1) Gain insights into best practices in the chosen topics – For a co-creation method to be successful, the first step in our piloting process was to provide the participating schools (Tarvastu, Noarootsi, Forseliuse, and Valmiera) with new knowledge about the possibilities within each theme. 2) Gain knowledge and tools for co-creation to use in the future – This involved interactive co-creation workshops following expert knowledge-sharing sessions. Each school designed a prototype for their pilot during each of the three phases. 3) Implement the created prototypes in partner schools – Each school tested their prototype in real school settings. 4) Prepare the schools for the wider implementation of the tested prototypes 5) Share lessons learned across all participating schools – After each piloting phase, DD Foundation collected feedback and documented insights to compile the digital co-creation brochure. 6) Create a digital information brochure – A guide summarizing the lessons learned, and best practices was developed for use by other schools in Estonia and Latvia. This brochure also serves as a resource for DD Foundation in future development initiatives.
From extensive experience in consulting and helping schools create strategies and development plans for different public schools, Domus Dorpatensis (DD Foundation) had identified and come face-to-face with many issues that the Estonian education system needed to tackle. Among other things, we saw that schools needed to offer more flexibility in learning pathways by better integrating formal and non-formal learning, making education more inclusive by involving students in decision-making processes, and creating school environments where teachers were empowered to teach and students to learn. The project was developed in response to these evolving challenges in general education and the need for more effective, flexible, and inclusive methods. Schools today must provide high-quality education while adapting to modern societal needs and preparing students with the necessary competencies for the future. The project was designed to help schools collaboratively develop tailor-made solutions using co-creation methods rather than working in isolation while also making this approach more accessible to schools outside the project's scope.