. Blerta Perolli Shehu, examined how democratic citizenship is positioned within teacher education in Kosovo compared to European frameworks. The study highlighted the gap between policy aspirations and actual practice in university programs, emphasising the need for deeper integration of democratic values, participatory pedagogies, and reflective practice in the preparation of future teachers. The paper contributed to ongoing international discussions on how teacher education can move beyond declarative commitments toward meaningful and sustainable implementation of democratic citizenship education.

During the international conference KICER 2025, Dr. Peter Zentel, ValuED Partner from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich delivered his keynote lecture titled:“Value-Based Education in Times of Uncertainty: International Perspectives, Models, and Impulses for Inclusion.”

In his address, he emphasized that schools should not only be spaces where fundamental rights are taught, but also environments where these values are lived and practiced—forming the foundation of an inclusive and peaceful society. He drew on international experiences, presenting concrete models and approaches that promote inclusion, with particular attention to persons with disabilities. His lecture offered important insights for reflecting on the role of schools as carriers of democratic and inclusive values, especially in periods of uncertainty.

KICER, the Kosovo International Conference on Educational Research, is an academic event organized by the Faculty of Education at the University of Prishtina. It serves as a platform for sharing research findings, good practices, and education policies among researchers, teachers, and policymakers from Kosovo, the region, and beyond. The fifth edition of the conference, KICER 2025, is taking place on 26–27 June 2025, with the central theme: “Education in a Globalized Era: Challenges and Opportunities for Transformative Teaching and Learning.”
The conference addresses the impact of globalization on contemporary education, the need for inclusion, pedagogical innovation, and the connection between education policy and practice.

During the ongoing activities of the Kosovo International Conference on Educational Research – KICER 2025, Dr. Heike Wendt, ValuED Partnerfrom the University of Graz delivered a highly significant presentation titled: “Teaching for the Future: Education for Sustainability in Kosovo and Europe.”

She addressed environmental challenges as a critical issue that requires dedicated attention in primary education. Her presentation emphasized the importance of developing knowledge and attitudes related to sustainability from an early age, as well as the need for the systematic inclusion of environmental education in the curriculum. Drawing on data from the international TIMSS study, Dr. Wendt provided a comparative overview for Kosovo and Europe, highlighting the need for education systems to cultivate competencies that enable students to think analytically and act responsibly in relation to sustainability issues.

KICER, the Kosovo International Conference on Educational Research, is an academic event organized by the Faculty of Education at the University of Prishtina. It serves as a platform for sharing research findings, good practices, and educational policies among researchers, teachers, and policymakers from Kosovo, the region, and beyond. The conference explores the impact of globalization on contemporary education, the need for inclusion, pedagogical innovation, and the relationship between educational policy and practice.

ValuEd Project Coordinator, Prof. Ass. Blerta Perolli Shehu represented Kosovo and the ValuEd Project at the conference “Democracy at a Crossroads”, held in Kristiansand, Norway—a timely and inspiring space for critical dialogue.

Organized through a collaboration between PVN Albania, PVN Norway, the University of Agder (UiA), and Kristiansand kommune, the conference brought together voices from diplomacy, academia, civil society, media, and youth organizations to reflect on how we can collectively protect and advance democracy in an increasingly complex global context.

Prof. Perolli-Shehu had the opportunity to deliver a presentation on “Democratic Education and the Role of theTeacher, based on studies conducted through the ValuEd project.

The presentation focused on the findings of situational analyses in Kosovo on Value Based Education, and the need to move beyond teaching about #democracy, and toward building schools where democracy is practiced daily—through inclusion, dialogue, and student voice. Teachers are at the center of this transformation, and they need our full support. The message was clear: democratic values must be lived in classrooms, not just written in policies. Teachers must be empowered as facilitators of inclusion, dialogue, and critical thinking—and supported through reimagined teacher education and school-wide democratic cultures.

Grateful to the Embassy of Kosovo in Norway for enabling our participation and for supporting Kosovo’s role in European dialogues on democracy and human rights. Thank you to the organizers and all participants for creating such a powerful space for connection and shared vision. Let’s ensure our classrooms remain living examples of democracy in action.

FEduTalk brought together internationally recognized academics in the fields of educational technology and digital ethics, opening discussions on the impact of artificial intelligence on learning processes, the teaching profession, and the ethical responsibilities that arise from its use. Among the speakers was Dr. Heike Wendt from the University of Graz, Austria – a partner in the ValuED project – who emphasized the importance of developing ethical competence as part of integrating artificial intelligence into education. She highlighted the need to balance technological innovation with the protection of human dignity in teaching. FEduTalk became a dynamic platform for ethical dialogue and reflection, sharing innovative practices and concrete examples of responsible AI use in education. The discussions underscored that the digital transformation of education must be accompanied by the development of ethical frameworks and value-based competencies that preserve the human essence of education.

Prof. Dr. Blerim Saqipi, ValuEd Team member, completed his doctoral studies in education sciences and is a professor of education policy at the Faculty of Education, University of Prishtina. His research focuses on teacher preparation policies and the development of teacher professionalism, examining their connections to school functioning, organisational dimensions, and broader social and professional factors. He currently serves as Dean of the Faculty of Education. He delivered a keynote address presenting the findings of the Faculty’s institutional study on teachers’ professional behaviours in relation to curriculum reform implementation. The study highlighted the need for ongoing support for teachers to strengthen various dimensions of their teaching practice and to adapt instruction in line with student needs as well as the social and technological changes shaping contemporary classrooms.

Prof. Dr. Anne C. Frenzel, ValuED Partner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (LMU) and the academic director of the Master’s Program in Psychology: Learning Sciences. Dr. Frenzel’s presentation offered an educational and psychological perspective on emotions, emphasizing their essential role in teaching and learning. She addressed key principles related to the nature, functions, and causes of emotions, and explained how they influence motivation, memory, and academic performance. Drawing on empirical evidence from international research, she illustrated the close interplay between the emotional experiences of teachers and students, the classroom climate, and the quality of instruction.

Following the presentation, the discussion focused on the practical implications of these findings for designing emotionally healthy learning environments that foster motivation, a sense of safety, and students’ socio-emotional development. Attention was also given to the emotional well-being of teachers as a prerequisite for high-quality teaching, as well as the need for institutional policies that promote emotional balance, professional reflection, and psychosocial support within schools.

Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Czekjowska’s (ValuED Partner) paper titled “Strategies for Transforming Local Schools in Austria: Educational Change and Inclusion” presented the findings of a study examining how local schools navigate processes of educational transformation and the challenges of inclusion. Her analysis explored various contexts and constellations of an aesthetic approach to change, considering the school as a space where practices, relationships, and aesthetic perceptions shape how change is experienced and enacted.

The paper highlighted opportunities for developing a reflective and responsible pedagogy—one that not only intervenes in practice but also takes responsibility for its own conditions of action. This approach builds meaningful links between institutional structures and the everyday experiences of teachers and students. Within this framework, Czekjowska reflected on the role of pedagogy as a technique for navigating social contradictions, negotiating the tensions between diversity, equity, and systemic expectations, and creating possibilities for sustainable and inclusive school transformation.