CONTEXTSThe DIS-CODE project aims to train students at drop out risk on improving digital skills and learning maths by studying coding, the 21st century language developing transversal skills such as abstract and analytical thinking, logic and problem solving. The used method will be mainly the one of the flipped classroom, where the traditional lesson method is flipped, meaning that class lectures are substitute by home lessons, and home-works are substitute by exercises in class.Digital literacy for European citizens is so much relevant to the EC that the Digital Agenda is one of the 7 pillars of the Europe 2020 Strategy, proposing to better exploit the potential of ICTs in order to foster innovation, economic growth and progress across Europe. But, although the ICT is part of daily life for many Europeans, some parts of the population are still excluded from media literacy in the digital environmentStopping school drop-outs is also one of the significant challenges EC is tackling with: Being early school leaving linked to unemployment, social exclusion, and poverty, there are many reasons why some young people give up education and training prematurely: personal or family problems, learning difficulties, or a fragile socio-economic situation. The current project proposal suggests an innovative method to teach digital skills, maths and basics of coding to students at drop-out risk by developing ad-hoc training mainly based on flipped classroom, suitable for both involving more families into students’ education and tackling with learning difficulties through a more personalized and tailored approach. Through flipped classroom model, students can focus on learning by doing, with the teacher guiding the way, being the lecture no longer the driver of concept mastery. Flipped classroom model is endorsed at EU level: apart from the appraisal of several examples of EU funded projects, based on this model, according to the “Horizons Report Europe: 2014 School Edition”, co-authored by the European Commission and New Media Consortium, the flipped classroom are one pedagogical example of hybrid learning that requires students to engage with web-based content at home, while class is repurposed as an opportunity for teachers to mentor individuals and groups, and for students to problem solve and work together with classmates.OBJECTIVES-Development of digital literacy and mathematic skills for students at drop out risk, especially by learning basics on how to program. -To learn coding means to keep up-to-date personal competences and transversal skills, such as problem solving, team work and analytical thinkingPARTICIPANTSStudents within the range 12-18 y.o. (junior and upper secondary school, according to countries differences - 50 pax/country) at drop-out risk and fellow students, involved through peer-to-peer dissemination events (about 100 pax/country). Direct beneficiaries are the involved schools and indirect beneficiaries are trained students’ families and the whole society itselfACTIVITIES- Development of a training course: from basic computer training towards coding. Coding will focus mainly on learning maths. - Creation of a “DIS-code” community based on: platform with life-assistance, games, a forum moderated on a daily basis, social network-groups. Such community will be possibly linked to existing movements and networks, in order to strengthen it and guarantee its sustainability beyond the project life-span.- Peer-to-peer events where trained students will become trainers of fellow students, introducing them to basics of coding. Events will take place mainly during the EU Code Week, across all involved European countriesMETHODOLOGYThe project methodology is based on 3 principles:1Develop products that are the best suited to the needs of the target groups identified. 2. Make the products of the project sustainable and usable for a large number of stakeholders even after the end of the eligible period. 3. Develop a learning process based on “active learning”, “learning by doing” and “Edutainment” principlesRESULTSThe foreseen result of this project proposal is a step forward fight against school drop-outs, increasing numeracy and digital literacy of students at risk: by teaching students at risk basics of coding, we foresee they can feel a better accomplishment and personal satisfaction into their lives leading to a more active participation at school and better results at their curricula.The application of flipped classroom will lead to equal opportunities for students to receive education, to battle dropouts, to strengthen isolated communities and to use innovative and new methodologies in ICT in the educational system. This is the result of: an effective use of ICT to support students’ learning, student driven learning environment and student collaboration for project-based learningIMPACTBetter social inclusion leading to increasing involvement on societies of groups at risk
CONTEXT. The DIS-CODE project aims to train students at drop out risk on improving digital skills and learning maths by studying coding. The rationale of the project lies in the asymmetry existing between the awareness of the role that digital skills play in society at all levels, from the individual to organizations (Digital Agenda is one of the 7 pillars of the Europe 2020 Strategy, proposing to better exploit the potential of ICTs in order to foster innovation, economic growth and progress across Europe) and the percentage of the population excluded from media literacy in the digital environment. Schools’ drop-outs is also one of the relevant challenges EC: being early school leaving linked to unemployment, social exclusion, and poverty, there are many reasons why some young people give up education and training prematurely: personal or family problems, learning difficulties, or a fragile socio-economic situation. The current project proposal suggests an innovative method to teach digital skills, maths and basics of coding to students at drop-out risk by developing ad-hoc training mainly based on flipped classroom, suitable for both involving more families into students’ education and tackling with learning difficulties through a more personalized and tailored approach. In the flipped classroom approach, traditional lesson method is flipped, meaning that class lectures are replaced by home lessons, and home-works are replaced by exercises in class. Through flipped classroom model, students can focus on learning by doing, with the teacher guiding the way, being the lecture no longer the driver of concept mastery. Flipped classroom model is endorsed at EU level. It is exploited in several EU funded projects. Furthermore, according to the “Horizons Report Europe: 2014 School Edition”, co-authored by the European Commission and New Media Consortium, the flipped classroom is one pedagogical example of hybrid learning that requires students to engage with web-based content at home, while class is repurposed as an opportunity for teachers to mentor individuals and groups, and for students to problem solve and work together with classmates. OBJECTIVES. Project objectives foresee: develop digital literacy and mathematic skills for students at drop out risk; based in the flipped classroom methodology, realize a set of training plans, training materials, and tools with the twofold aim of improving digital literary in a set of students 12-18 y.o in 5 countries and creating a platform that can be re-used and extended after the end of the project; test the validity of the approach; provide recommendations for the European Commission. PARTICIPANTS. 6 partners from 5 countries participate to the project. FPM is the university foundation of the Politecnico di Milano university. UPT is a private higher education institution from Porto. DLEARN is a private company whose mission is to gather and exploit practices and ideas in the domain of training and learning. EUN is the permanent platform where 30 ministries of education work together to share expertise in a variety of pan-European initiatives and to develop their national ICT strategies focusing on networking of teachers and schools. CYMS is a Math Society and has 30+ years experience in promoting Mathematics Education and Science. JSI is a network of 160 Czech teachers and technicians of ICT tools in Czech schools (primary, secondary and high schools). ACTIVITIES. The project comprises the following activities: External Situation Analysis, as basis for the design of the training plan and of the pilot phase; Development of a training plan; Training teachers; Pilot testing phase; Validation and Fine-Tuning phase; Policy Recommendations. In parallel, a training platform (LMS) based on the MOODLE technology is developed. RESULTS. The key result of this project proposal is a step forward fight against school drop-outs, increasing numeracy and digital literacy of students at risk. This has been achieved through: development of a training platform and plan that was tested and exploited in 5 countries (at least 50 students per country participated to the test); teachers were trained on the flipped classroom methodology; realization of policy recommendation for addressing the drop-out issue in school and improving the training system in general. IMPACT. Beside results of the project, medium and long term impact comprises: development of a network of teachers trained on the flipped classroom methodology and committed to keep on applying this approach in teaching; creation of a platform containing core training plans (and materials) that will be extended and enhanced beyond the project timeframe by the project teachers and by new ones who expressed interest in applying the project methodology; wide dissemination of the project results at EU level through the participation to the EU Code week.