Professional Documents
Culture Documents
GUIDELINES
The methodological design for the reAct project
Deliverable 2
Dissemination level: public
May 2011
In partnership with
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.This publication [communication] reflects the views
only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information
contained therein.
reAct – reactivating teachers and learners
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH GUIDELINES
Valencia-SPAIN
This manual was edited the 31th of May 2011.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication
[communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible
for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
1
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 6
1.1
WP2 Objectives ................................................................................................................ 6
1.2
Organization of this document.......................................................................................... 7
2
Pedagogical Framework .............................................................................................................. 8
2.1
General Learning Theories ............................................................................................... 8
2.1.1
The Social Nature of Learning .............................................................................. 9
2.1.2
Learning, Understanding, and Control ................................................................ 10
2.1.3
Connectivism, the Role of Technology ................................................................ 10
2.1.4
Networked Learning and Learning in Communities ............................................. 11
3
Collaboration .............................................................................................................................. 13
3.1
Elements of Collaborative Learning ............................................................................... 13
3.1.1
The Teacher's Role in Collaborative Learning .................................................... 14
3.1.2
The Role of Technology in Collaborative Learning ............................................. 14
3.2
Learning and Motivation ................................................................................................. 14
3.3
Creativity in Education .................................................................................................... 15
3.3.1
Promoting Creativity in the Classroom ............................................................... 16
3.3.2
Play and Creativity .............................................................................................. 17
3.4
Characteristics of Effective Learning Environments ....................................................... 17
3.5
What Does this Mean in Practical Terms ........................................................................ 18
3.5.1
reAct Teachers to Adopt a Learner Centered Approach ..................................... 19
3.5.2
Fostering Motivation ........................................................................................... 19
3.5.3
Group Oriented Activities .................................................................................... 19
3.5.4
Using Technology ............................................................................................... 19
3.5.5
Professional Development of Teachers .............................................................. 20
4
Experiences from other Projects ................................................................................................ 21
4.1
UrWay.nl Experiences .................................................................................................... 21
4.1.1
Target Group ....................................................................................................... 22
4.1.2
Coaches and Organization ................................................................................. 22
4.2
The Hole-in-the-wall Project ........................................................................................... 23
4.2.1
The potential of self-organized learning.............................................................. 23
4.2.2
Limits of Self-organizing Learning ...................................................................... 24
4.3
The Knowmads Initiative ................................................................................................ 24
4.3.1
Organization and Program .................................................................................. 24
4.3.2
Methodologies .................................................................................................... 25
4.3.3
Pedagogical Principles ....................................................................................... 25
4.3.4
Peer-Assessment & Reflection ........................................................................... 26
4.3.5
Client-Assessment .............................................................................................. 26
4.3.6
Autonomy ............................................................................................................ 26
4.3.7
International ........................................................................................................ 26
4.3.8
Co-create/Collaborate ......................................................................................... 26
4.4
Findings from Workpackage 1 ........................................................................................ 27
4.5
What Does this Mean in Practical Terms ........................................................................ 29
4.5.1
Trust as a Basic Value ........................................................................................ 29
4.5.2
Blending Communication Channels .................................................................... 29
4.5.3
Flexibility in Pedagogical and Organizational Design ......................................... 29
5
Implementations in Local Contexts ............................................................................................ 30
3
5.1
The Austrian Pilot 1 ........................................................................................................ 30
5.1.1
Target Group ....................................................................................................... 30
5.1.2
Teachers Involved ............................................................................................... 31
5.1.3
Course Details .................................................................................................... 31
5.1.4
Pedagogy: Relevance for reAct Project .............................................................. 31
5.1.5
Preliminary Choice for Activities and Tools ......................................................... 31
5.2
The Greek Pilot 1 ........................................................................................................... 32
5.2.1
Target Group ....................................................................................................... 32
5.2.2
Teachers Involved ............................................................................................... 32
5.2.3
Course Details .................................................................................................... 32
5.2.4
