Based on the needs outlined above, this project had the following AIMS in terms of APPROACHES TO TEACHING AND LEARNING: - (1): Allow teachers to gain knowledge, new ideas, and experiences in the field of INNOVATIVE DIDACTICAL APPROACHES: The IB learner profile wants students to become critical thinkers, inquirers, communicators, open-minded, caring and principled young citizens who are ready to take responsibility and shape the future. During this project colleagues from all IB subjects will participate in one IB training course to gain knowledge about the special IB methodology and principles of education. Based on this input the IB group will reconsider its approaches to learning and teaching. There is even a discussion going on to incorprorate the IB principles into the programme of the school. - (2): Train all teachers in the field of DIGITAL COMPETENCIES in order to foster the integration of digital learning in all classrooms and thus allow for more differentiation and individualization of the learning processes: Even though some teachers have already taken part in training during the current KA1-project, there is still a great demand among our colleagues to get an in-depth insight into all the digital options available to them. - (3): Facilitate Schillerschule’s path of INTERNATIONALIZATION and allow both teachers and students to broaden their horizons and gain valuable and positive experiences in European projects and exchanges: Participating in international training will allow teachers to make contacts with other teachers from abroad, exchange best practices, experiences, and material, but first and foremost, it will help them become more open-minded, flexible and affirmative towards international activities and eTwinning projects at our school. To put it in a nutshell, students at Schillerschule will profit from this project in that their teachers use more modern, digital and innovative didactical and methodological approaches in their lessons, which allow for more individualization, flexibility and international experiences.
Schillerschule Hannover is, organisationally, a very diverse school. It offers inclusive schooling for the weaker students as well as excellence initiatives such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma program or the MINT network. All of these different activities are very demanding for all members of staff. A teacher is not merely a teacher in his field, for example, Maths or English, but has to address a vast variety of special learning needs and learning levels. The call for "Differentiation" in the classroom can be seen as the buzzword of the decade in the educational game, yet a lot of teachers find it hard to cope with all the new challenges they are faced with. If teachers want to stay true to the creed that classes, firstly, should pay service to the school's different programs, and, secondly, that the teachers have to create classes which are tailored at each student's individual needs, the school has to streamline her efforts to help teachers design such classes. Teachers need to get scaffolding which helps them organize their lessons. The courses teachers will take part in in this project are supposed to provide this very scaffolding. They should get to know innovative APPROACHES TO TEACHING AND LEARNING (ATL), which will help them to react autonomously to the growingly disparate demands their school sets to them so that they will view these demands not as disparate, but not as irreconcilable. Apart from the need to improve the teachers‘ competencies in the field of didactics, Schillerschule’s development plan has mainly focussed on INTERNATIONALIZATION and DIGITALIZATION over the last couple of years. Therefore, there is a continuous need for teachers to become experts in the fields of digital learning, intercultural competencies, and the IB methodology. Moreover, teachers aim at broadening their horizons and making new contacts by taking part in international training courses and job shadowings.