This year's conference highlighted UNESCO's alarming figures, which indicate that 69 million teachers are needed worldwide to achieve universal basic education by 2030. It aimed to address the core aspects of the teaching profession and the purpose of teacher education in these challenging times. The assembly provided a platform for scholars globally to present and discuss research on teacher education and professionalism from policy, practice, and research perspectives.
Ilka Nagel participated and contributed with two presentations. The first, based on her PhD thesis, focused on teacher educator professionalism in the post-digital age. The second presentation, conducted in collaboration with Synnøve Amdam from Volda Østfold University College, addressed key aspects to focus on when engaging in research-practice partnerships aimed at developing professional digital competence.
The conference was a unique opportunity to engage with colleagues from all around the world. Interestingly, the challenges in teaching appear to be quite similar globally, and it was fruitful to hear and discuss various approaches to addressing these issues.