Strategies for supporting European schools to evolve into open and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Strategies for supporting European schools to evolve into open and committed learning communities Initial suggestions from the Open Discovery Space project large-scale implementation Eleni-Maria Chelioti

Research & Development Department Ellinogermaniki Agogi Athens, Greece e-mail: chelioti@ea.gr

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The 14th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies - ICALT2014, Athens, July 9th, 2014

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Project Identities: Open Discovery Space

• A European initiative, co-funded by the ICT

Policy Support Program

• 25 European countries during 2012-2015

• Modernizing school education by

implementing a “pull” rather than a “push” approach.

• Engaging teachers, students, parents and

policymakers in a first of its kind effort to create a pan-European multilingual eLearning and community-oriented social platform http://portal.opendiscoveryspace.eu/ -> discovering, discussing, sharing, shaping and acquiring educational resources

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The challenge

• To promote more flexible and creative ways of

learning by improving the way educational content is produced, accessed and used,

• To foster sharing and collaboration

HOW? By making the teacher the core node and change leader of a developing community.

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Objectives

In line with the Position Paper of the EU Initiative 'Opening Up Education’ (European Commission, 2013)

• Just providing educational resources has

not worked

• OPAL 2010-2012:

“There are masses of free high quality educational resources available but the critical extent of usage is not yet met!”

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In Practice

Cooperation with National Initiatives and Policies & Combination

• f two approaches

Ministries/ Agencies as partners in Greece, Croatia, Bulgaria, Austria, Cyprus

ODS proposes: A holistic approach for introducing innovation to schools

What ODS Proposes: Innovation Model- “Listening to schools’ needs”

Pilot 1: Original goal: 100e- mature schools- Accomplished: 240 schools Pilot 2: Original goal 600 schools- Accomplished: 1757 Large scale validation: 2000 schools

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A vibrant European Network of 2000 schools (by year 3 of the project) Currently: 1807 schools, 3501 teachers, 70.869 students

Self-assessment tool for the school (Step 1 to join ODS)

Language URL English http://e-mature.ea.gr/ Greek http://greece.e-mature.ea.gr/ Dutch http://dutch.e-mature.ea.gr/ Finnish http://finland.e-mature.ea.gr/ French http://france.e-mature.ea.gr/ German http://german.e-mature.ea.gr/ Italian http://italy.e-mature.ea.gr/ Portuguese http://portugal.e-mature.ea.gr/ Estonian http://estonia.e-mature.ea.gr/ Lithuanian http://lithuania.e-mature.ea.gr/ Gaelic http://ireland.e-mature.ea.gr/ Spanish http://spain.e-mature.ea.gr/ Croatian http://croatia.e-mature.ea.gr/ Bulgarian http://bulgaria.e-mature.ea.gr/ Greenlandic http://greenlandic.e- mature.ea.gr/ Romanian http://romania.e-mature.ea.gr/ Serbian http://serbia.e-mature.ea.gr/

Based on the tool introduced by Digital Schools, Ireland

Available in 17 languages

E-maturity results

Update: 19/06/2014 Update: 10/06/2013

Listening to schools’ needs- 92 Visionary workshops across Europe & ongoing Practice reflection workshops

What can teachers do through Open Discovery Space?

Create the digital community of your school Become a member of a vibrant European Network of 2000 schools Create and participate in international thematic communities Access 1.000.000 educational resources Create and share your educational resources (lesson plans, scenarios) Create the digital library of your school Participate in online training academies for teachers and parents Use self-assessment and development tools for teachers and schools Participate in international innovative activities

http://portal.opendiscoveryspace.eu/

How to become and ODS school- Step 2 Register on ODS portal http://portal.opendis coveryspace.eu/ …and set-up the community of your school!

How to become and ODS school- Step 3

Set goals and objectives for the development of your school Connect with schools from Europe!

Examples of school activities

Using iPads for Music Education- creating “An iPad Band”, Austria, BG/BRG Schwechat.

Examples of school activities

Connecting schools with Science Centers, using augmented reality equipment and OSR portal pathways- Finland (multiple schools). Video link: http://vimeo.com/61730727

Examples of school activities

Bringing Nobel Prize Physics into the classroom- Opening the school to science centers

Collaboration between local schools at the region of Ilia for the “Science of the Olympics” project

Examples of school activities

Virtual connection between a single pupil school in the island of Gavdos (the southernmost island) with Aghios Spyridonas school in Cyprus, Nicosia- Science and Environmental Education

• more coming...

Examples of school activities

Teachers’ training on Discover the Cosmos (Portugal, Lisbon and Chaves) TED-X Kids (Portugal, Cantral Tejo)

Examples of school activities

Exploring the Byzantine Museum in a playful way, using tablets and material from the Collage portal (Athens)

Collaborative activitites

Examples of school activities

Let’s share the music!