Pedagogy: Relevance for reAct Project .............................................................. 33
5.2.5
Preliminary Choice for Specific Activities and Tools ........................................... 33
5.2.6
Issues to be Decided .......................................................................................... 33
5.3
The Italian Pilot............................................................................................................... 33
5.3.1
Target Group ....................................................................................................... 33
5.3.2
Teachers Involved ............................................................................................... 34
5.3.3
Course Details .................................................................................................... 34
5.3.4
Pedagogy: Relevance for reAct Project .............................................................. 34
5.3.5
Preliminary Choice for Activities and Tools ......................................................... 35
5.4
The Spanish Pilot 1 ........................................................................................................ 35
5.4.1
Target Group ....................................................................................................... 35
5.4.2
Teachers Involved ............................................................................................... 35
5.4.3
Course Details .................................................................................................... 36
5.4.4
Pedagogy: Relevance for reAct Project .............................................................. 37
5.5
The Portuguese Pilot 1 ................................................................................................... 38
5.5.1
Target Group ....................................................................................................... 38
5.5.2
Teachers Involved ............................................................................................... 38
5.5.3
Course Details .................................................................................................... 38
5.5.4
Pedagogy: Relevance for reAct Project .............................................................. 38
5.5.5
Preliminary Choice for Activities and Tools ......................................................... 39
5.5.6
Issues to be Decided .......................................................................................... 39
5.6
The Dutch Pilot 1 ............................................................................................................ 39
5.6.1
Target Group ....................................................................................................... 39
5.6.2
Teachers Involved ............................................................................................... 39
5.6.3
Course Details .................................................................................................... 40
5.6.4
Pedagogy: related to the reAct Project ............................................................... 40
5.6.5
Preliminary Choice for Activities and Tools ......................................................... 40
5.6.6
Issues to be Decided .......................................................................................... 41
6
The reAct Methodological Design .............................................................................................. 42
6.1
The Seven Design Principles ......................................................................................... 42
6.2
Organizational Strategy .................................................................................................. 43
6.2.1
Assumptions ....................................................................................................... 43
6.3
Some Examples of Specific Activities............................................................................. 44
6.3.1
Activities Fostering Independence in the Learning Process ............................... 44
6.3.2
Specific Activity: Profiling .................................................................................... 46
6.3.3
Specific Activity: Online games ........................................................................... 47
6.3.4
Research & Learning .......................................................................................... 50
6.3.5
The Creative Tool Studio .................................................................................... 51
5
1 Introduction
The fundamental goal of the reAct Project is to pilot and experiment radical changes in
pedagogical approaches of non-formal education. It aims at reducing the number of dropouts
through leveraging motivation and agency of learners. Instead of the curriculum being the
major factor for instructional teaching, the reAct project aims at improving the students’
capacity to learn, including both cognitive and affective aspects. The students’ motivation
and ownership of his/her learning will be the main driver for organizing teaching practices
that should lead to better learning results, higher efficacy, and higher return on investment.
This document constitutes the reAct Work Package 2 deliverable. It describes a common
educational view and agreement on how to execute the planned pilots, leaving room to both
local conditions and circumstances of each partner institution, and a shared interest in
innovative teaching and learning approaches using ICT, meanwhile addressing the project’s
goals. The document has been authored in collaboration with all partners, and led by Delft
University of Technology and SERVEF.
The guidelines of the methodological design aim at providing suggestions for the educational
background to be implemented and suggestions for specific activities to be undertaken
during the pilot 1. Both the overall pedagogical approach and the specific activities will be
revised after the pilots 1 for evaluation and revision and adjustments of activities in the pilot
2.
Work package 2 is linked with work package 3, which constitutes of the collection and
description of tools to support the methodological design. The objective of WP3 is to provide
a range of tools learners and teachers can use in the approach according to their needs
rather than imposing an institutional environment on them. The idea is that they can
integrate the tools provided into their personal learning environments (understood as the
range of people, resources, spaces and sources they use to learn). Because it is difficult to
develop these two work packages independently, this document will also contain
suggestions for tools to support the defined activities.
This document is the result of contributions by all partners involved, and has been
coordinated by Delft University of Technology and SERVEF. The document includes a review
of educational literature that concerns different theories and views on learning, motivation,
creativity, and collaboration. In addition to literature findings, the document reflects partners’
Implementation of any strategy or methodological design becomes more effective when it fits
to local contexts, issues, and values. Therefore all partners describe their local context for
pilot 1 within a fixed format. We took these descriptions as input for the methodological
design presented in Chapter 4. Finally, we propose a list of possible activities to be
conducted by each partner.
