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Reflections from the event on Strengthening Soft Skills in Practice: What Works, What’s Missing, What’s Next
Key Take-Away: Supporting educators to communicate, collaborate, and reflect more effectively strengthens not only professional practice, but also the quality of experiences available to young children and their families.
There is growing evidence of what works. And a growing community ready to build on it.
On 3 June, more than 100 educators, researchers, trainers, and kindergarten leaders joined an ECOS event to discuss the results of the Erasmus+ project Soft Skills for High Quality Education. Over the past two and a half years, partners from Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, and Slovenia have worked together to strengthen the soft skills of teacher support learning group leaders — such as communication, active listening, empathy, feedback, facilitation, and trust-building that help professional learning communities thrive. Strengthening the competencies of the adults who support young children ultimately leads to more responsive, reflective, and high-quality experiences for children and their families.
The event brought together project partners, learning community leaders, and participants from across Europe and beyond to reflect on what they had learned through the project and how these lessons can support educators beyond its lifetime. Through two panel discussions and the presentation of new project resources, speakers explored the role soft skills play in creating professional learning communities where educators can learn, reflect, and grow together.
Speakers included learning community leaders Aleta Jurki (Kindergarten Savica, Croatia), Kätlyn Järv (Kindergarten Kõrveküla Lasteaed Päikeseratas, Estonia), Tatiana Pastorekova (Kindergarten Spišský Hrhov, Slovakia), and Petra Roj (Kindergarten Pobrežje Maribor, Slovenia). They were joined by project partners Bojana Gotlin (POU, Croatia), Liivi Trybsal (Hea Algus, Estonia), Erika Szaboova (WOS, Slovakia), Mateja Režek and Jerneja Jager (Educational Research Institute, Slovenia), with the discussion moderated by Katarína Pániková from Wide Open School (Slovakia).
What Changed for Learning Community Leaders?
The first panel focused on the experiences of learning community leaders from partner kindergartens. Their reflections revealed how their understanding of leadership had evolved through the project.
Many panelists explained that they had previously viewed skills such as communication, empathy, feedback, and collaboration as personal qualities rather than competencies that could be intentionally developed. Through the project, they came to see these skills as central to creating environments where educators feel comfortable sharing experiences, reflecting on challenges, and learning from one another to improve their practices.
Several speakers described moving away from a focus on agendas and outcomes towards a greater emphasis on participation and dialogue. Instead of providing solutions, they learned to ask questions, encourage reflection, and create space for colleagues to contribute their own perspectives. While this often meant relinquishing some control as facilitators, participants reported that discussions became richer, engagement increased, and group members took greater ownership of the learning process.
Others highlighted the importance of intentionally creating space for quieter voices, checking in regularly with participants, and building reflection into discussions rather than leaving it until the end of a meeting. These changes, they explained, helped create environments where colleagues felt more comfortable sharing challenges, asking questions, and contributing ideas. They help to nurture professional agency.
Learning Across Borders
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the value of the international professional learning community established through the project. Panelists highlighted how exchanges with colleagues from different countries provided practical ideas, fresh perspectives, and reassurance that many of the challenges they faced were shared across contexts. Beyond professional learning, these connections helped build confidence and foster a sense of belonging to a wider community of practitioners.
Several speakers described the international community as one of the most valuable aspects of the project. Beyond exchanging professional knowledge, it created lasting relationships and strengthened participants' confidence in their own practice.
The Human Side of Leadership
The second panel brought together representatives of the partner organisations who guided the project from design to implementation. Alongside developing the training programme, they supported pilot kindergartens, facilitated learning communities, and adapted project activities based on the realities emerging from practice.
Their reflections focused on an important challenge: while leaders are often equipped with methods, structures, and planning tools, they receive far less support in developing the relational skills needed to facilitate learning among adults.
Building trust, encouraging honest reflection, navigating resistance, and creating psychological safety emerged as some of the most important aspects of leadership. Speakers emphasised that meaningful professional learning depends on educators feeling safe enough to discuss uncertainties, mistakes, and challenges openly. Without these conditions, conversations can remain focused on logistics rather than deeper learning and reflection. The conversation also acknowledged broader pressures facing educators, including heavy workloads, limited time, and professional fatigue. Against this backdrop, creating opportunities for genuine reflection requires deliberate effort and strong facilitation.
The project also showed that leaders themselves need a professional community where they can exchange experiences, discuss dilemmas and feel less isolated. International collaboration and peer learning were seen as especially valuable for strengthening confidence, shared understanding and sustainable professional growth.
The panel highlighted that professional learning communities do not become sustainable only because leaders are motivated and skilled. They also need supportive management that creates the necessary conditions, such as time, space, encouragement and legitimacy for regular reflection and collaborative learning. This systemic support is important to mention, because it helps explain why some changes can become embedded in practice rather than remaining dependent on individual enthusiasm.
A Toolbox for Practice
The event also introduced one of the project's key outcomes: the Soft Skills Toolbox for Teacher Support Learning Group Leaders. The toolbox brings together the experiences and resources developed throughout the project. It includes a handbook on facilitation and adult learning, videos illustrating soft skills in practice, reflective cards, practical activities, and a collection of templates and tools that facilitators can adapt to their own contexts.
Rather than offering a prescribed programme, the toolbox is designed to be flexible, allowing users to adapt different elements to their context and needs, while being very hands-on.
Looking Ahead
As the discussions drew to a close, participants returned to a common message: professional learning communities are built on relationships. While the project focused on developing soft skills, speakers repeatedly highlighted outcomes such as stronger trust, deeper reflection, more open dialogue, and greater confidence among both facilitators and participants.
With the publication of the Soft Skills Toolbox and plans for a self-paced course on the ECOS platform, the project's learning will continue beyond its formal conclusion, supporting educators who want to create professional communities where meaningful learning can thrive.
As participants reflected throughout the event, meaningful professional learning does not happen simply because people meet together. It develops through trust, dialogue, reflection, and a willingness to learn from one another. These qualities that sit at the core of effective professional communities. By strengthening the people who work with and support young children every day, these communities can contribute to better outcomes for children and families alike.
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