Tychero, Evros Athens Athens Chania, Crete

http://portal.opendiscoveryspace.eu/community/m

• irastoyme-ti-moysiki-enosoyme-ton-kosmo-let-

us-share-music-let-us-link-world-347

Collaborative activities

• Observation Weeks for the ODS Schools
• Eratosthenes' measurement of the

Earth's Circumference: 350 schools 37 countries

Examples of school activities

Eratosthenes Photo Contest in ODS environment 57 participations

What works in getting schools to commit?

Seeking innovators

Building on a strong core of early adopters Access:

• GALILEO schools (Portugal)
• Network for School Innovation (Greece)
• NHL Network (the Netherlands)
• ENIS and ELSA Networks (Austria)
• Digital Schools Network (Ireland).

Supporting the role of change agent teachers

What is the mission of a change agent?

• A pioneering teacher who leads the team of

the participating teachers from each school, and:

• Takes initiative in order to implement

innovative practices that aim to have long- term effect on the development of the school as a whole.

• Develops a strategy for involving and

disseminating the results of innovative practices to the whole school community

• Develops a strategy for dealing with

resistance to change

• Reflects on the progress of organizational

changes

• Explains why innovation is important to

ensure long-term success

38 change management workshops in 21 countries- 500 participants

Change management workshops- First indications

• This role seems to be having empowering impact on overcoming
• bstacles to change that are associated with teachers’ perceived

low social status and lack of recognition in certain countries. There is therefore a sense that at least in the first workshop there was a general uncertainty and lack of confidence in teachers’ own power to bring about change in their schools.

• In the second workshop there was greater awareness of their role

and their possible potential for managing change in their schools, despite still connecting it with the central governing system and the school curricula restrictions.

Change management workshops- First indications

Change management strategies adopted based on needs analysis:

• Peer-to-peer support within and among schools, by organising

seminars for sharing good practices, knowledge and support.

• Building trust
• Opening the school to the community- engaging the total of the local

community into school life, building synergies with local actors/ external experts/ other schools at national or international level and finding support (including funding) from local actors and European Programmes (rural schools in smaller communities may be more successful in engaging the community than schools in larger urban areas).

• Synergies among schools identified as one of the strongest

incentives for innovation

• Differences found between Primary and Secondary Education in

terms of openness to change and innovation: greater need for support and training for Secondary Education teachers.

Supporting the incorporation of RBL into the overall development strategy of the school

• Pedagogy
• Organisation and Management
• Intra-school collaboration among staff, parents and student
• Collaboration with other schools
• Professional Development of Staff
• Resources and Infrastructure
• Opening up to the community
• Participating in National and European Projects.

Ensuring the schools’ ongoing commitment to innovation, by a) fostering their understanding of the benefits that technology can bring into key aspects of the school as organisation, b) assessing the real needs of the school, c) creating a shared vision within the school community, d) training the school staff in designing a development strategy.

Creating sub-networks within the community

Development and support of sub-communities at local level or thematic networks-> help to sustain the expansion of the ODS community of practice and innovation by promoting exceptional schools that function as hubs of innovation, at least at local level.

Examples:

• Network of Primary Schools of “Good Morning

Mr Higgs” project- 11 local schools and 3 from Germany.

• School gardens Network: 70 schools from Crete
• 11 schools in the “Science of the Olympics”

project

• Network of Rural schools: Gavdos and Cypriot

schools

+ Engaging the parents!

Providing individualised support & incentives

• Addressing real needs for each school
• Support, training and motivation:
• Online Teachers’ Academy,
• Webinars -> 3 international & 10 national webinares: Erasmus+

webinar and application support to 300 schools, “How to organise a virtual visit to CERN”, “ISON comet’s journey” webinar

• Face-to-face national events
• Summer & Winter schools
• Contests (International ODS Educational scenario challenge, ODS

Summer School 2014 scholarships, school contests at National level in Greece, Italy)- Next Summer Academy (5 courses): Attica, Greece, July 13-18, 2014- Funded by ERASMUS+ ods.ea.gr -

• Handbook for school leaders

Focusing on ICT culture in the school

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National training events Serbia Portugal – Discover the Cosmos Austria “iPads in action

Summer school, Panormo June 30- July 4th, 2013 (Participation funded by Comenius) Winter school- Vilnius, Lithuania: January 27 – February 1st 2013- 2nd: February 2014 (Participation funded by Comenius)

Summer and Winter schools for teachers Next Summer Academy (5 courses): Attica, Greece, July 13- 18, 2014- Funded by ERASMUS+

• ds.ea.gr -

Focusing on ICT culture in the school

Year 1 Year 2

Thank you for your attention!

Eleni Chelioti chelioti@ea.gr