The main objective of the project is Continuing Professional Development of our staff. We anticipate that our participating staff will be exposed to new and exciting ways of implementing Digital Technologies in the classroom. On return from their KA1 mobility/ trip they will present their findings and learning to the rest of the staff using the Pineapple chart. This is a visual timetable where teachers welcome/invite their peers into their classroom. The invited teacher will observe and engage in the class and the intention is that they will then impart this new knowledge in their own teaching within their own classroom. Opportunities will also be facilitated to present at staff meetings. They may add additional information on staff notice boards. The long term objective is that new methods and technologies will be introduced into our classrooms which will enhance the learning of our pupils. We wish to use our KA1 experience in order to upskill our teaching staff in Information and communication technology/Digital technology activities. This in turn will facilitate our teaching staff to use their new peer learned knowledge to create and foster a familiarity of use of appropriate ICT/ DT activities to scaffold the curriculum in Oral Language. In turn this will expose the students to a learning that will enhance their ICT / DT skills. The teaching staff will feel confident and empowered enough to create and be creative when planning their lessons using digital methodologies and strategies. The result or our intention of becoming involved in a KA1 project is to ensure our teaching staff feel that such participation in such a project will make them more fluent in an area which otherwise would be seen as out of their reach and capabilities. We feel that peer mentoring and tutoring is the perfect way to disseminate this newfound knowledge as we are limited by time tabling restrictions and practical things like sub cover for teachers who wish to engage with continuous professional development in these particular fields.
We are a Special School who cater for students with Mild General Learning Difficulties and students on the Autistic Spectrum. The students needs are becoming more complex plus Department of Education School Self Evaluation processes encourage us to be innovative in the methodologies we use to meet our students needs. Our school staff have a history of Comenius, e Twinning and Erasmus projects since 2011, therefore, it seemed logical for us to apply for this project to meet our staff s upcoming Curricular Professional development needs. Our School Self evaluation plan has identified Language and communication as its priority as a result of the launching of the New Primary Language Curriculum. having targeted these two areas to improve over the next 2 years we have drawn up a digital action plan that focuses on Oral; language. We would like to focus on: Digital oral language activitivies, implement peer observation/tutoring and use D.T. to enhance learning. Therefore, our school needs teachers who are proficient in new digital technology skills. We believe in taking part in a KA1 the opportunity to learn new teaching methods from our colleagues in other parts of Europe. Training of staff is imperative in order to acquire particular competences.