All children must be challenged for them to reach their highest academic potential. Regardless of their social background, and with a high level of well-being. During the school day we have to find time and opportunities for practical and application-oriented forms of teaching that promote innovation. The aim is children to believe in themselves and each others and to make the learning funny. Today's students have to learn much more than basic reading, writing and mathematical skills. They must develop 21st century skills such as; critical thinking skills, social and emotional competencies, learn to creatively solve everyday problems in an innovative way, acquire collaborative and communicative skills and have the ability of self reflection. We got in touch with other school partners using the E-twinning platform and Facebook. We had the opportunity to establish friendship and we realized that we were all looking for further opportunities for cooperative researches in innovative teaching methods. In particular, we were, and are, interested in the recent innovative development in the use of technology in teaching and we are eager to learn more about it. Our project will promote cooperation between the partners through teachers and students. We will share innovative practices about creative learning methods. The exchange of ideas and best working practices at schools will help changing the current educational practice of the participating schools. We are going to use different methodology such as Visual, active and creative methods, to use ITCs in an easy and funny way in order to create activities or to keep classroom management. Computational Thinking - fablab, coding - , experiments, the four principles of effectuation (saras Sarasvathy), critical thinking, problem solving, deeper learning, Maths and Science, collaborative social learning, role play, brainstorming, blended learning, work in the outdoors environments, untraditional education elements. There will be four Transnational Project Meetings and three Trainings. After every training and TPM we will undertake activities in each project schools linked to new knowledge and practices that have been given and learned at the training's and TPM's. At all TMP we will motivate the project having small courses, lectures, demonstrations, presentations, lectures, workshops according to the aims of the project. Some of the goals reached the end of the project. Teachers: • Been motivated in lifelong learning and enrich their professional experience with new teaching methods • New competencies as a result of the training course and apply new methods thus increasing the quality of education and training; • Have a better co-operation with students, this leading to a better understanding of their personalities and desires. Students: • Learned about how to work in team and how to manage difficulties and how to become more tolerant and cooperative and being able to take initiatives. • Acquire new competencies in the field learning and logical thinking. • Developed their ICT skills through the use of these modern technologies. • Know how to take the next best step in problem solving and life. Institutions: • Expanding the school curricula with a new cross-curricular subject. • Having the chance to exchange experiences and developing activities that promote the development, testing and/or implementation of innovative practices. • Open up to new ideas coming from other European countries.
Context/backgrund Our project had a common awareness of digital design and 21th century skills and creative learning methods. Therefore all partner schools had an interest in developing new teaching methods, innovative and creative learning by the use of ICT. We were inspired by proffessional pedagogy litterature and looked into existing educational programs, to facilitate changes in the local school curricular as an approach to be more innovative in our everyday school lives. Our objectives were as following: - to motivate students to the desire of learning through problem solving linked to local and global challenges. - to promote cooperation between partner schools through teachers and students activities. - to inspire students and teachers to use innovation and entrepreneurship in practice-oriented teaching. - to use different ICT platforms to work with computational empowerment, STEM/STEAM and other apporaches to new technologies. The partner schools came from 7 different countries (Denmark as coordinator, Turkey, Poland, Spain, Italy, Lithuania and Hungary). All participants was choosen because of their interest in ICT and in innovation/entreprennuership. The number of participants were mainly represented by leaders from the school, pedagogical staff, teachers and kindergarten teachers. The number of participants were as following Denmark: 12 persons. Lithuania: 22 persons. Spain: 18 persons. Italy: 12 persons. Turkey: 15 persons. Poland:20 persons. Hungary: 16 persons. Description of undertaken activities We all worked with skills on meeting everyday problems in a creative way, introducing new methodological approaches and involving the students in these new creative learning methods. The aim was to encourage the students to find solutions to problems in their daily living and in their community. At the end of this project it was a success for us all to see, that the students achieved the aim to work cooperative with innovative and creative learning methods. The participating schools were all introduced to a variety of creative learning methods, and during the trainings the coordinators managed to implement both lessons with teachers and students together, and to show best practice. The trainings involved lessons performed by local students and teachers as well as training lessons in universities, technical university, higher education schools and visits to a variety of exhibitions and museums involving the everyday practice and the aim to achieve 21th century skills, enhance awareness of digital design and also creative learning methods. Results and impacts attained All original objects of the project were fulfilled. - Teachers have been motivated in lifelong learning and have enriched their professional experience with new teaching methods - Teachers have accieved new competencies and apply new methods thus increasing the quality of education and training; - Teachers have a better co-operation with students, this leading to a better understanding of their personalities and desires. Students: - Students learned about how to work in team and how to manage difficulties and how to become more tolerant and cooperative and being able to take initiatives. - Developed their ICT skills through the use of these modern technologies. - Students experienced to take the next best step in problem solving and life. Institutions: - Expanded the school curricula with new cross-curricular subjects. - Had the chance to exchange experiences and developing activities that promote the development, testing and/or implementation of innovative practices. - Opened up to new ideas coming from other European countries. Longer term benefits: It is obvious that we learned alot about being a member of The European Community, and to see that the challenges are all most the same in the 6 other countries as well. It has also contributed to the awarenes of 21st century skills and how to develop the school for the future.