Context Background Latest PISA tests shows that most of EU countries has lower problem solving skills when they are compared to their peers in Asia. https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-results-in-focus.pdf (Page 5) Objective of the project is to increase these skills in partners countries. Partnership will develop strategies and tactics based on our pan European analysis of good practices of use of strategic GBL in the classroom, prepare manual for the implementation, implement good practices in 35 schools and monitor improvement of logical thinking skills over six month period in 5 partner countries which underachieved in PISA test. GBL and logic puzzles are two ways high school students can boost their analytical skills. Strengthening your brain through mental games enable students to better solve problems in the real world as well as exams in school. http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-admissions-playbook/2014/06/23/5-tools-to-develop-critical-thinking-skills-before-college Issues All of life is problem solving. Changes in society, environment and in technology mean that the content of applicable knowledge evolves rapidly. Adapting, learning, daring to try out new things are among the keys to resilience and success in an unpredictable world. Problem solving processes have been studied over the past hundred years. It is the concluding part of a larger process that also includes problem finding and problem shaping. It is a cognitive process that requires the modulation and control of more routine or fundamental skills. In adolescence, changes in the brain interacts with experience, knowledge and social demands and produce rapid cognitive growth.(Source: Boundless. “Cognitive Development in Adolescence.” Boundless Psychology Boundless, 20 Sep. 2016.) Jean Piaget describes adolescence as the stage of life in which the individual's thoughts begin taking more of an abstract form and egocentric thoughts decrease. This allows the adolescent to think and reason with a wider perspective. Wisdom, or the capacity for insight and judgment that is developed through experience, increases between the ages of 14 and 25; however, the tendency toward risk-taking also increases during adolescence. So it is very significant to activate and direct problem solving skills during this period. Objectives Students will be provided to practice specific skills required to successfully solve problems in a funny problem solving process. Teachers will be made aware of different implementations of GBL including traditional ones to foster problem solving skills of their students. They will be equipped with the knowledge and the skills to make their students have the ability to solve problems efficiently and in a timely fashion without difficulty. We aim at increasing the problem solving skills percentage from 10% to 20% across the participating countries. Number and profile of participants 1) Teachers from from VET and Secondary Schools - Directly involved in teacher training and implementation of the results into schools: 4 school partners*5 teachers=20 teachers - Indirectly involved: around 200 providers of the partner Countries will be involved through communication, awareness and dissemination activities 2) Students at secondary schools -Directly involved in Ltt activities for pupils: 4 school partners*8 pupils=32 pupils - Directly involved: 25 students per teacher = 20 * 25 = 500 students that will be part of the the piloting of GBL in school - Indirectly involved (in terms of impact): a market segment of around 10.000 participants who can benefit from the use and spread of the outputs and the project results (can be counted by downloading our material or watching videos on our portal) 3) Directors and people responsible for the local services system, politicians and people responsible for local entities and Public and Educational Administration - Directly involved: at least 9 people from the partners entities - Indirectly involved: at least 30 people of the partner Countries will be reached and involved through communication, awareness and dissemination activities The project aims at producing 4 tangible results (Intellectual outputs) that we can define and describe as follows: IO1. Analysis of good practices of using games based learning in the primary and secondary school curricula to foster problem solving skills. IO2. Guidelines for implementation of good practices into education IO3. Education portal with 15 videos of games rules and descriptions IO4. Development of training programme and Implementation into 40 schools in all partners countries
The project was aimed at making teachers and students involved in its activities aware of the opportunities offered by the use of traditional and online games in the teaching and learning process. The aim of the project was also to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills enabling the use of games in the didactic process. The project assumed wide dissemination activities, so that not only teachers from partner schools of the project were implemented in the use of games during their lessons, but also representatives of educational institutions from schools indirectly involved in the project, could fully benefit from its results. All of the above activities were to lead to an increase in problem-solving skills among young people, not only in class-lesson situations, but also in real situations.
According to PISA research, problems related to solving problems are neglected among young people in many EU countries. This is especially clear when we compare the results achieved in this area by young people from Asian countries. Logical thinking and problem-solving are elements of the teaching and learning process that exceed the standards characteristic of methods functioning in the traditional class-lesson system. They become especially important in the context of motivating students and making them aware of how much the content provided in school can become useful in real life situations. The project partner schools decided to raise funds to create tools and materials for teachers and students that would effectively and at the same time attractively develop students' analytical skills. The lack of such teaching aids was signaled by educational, activitists in which the project's partner organizations operate.