CROSSCUT 2018
International Congress of Cross-Curricular Teaching
Curriculum Flexibility and innovation
International Congress
28-29th june, 2018
University of Minho, Guimarães/Portugal
* The official language of the event is English, however, the submission of communications can be made and presented in Portuguese and Spanish, although all titles must also be in English.
This event is coordinated by Isabel Carvalho Viana, a researcher at the Center for Research in Child Studies (CIEC) and a teacher at the UMinho Institute of Education, relying on researchers, teachers, school directors, academics and policy makers in the field of education in an international context.
Abstracts Submissions* until May 14th, 2018!
Invited Speakers: José Augusto Pacheco (University of Minho), Virginie Timmerman (Centre international d'études pédagogiques, CIEP, France), Lindsay Marshall (University of Newcastle, United Kingdom), João Costa, Secretário de Estado de Educação (to be confirmed).

Welcome Message
The theme of the conference Cross-Curricular Teaching: Curriculum Flexibility and innovation enables the discussion of Cross-curricular teaching is partially stated in national curricula. Even though the concept is mentioned, national curricula are still subject-based and the definition and orientations about cross-curricular teaching are unclear. The situation is evolving, several reforms/curricular reorganizations have been made, for instance in 2017 in the basic school in Portugal in order to institutionalise interdisciplinarity practices and curriculum flexibility. Therefore, cross-curricular activities are diverse in Europe, inside the same country, and even in the same school. It varies according to the level of teachers' motivation and involvement and their attitude towards the approach. It is often seen as something optional because of the lack of time. So cross-curricular teaching in practice can be: interdisciplinary projects, co-planning, co-teaching, shared themes between subjects, extra-curricular activities. This scenario suggests many questions and comments about traditional subject-based teaching, school pedagogical autonomy and the professional beliefs of teachers. What would be the core motivation to implement cross-curricular teaching since the grading system is linked to subjects? Could a grading system based on competences be the answer?
During the Crosscut 2018 conference there will be opportunities to discuss Portuguese schools' outputs, key issues related to the curriculum flexibility focusing particularly on the dimensions of policy, professionalism and innovation practices. This international conference will bring together a number of experts from universities, policy makers, researchers, teacher trainers, training Centers, teachers and all those interested in teacher education policy, curriculum flexibility and innovation.
The Institute of Education (IE) is a new teaching and research unit of the University of Minho (UMinho) created in 2009 with the merger of the Institute of Child Studies (IEC) and the Institute of Education and Psychology (IEP), concerning its Educational component. According to its Statutes, IE's mission is to develop projects on education, research (CIEC and CIEd, Research Centers) and interaction with society in the broad area of Education, thus contributing to the development and well-being of individuals, groups, education organisations and society.
Conference Venue: some images

University of Minho
Azurém Campus
Guimarães

Guimarães
City Centre
General Information

Reaching UMINHO
From Porto Airport (OPO) you can reach Guimarães and UMinho by taxi (about 40 min; nearly 60€) or other kinds of public transportion. There's a regular service of shuttle buses, know as GetBus. It will take you slightly more to arrive (nearly 50min), but it will be more affordable (8€).

Hotels & Mobility
Guimarães has a great selection of hotels of all categories, geographically well distributed across the city. There are plenty of options, near Univeristy of Minho or in the city center, from where the university is easily reachable. A list of the city main hotels can be found here. You can also find more info about buses timetables clicking here.

Tourism & Weather
Guimarães is part of the Minho region, one of the most pleasant places to visit in Portugal. In the tourism office at downtown you will find a great quantity of attractions to visit, both in the city or nearby. At the end of june it's summer at Portugal. Light clothing is recommended as temperatures are near to pleasant 14-28ºC. Know more details at the Tourism Office Website, reachable here.