This partnership of 7 European schools and an educational charity seeks to improve the digital readiness of European educators in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular the partnerships two digital education problems exacerbated by the pandemic: the modernisation and digital transformation of education becoming a barrier to equal opportunities; online misinformation increasing segregation, racism and discrimination. The schools in this partnership have found that COVID-19 has exacerbated these two problems through restrictions on travel and enrichment opportunities, and the increased use of online information. To address these challenges, we have developed these objectives: 1. Raise the proficiency levels of the educators involved in the project to Leaders and Pioneers on the European Framework for the Educational Competences of Educators 2. Create an innovative blended learning curriculum and educational resources on controversial historical topics, adapted to educational specifications in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and the UK 3. Develop the media literacy and digital information competences of students in the partner schools through the implementation of the new curriculum 4. Disseminate widely the curriculum and resources to as, thereby developing educators’ competences in digital resources and students’ competences in media literacy and digital information. 5. Establish and disseminate an innovative digital debating programme to provide opportunities for students from low socioeconomic background for online collaboration with students from different social, religious, ethnic or national communities To meet these outputs, the partnership will create, implement and disseminate an innovative curriculum for blended learning, adapted for Belgian, British, Danish, French and German educational systems. The resources and activities in this curriculum can be used at home, in school or a mixture, if some of the students are self-isolating at home because of COVID-19. The topics for this curriculum will be the Israel-Palestine conflict, The Troubles in Northern Ireland and the Franco-Algerian War. This curriculum will present the history of these controversial topics as two competing narratives. The curriculum will ask students to evaluate the evidence underpinning those narratives, debate the evidence and the arguments, and form their own judgement on the conflict. Through this methodology, students will develop their media literacy, including the critical analysis of evidence. They will also develop intercultural awareness, debating skills and identification with European, pluralistic values. This partnership will also disseminate this curriculum through establishing an online CPD programme that empowers educators to deliver blended learning to facilitate student media literacy, through raising the digital proficiencies of educators. The partnership will contribute best practices and policy recommendations on blended learning through a report evaluating the project activities. The partnership will also establish an innovative digital debating programme. This programme will provide opportunities for students, especially from low socio-economic backgrounds, to collaborate with students from other backgrounds and countries. The students will debate controversial topics, developing their intercultural awareness and media literacy. The impacts of the project will be: • Empowering more than 40 educators across 5 countries to develop their digital competences to deliver blended learning, provide opportunities for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and develop student media literacy • Develop media literacy, substantive knowledge of controversial topics and an appreciation of European values for at least 450 secondary school students across Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and the UK The long-term benefits will be a new network of innovative schools meeting regularly online for their student to debate controversial topics. The project will improve coordination between European schools and the knowledge base for policymaking about blended learning. Educators will be equipped with the digital competences to ensure no student is ‘left behind’ and to continue developing student media literacy. Most importantly, a generation of European students will develop the skills and values necessary for a flourishing, pluralistic, democratic Europe.
We wanted to: 1. Raise the proficiency levels of the educators involved in the project to Leaders and Pioneers on the European Framework for the Educational Competences of Educators 2. Create an innovative blended learning curriculum and educational resources on controversial historical topics, adapted for use in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and the UK. 3. Develop the media literacy and digital information competences of students in the partner schools through the implementation of the curriculum. 4. Disseminate this curriculum and resources to as many schools across Europe as possible, thereby developing educators’ competences in digital resources and students’ competences in media literacy and digital information. 5. Establish and disseminate an innovative digital debating programme to provide opportunities for students from low socioeconomic background for online collaboration with students of different backgrounds and nationalities.
We applied for this project to improve the digital readiness of educators in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences. In particular, we wanted to address two problems. The first was the divide in access to digital infrastructure and skills becoming a barrier to equal opportunities in education. The second was online misinformation increasing segregation, racism and discrimination. These problems were identified in the Communication on the Digital Education Action Plan adopted by the European Commission. The schools and organisations participating in the project identified that the pandemic was exacerbating these problems through restrictions on travel and enrichment opportunities, and the increased use of online information. The needs we have addressed are: 1. Those of educators in teaching using digital resources, in developing students’ media literacy, and in promoting equal opportunities in education. 2. Those of 15-18 year old students in developing intercultural awareness and skills to analyse online information and counter misinformation. 3. Those of 15-18 year old students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in developing cultural capital and other competences to recover ground lost during the pandemic.