The first principle of the European pillar of social rights, endorsed in December 2017 by the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission is: "Everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that will enable them to participate fully in society and to manage successfully transitions in the labour market". However, even though significant progress has been made in many areas, we still encounter many vulnerable groups, who do not have access to quality and inclusive education. This group includes children of foreign origin who enter school late and often do not speak the local language, such as unaccompanied minors, and children with disabilities or long-term health problems, who cannot attend school regularly and whose learning is therefore affected. Many of these children tend to leave school before completion because their teachers do not have the knowledge and tools to deal successfully with this type of student. As a result, they will have fewer opportunities to enter the labour market. Without work or with a low-paid job, the risk of social exclusion increases exponentially. To prevent this, educators should be able to adapt the teaching process to the abilities of all the students, this is why the MAIN OBJECTIVE of this project has been to extend and develop educators' competencies, including their digital skills and knowledge of ICT tools, to create an inclusive classroom environment. The partners aimed at a better integration of all students, with the consequent improvement of their academic results and motivation to continue with their education. The project's DIRECT TARGET GROUP were educators, tutors and teachers in formal and non-formal education centers, school and other educational center directors, teachers in training and teacher trainers. The INDIRECT TARGET GROUP of the project were the students, especially the ones with migrant background and students with some disability or special needs, who improved their motivation and the quality of their learning due to the new methodologies and resources that the teachers implemented in the classrooms. Thanks to the good cooperation of the partners and the involvement of their direct communities, the consortium has: - Developed an interactive database of good practices - Elaborated lesson plans for teaching English, mathematics and robotics - Distributed a photo-manifesto with recommendations for educators - Identified ambassadors in every partner country who will, from now on, become role models to implement the action plans - Designed and launched a project website with all materials developed and pedagogical resources for educators available in all partner languages Partners have participated in 4 transnational meetings (3 physical ones and one held online due to covid19 restrictions) which have been key to their high-quality performance and the achievement of the project objectives- Regarding the METHODOLOGY, each activity was led by a different partner organization, who provided the relevant guidelines to the others with the aim of having a consistent approach. All partners participated in the elaboration of the materials, always under the supervision of the leader. Once the materials were generated in English, there was an internal evaluation and the materials were improved with the instructions received. Finally, when the final English version was available, it was translated into the partners' languages, ensuring a larger outreach to educators in partner countries. The project had a significant impact on the direct target group, educators, tutors and teachers working in formal and non-formal education centers, and on the learners in these educational centers, especially those with special needs related to learning, the children's families and the whole community in general. The project has also had an impact at a local, national and international level not only in the partner countries but also in other EU countries due to its transferability, sustainability and potential for exploitation. The project has contributed to higher quality education and a greater awareness of the importance of promoting innovative pedagogical methods for quality teaching and the importance of ICT education, especially for students with special needs. For more information you can have a look at the project’s website: www.digitinclusion.eu
Starting from the context of the schools, educators have to know how to adapt to the the students needs. With this project, all partners aimed to achieve the following: - improve and develop the competences, skills and knowledge of ICT tools of the teachers in order to create a good classroom environment - make students feel motivated to learn, feel that they advance in their knowledge and improve their academic results and also that they want to continue with their studies and training.
We start from the context and the reality that we currently have in the classrooms: diversity in the learning pace of students and students of foreign origin who join the centers at a certain age and who do not speak our language. All partners share a common concern: the current context of the centers and the same objectives, that our students feel integrated in the classrooms, are motivated and their academic results improve. Digital tools are a motivation for students, they allow each one to have their own learning pace and through them they can achieve knowledge that will improve their academic results. All partners consider it important to share our experience in schools about the digital tools we use and also to improve our digital skills and knowledge of ICT tools to create an inclusive environment in the classroom. Good ICT training for teachers is also essential.