The first part (chapters 2-4) describes the pedagogical framework, which will underpin the
actions of the reAct partners during the pilots. It includes also the outcomes of the interviews
with all partners focusing on the local ambitions, circumstances, and restrictions related to
the execution of the pilots. From these theoretical and practical issues, consequences will be
drawn with respect to the approach and strategy to be taken for the pilots in the various
countries.
The second part (chapter 5) describes suggestions for a strategy including concrete specific
activities that will help teachers and students to work in an innovative way. These activities
have been subject to discussion among the reAct partners, are specific enough to provide
guidance to those who will implement them, and generic enough to be adapted to local
context.
7
2 Pedagogical Framework
This chapter provides a literature analysis addressing general learning theories, and with
special emphasis on motivation and learning in the Internet age. It offers an overview of
underpinning theoretical backgrounds that will help reAct partners to take a shared view on
why we are willing to change teaching practices for the target groups we deal with.
From the literature overview implications will be drawn for the methodological design that is
aimed at promoting innovative learning in the reAct Project.
The illustration below shows development of learning theories in the 20th century. These
three approaches are acknowledged as the three traditional strands in pedagogy. The
following paragraphs will elaborate on more recent developments.
For effective learning, knowledge should be uniquely constructed by people through play,
exploration and social discourse with others. Learning objectives presented in constructivist
learning environments should be firmly embedded in context, and should, at least in some
way, represent every day life situations. Learners should also accept responsibility for their
9
own learning and be self-motivated to explore different knowledge domains. (Amory &
Seagram, n d)
New developments in the science of learning also emphasize the importance of helping
people take control of their own learning. Since understanding is viewed as important,
people must learn to recognize when they understand and when they need more
information. Effective learning environment therefore focus on sense-making, self-
assessment, and reflection on what worked and what needs improving (Paris & Winograd,
2003; Siemens, 2005; G Stahl, 2003; Gerry Stahl, Koschmann, & Suthers, 1999).
Meaning: a way of talking about an individual’s ability to experience life and the world as
meaningful.
Practice: a way of talking about shared historical and social resources, frameworks, and
perspectives that can sustain individuals in a mutual engagement in action.
Community: a way of talking about the social configurations in which an individual’s
enterprises are defined as worth pursuing and its participation is recognizable as
competence.
Identity: a way of talking about how learning changes an individual and creates a personal
history, or learning biography (Diepstraten 2006), in the social and societal situations.
In communities, learning means moving from the peripheral (lurking, being introduced into
processes, people, etc) into the center (sharing expertise, making decisions). Peripheral
participants do not accumulate knowledge and skills but are introduced in processes,
routines, networks, relevant issues, and approaches within the community. “The individual
11
learner is not gaining a discrete body of abstract knowledge which (s)he will then transport
and reapply in later contexts. (…) There is no necessary implication that a learner acquires
mental representations that remain fixed thereafter, not that the ‘lesson’ taught consists itself
in a set of abstract representations” (Allert, 2004).
Since traditional models of distance learning have not inspired researchers and teachers to
develop innovative pedagogical practices, current research and development work in the
field has turned towards creating multi-faceted pedagogical practices, utilizing ICT, that can
support learners in their efforts to engage in deeper-level learning and interaction (G Stahl,
2003). Allert argues that in modern knowledge societies, there is a need for scenarios that
focus on collaborative processes of creating innovative knowledge (Allert, 2004). This type of
learning comprises of open, ill-structured problem solving processes, focuses on
communication and collaboration.
Participants in the collaborative learning process are considered as ‘nodes’ where each
becomes a participant in the construction of their own knowledge in interaction with materials
and peers, rather than passive consumers of information.
The success of collaborative learning using the Internet depends on several factors (Brufee,
1987; Scagnoli & Stephens, 2005):
1. Proper selection of applications that facilitate communication and collaboration,
2. The use of such applications in activities that motivate collaborative learning
3. The teacher's role in encouraging participation and creating the conditions and
climate to establish a learning community.
13
3.1.1 The Teacher's Role in Collaborative Learning
The teacher’s role in collaborative learning environments, albeit offline or online, is one of
encouraging participation and creating conditions for collaboration. In fact, he/she has a
critical role to play in the learning process of students as he/she is the motivator and
inspirator of the students learning activities. In addition, the teacher has to be familiar with
technology as online learning environments tend to become an integral part of the teaching
practice. How do we create conditions to encourage collaborative learning? Here are some
suggestions to do so.
