CONTEXT AND NEEDS Adaptive tools, including AI-based software in education, are predicted to have a huge potential to empower learners through personalized learning and at the same time a profound impact on educational practices by enabling new ways of teaching. This new and rapidly growing area of education has been identified by researchers and experts as well as several European framework and reports as the key of future learning. Yet it is an area where practitioners and politicians alike lack information and understanding. The EMPOWER2LEARN project derives from an urgent need for strengthening the profiles of the teaching profession and support for educators in the area of personalized learning with ICT, through transnational and explorative (both scientific and practical) approaches. The project partners from Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK are teacher trainer institutions, local authorities and universities that all have a broad network of primary schools teachers/educators and that bring not only their own area of expertise to the project but also the expertise of associated partners. OBJECTIVES The objectives of the EMPOWER2LEARN project is to: EXPLORE, DEVELOP, PERFORM, EVALUATE AND DISSEMINATE METHODS FOR PERSONALIZED LEARNING WITH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN BOOST THE COMPETENCIES OF TEACHERS AND EDUCATORS AND EMPOWER ALL STUDENTS IN THEIR LEARNING. More specifically this means to: -Explore and analyse existing studies and best practices, useful digital tools and pedagogical models in primary schools EU-countries related to personalized learning -Develop an analysis and design framework that will be used to design (and redesign) effective CPD-activities supporting personalized learning -Perform and evaluate CPD activities with teachers in each country -Collate and disseminate digital resources for personalized learning to a wider target group within and beyond the partnership -Create synergies between research and innovation and promoting new technologies as drivers of improvements in education -Initiate international cooperation and strengthen the European dimension in partner organizations PARTICIPANTS AND ACTIVITIES More than 100 ICT educators, researchers and policymakers and 400 K-12 teachers will take part in activities that will be disseminated and have the potential to reach and benefit a minimum of 5000 K-12 teachers and ICT educators, 60000 students and 500 policymakers across the partner countries. Tasks have been organized into 4 WP:s (1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT, 2. PROMISING PRACTICES , 3. CPD-ACTIVITIES ON PERSONALIZED LEARNING WITH ICT, 4. EMPOWER2LEARN TOOLKIT ) and distributed democratically among the partners on the basis of their expertise. They all include intellectual outputs (IO1: ONLINE RESEARCH COLLECTION, IO2: PROMISING PRACTICES, IO3: REDESIGN OF CDP ACTIVITIES, IO4: EMPOWER2LEARN TOOLKIT) that will give both new and complementary input to the entire field of ICT-supported personalized learning in education. RESULTS AND IMPACT At a general level EMPOWER2LEARN is expected to result in enhanced knowledge how different technologies, including those using adaptive learning and artificial intelligence, support personalization among teachers, educational institutions, school leaders, policy makers and researchers as well as innovative and efficient practice for educators and teachers within and outside of the participating countries. The international cooperation will create expertise and interchange of insights and methods as well as facilitate a validation of methods for ICT supported personalized learning in education, training and youth systems on a regional, national and European level. At the same time it will contribute to more positive attitudes towards European collaboration and shared European values. The integration of the EMPOWER2LEARN-outputs in regional/national/international policy frameworks and reports is expected to lead to changes in national curricula and impact the modernization of European educational systems, increasing the quality and social inclusion in education. Ultimately, EMPOWER2LEARN is expected to impact the learning outcomes and development opportunities of ALL students, through a higher presence of personalized learning with ICT in European classrooms. All these results and impacts are in line with the Erasmus+ programme priorities as well as the one stated in the Paris Declaration from 2015, as differentiation and personalization can contribute to reduce disparities in learning outcomes affecting learners with disadvantaged background.
The overall objectives of the proposed project EMPOWER2LEARN was to: EXPLORE, DEVELOP, PERFORM, EVALUATE AND DISSEMINATE METHODS FOR PERSONALISED LEARNING WITH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN BOOST THE COMPETENCIES OF TEACHERS AND EDUCATORS AND EMPOWER ALL PUPILS IN THEIR LEARNING. Specific goals were to : -Explore and analyse existing studies and best practices, effective digital tools, and pedagogical models in primary schools in EU-countries related to personalised learning -Develop an analysis framework and a set of principles that will be used to design (and redesign) effective CPD activities supporting personalisation -Perform and evaluate CPD activities with teachers in each country -Evaluate to what extent the redesigned CPD activities are effective based on a set of formulated goals/criteria for success -Collate and disseminate digital resources for personalised learning (EMPOWER2LEARN toolkit) to a wider target group within and beyond the partnership -Create synergies between research and innovation and promote new technologies that can improve education -Initiate international cooperation and strengthen the European dimension in partner organisations
The potential of personalised learning in a classroom context has been pointed out as promising way to enhance the quality of K-12 education in the DigCompEdu -The European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (2017).The report, and particular, the area described as “Empowering learners” served as the basis for the EMPOWER2LEARN (E2L) project. In the project personalised learning is defined as learning that empowers students to become active in their learning pathways and tailor their learning activities to meet their needs, abilities and interests. Although the K-12 sector is investing heavily in technology as a means of providing students with a more differentiated education, current research evidence about as well as practical insights related to personalisation are scarce. Hence there was and still remains a need for broad and explorative approaches to sort out what strategies, and what combinations, are most useful for both teachers and students in this regard. There was also a need for guidance for not only teaching staff but also educators and policy makers in relation to offer personalisation to students through a variety of ICT-tools. The E2L project was designed to deliver outputs addressing these needs.