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 The 14th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies - ICALT2014, Athens, July 9 th , 2014 1

Project Identities: Open Discovery Space - A European initiative, co-funded by the ICT Policy Support Program - 25 European countries during 2012-2015 2

The challenge - 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 3

Objectives - 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. In line with the Position Paper of the EU Initiative 'Opening Up Education’ (European Commission, 2013) 4

In Practice • 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! ” 5

ODS proposes: A holistic approach for introducing innovation to schools Cooperation with National Initiatives and Policies & Combination of two approaches Ministries/ Agencies as partners in Greece, Croatia, Bulgaria, Austria, Cyprus

What ODS Proposes: Innovation Model- “Listening to schools’ needs” Pilot 1: Original goal: 100e- Pilot 2: Original goal Large scale validation: 2000 schools mature schools- 600 schools- Accomplished: 240 schools Accomplished: 1757

A vibrant European Network of 2000 schools (by year 3 of the project) Currently: 1807 schools, 3501 teachers, 70.869 students 8

Self-assessment tool for the school (Step 1 to join ODS) Based on the tool introduced by Digital Schools, Ireland Available in 17 languages 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/ http://greenlandic.e- Greenlandic mature.ea.gr/ Romanian http://romania.e-mature.ea.gr/ Serbian http://serbia.e-mature.ea.gr/

E-maturity results Update: 10/06/2013 Update: 19/06/2014

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

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

http://portal.opendiscoveryspace.eu/

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

Examples of school activities Collaborative activitites Tychero, Evros Let’s share the music! Athens Athens http://portal.opendiscoveryspace.eu/community/m oirastoyme-ti-moysiki-enosoyme-ton-kosmo-let- us-share-music-let-us-link-world-347 Chania, Crete

Examples of school activities Collaborative activities • Observation Weeks for the ODS Schools • Eratosthenes' measurement of the Eratosthenes Photo Earth's Circumference: 350 schools 37 Contest countries 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 38 change management workshops in 21 countries- What is the mission of a change agent? 500 participants • 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

Change management workshops- First indications • This role seems to be having empowering impact on overcoming obstacles 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.