Ensure that the environment is democratic, non-hostile, non-competitive and encourages
respect for the views and opinions of others (Sheridan 1989), encouraging constructive
debate. It is important that participants feel free to share ideas and experiences in pursuit of
creating shared learning.
Teachers should be flexible, and able to adapt to:
Changing topics for discussion or debate. Often, the class has interests in tangential issues
not central to the topic of discussion.
Group formation. Allow groups to meet through a topic of interest and not force them to
participate in one or another group.
Activities led by students facilitate collaborative learning that, by reducing dependence on
the teacher , allow students to trust their own abilities to explore and develop knowledge.
Manage expectations and objectives of the program to be developed
Plan for the many collaborative learning situations that will take place in class, ensure that
the time allotted will be appropriate, establish and communicate clear goals, provide clear
instructions, and be ready to answer questions or assist with or in conflict situations
(MacGregor 1990).
Traditional education is mainly based on extrinsic motivation. External incentives are tests,
assessments, the final exams, the curriculum, and the subsequent favors of getting a
certificate that opens possibilities for new studies or jobs. Although the final goals of
secondary education provide good opportunities for life, it is difficult for some students to
keep this long-term advantage in mind all the way through the years they have to attend
school. In addition, there are many instances in school life where the relation to the final goal
of secondary education is lost and students have to learn instrumentally content that is
hardly useful for school success. Unfortunately, schools stick to the curriculum that is
mandatory and the exercises coming along with that do not always suit students interests
today. As a consequence, students get disconnected from the educational system. Teachers
are considered irrelevant, which is even worse than being hated. Of course, school as an
institution is not the only factor for students to drop out. Students dropping out appear to
have also other problems most of the time. Psychological characteristics and social
circumstances may play an important role as well. But whatever the causes for dropping out,
for those students it is even more important that learning should become an activity they are
motivated for. It might be clear that for those students sticking to the compulsory curriculum
is apparently not the way to go. Instead, as motivation is key for those drop-out students,
their interests should become the major issue for choosing content and configuring
appropriate learning arrangements. Their interests will help them to reconsider learning as
relevant and joyful. Experiences as described in the Urway Project have shown that such a
pedagogy of following the students’ interests will foster self-esteem and will help students to
make a restart in learning and participation on the labour market.
Instilling creativity in the classroom is a crucial factor in developing a person's mind. The
best classrooms are those where the students have no inhibitions and are free to form their
own ideas based on practical experience and theoretical knowledge, and this can only be
achieved through a methodical disregard for conventions. The responsibility of ensuring the
development and promotion of creativity in the classroom lies firmly in the teachers hands,
15
and this is an aspect of education that must not be ignored. Rather than teaching students
how to 'borrow' information from open sources, the teacher should encourage students to
own ideas that are created within their own head. The whole point of education and
motivation in the classroom is to enable a person to think for herself with the pool of
knowledge at her disposal, rather than a mechanical feeding down of unnecessary and
irrelevant information.
Encouraging creativity in the classroom is a skill not all teachers possess, and only the ones
who have this trait are the ones who are fondly remembered by the students in the future.
Moreover, teachers who actively do this are the ones who prepare their students for future
success in the best possible manner. Teachers have to set examples for their students, so
creativity in the classroom is something that must emanate from the teacher herself at the
very beginning.
Classrooms are supposed to be fun learning centers, where the most important quality
required is freedom of expression. By encouraging creativity in the classroom, a teacher is
ensuring that the student has the ability to analyze a problem and think for herself, and is not
swayed by orthodox and conventional rules. By promoting free speech, the students are
more capable of expressing their thoughts and views regarding any anomalies.
This will ultimately prove fruitful in the person's life, as they will use the concept of free
thought and speech to take steps into new areas. If a person is encouraged to be creative
from a young age, she will carry this quality with her all her life, and this quality will enable
her to succeed in the ruthless corporate world as and when she is ready to step into it.
A teacher is merely a facilitator for the student, and this role must be understood in its
entirety. Students will only develop their best qualities if there is enough creativity in the
classroom, and if freedom of thought and speech are encouraged and rewarded with a
compliment. Having a creative classroom means that the teacher takes risks on a daily basis
and encourages his/her students to do the same.
