KASTALIANETWORK

KASTALIA PRINCIPLES 

2024 May 16

History and background

Since 1992 the KASTALIA network has tried to improve the flow of information to those students of education in Europe who want to look beyond their own university. KASTALIA is a network of 18 institutions of teacher education, with a wide spectrum of subject areas. It covers all levels of education from pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary up to the research level. The network arranges both student and staff mobility, perceives and develops professional teacher-education-student profiles, develops ways of co-operating in different educational areas and shares academic activities.

The name KASTALIA comes from Greece. KASTALIA is the sacred spring at Delphi, the sanctuary of Apollo and the seat of his oracle, Pythia. The spring is said to have a divine power of purification and foretells the future. Pythia used to drink from the clear waters of the spring. Education is like water, it is a life force, it quenches the thirst for knowledge, and it moistens dry soil into fertile land.

Future teachers should see their educational work as a spring which diffuses new ideas like moisture. In the light of internationalization and unified Europe it is crucial for future teachers to be familiar with and respect other cultures, other educational systems, other methods of teaching. In the near future, teachers will not only meet people from other nations and cultures when they travel abroad, but more and more at home, in their own classrooms.

Mission statement

In a world of growing complexity and uncertainty, networking is today even more necessary than when we started 20 years ago. However, the values we share today are still the same and we cherish the heritage of Kastalia founders. Such values are rooted in the strong belief of the importance of education for the development of societies and the role of teachers’ education answering to the challenges that are faced everyday both locally and globally, particularly in which respects the defense of peace, human rights, freedom and solidarity. Sharing is our key word, because only through this sharing process, those who are involved (teachers, students, staff) can be more aware and respectful of others differences and particularities, see beyond themselves and their own reality and enlarge their world vision. A world vision that is not confined only to European cultures or borders, but it is open to non European views. Therefore, the mission of Kastalia network is to contribute for a broader educational corpus of knowledge and expertise, to enrich the reflection and to promote change in traditional ways of thinking.

Objectives

• To promote student and staff exchange
• To share knowledge and awareness about educational systems
• To share knowledge and awareness about best practices
• To establish cooperation between partners:

Joint projects

Innovative approaches to mobility. E.g. Teaching practice, virtual exchange, short mobility, study trips, summer school, joint courses and so on.

Research

Network

• The network consists of only teacher education institutions.
• A limited number of institutions will be maintained for reasons of manageability.
• Each institution must be represented assuring continuity of membership. If an institution is not represented for three consecutive years it will be excluded.
• The representative should be involved in Teacher Education.
• New members can be invited to join the network after discussion at the general meeting.
• Information about the Network, its members and details of all participating institutions will be supplied through a website linking to relevant information per institution. Each partner is responsible to update its own information every year.

The annual meeting

• One meeting per year to be agreed at the previous general meeting.
• A clear commitment to the work of Kastalia – in particular attendance at the annual meeting, supplying information for Website – is required from each partner institute.
• The venue is to be arranged in a different country and institution each year.
• Agenda is the shared responsibility of board and host.
• Content and theme for the next meeting will be agreed at the previous meeting.
• The annual programme will be arranged around presentations, group work and school visits and cultural outings. If possible the Host institution will give a presentation or lecture on an educational topic or a topic of local interest.
• Agenda together with an official Letter of invitation to be sent beforehand and in due time by e-mail.
• Place of venue to be agreed two years in advance.
• Financial implications for host institution will be at minimum: to provide conference room, coffee/tea, printing and copying.

Board

• 3 members
• To be (re)elected every third year.
• Board members share responsibilities and point out a chair every year.
• Chair decides in case of urgency, but with as much consultation with board and members as possible.
• A board member takes over in case chair is not available.