Enable Learning – Nurture Talents – Take Responsibility For several years, the Erasmus+ exchange programme of the Wiedner Gymnasium/Sir-Karl-Popper-Schule in Austria and the Deutschhaus-Gymnasium Würzburg in Germany has provided excellent opportunities for cooperation and valuable insights for our school practice. Building on these experiences, we would therefore greatly appreciate the chance to develop a further professional development and exchange project. For these purposes, the longstanding collaboration between the Wiedner Gymnasium/Sir-Karl-Popperschule, the Gymnasium Achern and the “eVOCATIOn” institute will be re-established. The key focus of the programme will be the questions: How can we best support individual students in their learning? How can we recognise the various and manifold talents of pupils in order to support them appropriately? How can pupils take responsibility for their own learning and become “authors of their own learning process” (translated from Gabriele Weigand)? The tools of mentoring / coaching and the option subjects system can be two answers to these complex questions. Both schools have already implemented these measures; however, they are determined to develop them further. Additionally, the constant reflection of these questions are key elements of the teachers’ and principals’ understanding of their professional practice. Furthermore, it is our clear goal to convey this attitude to our pupils: Enable Learning – Nurture Talents – Take Responsibility. In order to satisfy this demand ourselves and in the truest meaning of the phrase “lifelong learning”, we want to connect with other schools that strive for these ideals. In the context of the exchange programme Erasmus+, methodological skills of the pedagogues in providing individual support for the pupils will be strengthened. Additionally, teachers will be acquainted with new didactic concepts, which can then be applied in teaching the gifted as well as pupils at a regular school. Educational tools to nurture and support talents will be introduced, examined and reflected on. Better cooperation between teachers inside and outside classrooms will lead to increased professionalism and the further development of whole-school agendas. The project will pursue these goals: - Study visits at the partner school by a delegation of four teachers from each participating school - Lesson observations in the partner school - Teaching of lessons in the partner school - Exchange of teaching methods and tools to support talents - Development of further measures to support individual learning - Exchange of experiences regarding mentoring / coaching - Mutual job-shadowing of the headmasters, in particular with regards to the organisation of mentoring/coaching and the options subject system - Development of strategies to create a learning environment that promotes the students’ autonomy and responsibility for their own learning - Teachers participating in the professional development course “eVOCATIOn” to provide a solid theoretical background to the “pedagogy focused on the whole person”. The expected overall result is to ensure that experiences made in going new pedagogical paths and in internationalisation will prove beneficial to ALL pupils, whether those in special classes for gifted students, or those in regular teaching.
Enable Learning – Nurture Talents – Take Responsibility For several years, the Erasmus+ exchange programme of the Wiedner Gymnasium/Sir-Karl-Popper-Schule in Austria and the Deutschhaus-Gymnasium Würzburg in Germany has provided excellent opportunities for cooperation and valuable insights for our school practice. Building on these experiences, we greatly appreciated the chance to develop a further professional development and exchange project. For these purposes, the longstanding collaboration between the Wiedner Gymnasium/Sir-Karl-Popperschule, the Gymnasium Achern and the “eVOCATIOn” institutewas re-established. The key focus of the programme were the questions: How can we best support individual students in their learning? How can we recognise the various and manifold talents of pupils in order to support them appropriately? How can pupils take responsibility for their own learning and become “authors of their own learning process” (translated from Gabriele Weigand)? The tools of mentoring / coaching and the option subjects system can be two answers to these complex questions. Both schools have already implemented these measures; however, they are determined to develop them further. In addition to discussions on structural conditions, the focus of the project was on consolidating and developing the teachers 'and school principals' own understanding of the profession, dealing with and reflecting on these questions. "Enabling learning - promoting talents - taking responsibility" contains an attitude that we would like to convey to our students and is generally what we expect from a good school. For this reason we "looked outside the box" and got in touch with a school that strives for similar ideals. Further training in the sense of lifelong learning on the part of the school principal and the teachers are ultimately essential in order to be able to achieve these goals. As part of the exchange program, the methodological competence of the teachers with regard to the individual talent development of all students should be strengthened. In addition, the teachers got to know, understood and reflected on new didactic concepts, which can then be applied in teaching the gifted as well as pupils at a regular school. Five teachers from Vienna / Achern (D) stayed at the Achern Gymnasium / Wiedner Gymansium for several days. In these days not only lesson observings took place in different subjects at both schools, but also increased the cooperation between all participating teachers in and outside of class and deepened their professionalism. The planned job shadowing of the two principals was also carried out on two different dates. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however, not all planned elements and goals could be realized within the project period. Although there were two mutual meetings with five teachers each from / at both schools, mutual teaching units - in which one's own subject should be taught at the respective host school - and more extensive lesson observations based on the student survey were no longer possible to be realized. Nevertheless, the collegial discussions were very beneficial for all sides. Therefore the various possibilities of promoting talent at the individual school locations could be also discussed (including the Achern model, coaching, elective module system, EVA, FSA). With the planned participation of teachers in the advanced training course "eVOCATIOn" should be guaranteed also a theoretical deepening in relation to the topic "Enable learning - promote talents - take responsibility". However, due to the pandemic, this course has been postponed. Starting in spring 2020 the participating teachers will therefore take part in the three-semester course. Since further education - in the sense of lifelong learning - is an indispensable component in order to be able to achieve the above-mentioned goals. The planned "development of strategies for the establishment of suitable learning environments to strengthen the students' personal responsibility" is to be implemented at the Wiedner Gymnasium with the student project "You (r) Plant". Work on the project began in May 2021. Due to the uncertain situation with regard to school closings, a start was not yet possible. According to the current status, the project should start in November 2021 at the Wiedner Gymnasium.