CORTTEX is a large scale initiative to develop, integrate and disseminate innovative educational strategies - enhanced learning methods and tools, to create new or inter-connect existing state-of-art cognitive teaching lessons and to build an European learning network platform that supports fast dissemination of learning content to a wider audience in a ubiquitous manner. CORTTEX focuses on employing novel teaching strategies, methods, technologies and knowledge in order to increase learner quality of experience, improve learning process and cognitive development, increase learning outcome. The CORTTEX objectives are: 1) develop and deploy a set of new cognitive instruments involving multi-methods of learning and teaching; 2) develop, integrate, deploy and disseminate state of the art cognitive strategies (e.g. making mind maps, visualisation, association, mnemonics, using clues in reading comprehension, underlining key words, scanning, self-testing and self-monitoring) - enhanced teaching methodologies including cognitive gamification, cognitive problem-based learning addressed to users from kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools; 3) build a large platform that links all stakeholders in education, enables content reuse, supports generation of new content, increases content exchange in diverse forms, develops and disseminates new teaching cognitive scenarios; 4) perform personalisation and adaptation for content, delivery and presentation in order to increase learner quality of experience and to improve learning process; 5) validate the platform impact and the effectiveness of the teaching cognitive scenarios in terms of user satisfaction and teaching experience. The validation will involve all major stakeholders in education area, from content providers, innovative idea creators, technology developers, associations, schools and teachers. The objectives meet the needs of the target groups: at least 160 teachers and other professionals from pre-university education to be trained in developing cognitive curriculum and to apply neurodidactics. The priorities meet the needs identified by the 3 partner countries concerning the absence of high-level transversal competences in teachers' initial formation provided by universities which triggers students' low achievements in developing their key competences. According to our researches, the rate of adults participating in education and training at EU level is 10.5%, while in the partner countries were identified the following percentages: Greece - 4.5% (2018), Belgium - 8.5% (2018), Romania - 0,9%, ( 2018)(according to Education and Training Monitor in 2019. Country analysis). Another component of the needs analyses highlighted the results obtained in PISA tests in 2018, where 40% (RO), 35,8%% (GR) , 20,1% (BE) of students who participated in the testing did not reach the baseline Level 2 in mathematics, literacy and science (OECD report for 2018). Activities: - A research on the perception and ideas related to current situation regarding the education of children with learning difficulties: teaching materials, curriculum, legislation. Also, the study will aim to identify the training needs of teachers, the structure of training, innovative pedagogical approaches for them, tools that teachers recommend to be included in learning content. - An exchange of know-how, expertise and good practices between researchers, specialists and practitioners in the field of teaching, learning difficulties, management of challenging behaviors in children with special learning needs. Development of an online training program (unified-accredited-openly licensed) for an unlimited number of participants and with open access via the web - in order to stimulate teachers who work with children with learning difficulties. The objectives of this program: • will develop teachers' abilities to identify and better evaluate children with learning difficulties and their potential • will train teachers on strategies and methods that are specific to cognitive education (e.g.mind map, mediated learning) • will train teachers on managing challenging behaviors by developing empathy, social stories and techniques of preventing violence • will enable teachers to establish a closer relationship with parents. A training platform will be created that will contain all the materials and information related to the project theme. It will be available in English and in the languages of the project’s partners in order to be used by many users from different countries. The platform will allow the future users to register, go through the learning modules and assess their knowledge. The platform will also contain links to other useful resources for users: legislation, European reports and other formal and informal documents. Partners: University of Bucharest -RO Casa Corpului Didactic Bucuresti -RO University of Macedonia -GR EAMHID -BE Intelearn Information Technology in Learning -GR
First, in this project, we looked to reveal the current state of affairs regarding the situation of students with learning disabilities in Romania, Belgium, and Greece. Second, we aimed to analyze the needs of specialists working with students with learning difficulties in these three countries. Following this needs analysis, we pursued to develop a platform of courses and educational resources useful to specialists in their work with these students. So, one goal of this project was to make the emerging science of learning difficulties accessible to practitioners who help children with learning support needs. We thought that teachers and other professionals (psychologists, speech therapists, and school counselors) should be informed and sensitized in order to recognize the symptoms of a learning difficulty. While the educational systems of different countries recognize the potential of students and children with learning difficulties to participate in the different levels of the educational process, teachers must receive appropriate training on teaching approaches, remedial education, or how to handle learning support needs. In addition, we considered that professionals responsible for children and teens with learning difficulties need to be trained on how to teach these students, observe their traits, and choose the appropriate pedagogical resources. Also, we took into account that parents must be guided by professionals to offer their children opportunities to succeed and improve their cognitive development and academic results.
Several European countries report greater percentages of students with learning difficulties, as well as Romania. It appears that when such categories are recognized in national systems, the numbers of students receiving additional resources can be considerable. Statistics show that the numbers of students receiving additional resources for learning difficulties as a percentage of all students in pre-primary are typically smaller than the corresponding percentages in compulsory education. Median values are 0.25% in pre-primary and 4.06% in compulsory education. One possible explanation for this finding is that it is difficult for some children to be identified as having a learning difficulty before they start compulsory education (OECD/EC 2009; OECD 2007; World Report on Disability World Health Organization) 2011; International Dyslexia Association (IDA)2017; Pouspourika 2019). In many countries, children with learning disabilities are considered people with disabilities, giving them access to many benefits from the state. Although in many papers, studies, and official documents the distinction between learning difficulties and learning disorders is not clearly explained, the difference between the two concepts is based on the substantive condition that determines the performance deficit in both cases: the disorder is generated by an atypical development of some brain functions, while the learning difficulty involves a typical development of brain functions, being generated by the presence of other disorders, or inadequate teaching methods, etc. (Dyslexia - AUSPELD, 2014; Gavril, 2019). Comprehension, speech difficulties and sometimes cognitive deficits are the most serious problems of children with learning difficulties. For example, a preschooler with a family history of dyslexia may experience speech difficulties, as well as delays in vocabulary development and expressive syntax. By kindergarten, this child is likely to have trouble learning letter names and color names. In first grade, phoneme awareness will always be difficult, as learning to decode new printed words and recognizing familiar ones. In the later elementary grades, problems in reading fluency and comprehension will be more evident, in addition to problems memorizing math facts. Somewhat later, there are likely to have difficulties with math “word” problems, as well as with foreign languages. Learning difficulties are a challenge for both students and teachers, or other specialists who come into contact with students. These difficulties have negative snowball effects if they are not identified early and managed properly. Students with learning difficulties meet both in mainstream education and in special education, which is why we consider it a topic worthy of investigation.