Effective environments must also be knowledge centred. It is not sufficient only to attempt to
teach general problem solving and thinking skills; the ability to think and solve problems
requires well-organized knowledge that is accessible in appropriate contexts. An emphasis
on being knowledge centred raises a number of questions, such as the degree to which
instruction begins with students' current knowledge and skills, rather than simply presents
new facts about the subject matter. While young students are capable of grasping more
complex concepts than was believed previously, those concepts must be presented in ways
that are developmentally appropriate. A knowledge-centred perspective on learning
environments also highlights the importance of thinking about designs for curricula. To what
extent do they help students learn with understanding versus promote the acquisition of
17
disconnected sets of facts and skills? Curricula that emphasize an excessively broad range
of subjects run the risk of developing disconnected rather than connected knowledge; they fit
well with the idea of a curriculum as being a well-worn path in a road. An alternative
metaphor for curriculum is to help students develop interconnected pathways within a
discipline so that they "learn their away around in it" and not lose sight of where they are.
Issues of assessment also represent an important perspective for viewing the design of
learning environments. Feedback is fundamental to learning, but opportunities to receive it
are often scarce in classrooms. Students may receive grades on tests and essays, but these
are summative assessments that occur at the end of projects; also needed are formative
assessments that provide students opportunities to revise and hence improve the quality of
their thinking and learning. Assessments must reflect the learning goals that define various
environments. If the goal is to enhance understanding, it is not sufficient to provide
assessments that focus primarily on memory for facts and formulas. Many instructors have
changed their approach to teaching after seeing how their students failed to understand
seemingly obvious (to the expert) ideas.
The fourth perspective on learning environments involves the degree to which they promote
a sense of community. Ideally, students, teachers, and other interested participants share
norms that value learning and high standards. Norms such as these increase people's
opportunities to interact, receive feedback, and learn. There are several aspects of
community, including the community of the classroom, the school, and the connections
between the school and the larger community, including the home. The importance of
connected communities becomes clear when one examines the relatively small amount of
time spent in school compared to other settings. Activities in homes, community centres, and
after-school clubs can have important effects on students' academic achievement.
Finally, there need to be alignment among the four perspectives of learning environments.
They all have the potential to overlap and mutually influence one another. Issues of
alignment appear to be very important for accelerating learning both within and outside of
schools. Good teachers are learner centred in the sense that teachers build on the
knowledge students bring to the learning situation. They are knowledge centred in the sense
that the teachers attempt to help students develop an organized understanding of important
concepts in each discipline. They are assessment centred in the sense that the teachers
attempt to make students' thinking visible so that ideas can be discussed and clarified, such
as having students (1) present their arguments in debates, (2) discuss their solutions to
problems at a qualitative level, and (3) make predictions about various phenomena. They
are community centred in the sense that the teachers establish classroom norms that
learning with understanding is valued and students feel free to explore what they do not
understand.
19
providing concrete answers to questions on how to implement technologies in the teaching
practice.
No pressure
The starting point of UrWay.nl is that all children want to learn, but that not every child fits
within the regular education system. UrWay.nl assumes that all children have an intrinsic
motivation to learn, that has been damaged over time. To transform the suspicion of learning
into a trust of learning, positive feedback is used. UrWay.nl offers a failure-free environment
that doesn’t revolve around correcting errors, but focuses on appreciating the achievements
of participants: experiencing success gives you wings. UrWay.nl is free of pressure to
perform.
21
UrWay.nl uses a closed online community and learning environment, that is available 24/7. It
can be reached by any computer with an internet connection. This learning environment
(FirstClass) forms the central hub of the UrWay.nl concept. All participants in the UrWay.nl
project are given a PC, a printer, a webcam and a broadband internet connection.
Interesting results
Teenagers want to learn. Unexpectedly the participants came up with their own educational
desires right of the block, and were intrinsically motivated.
• The participant’s social skills increase; they become more open and approachable.
• Their self-esteem and self-image increase.
• The teenagers are more ‘manageable’ at home, due to the absence of school-related
stress.
• The participants become more aware of their own future; they start to think about what
kind of life they want for themselves.
For teenagers that apply to UrWay.nl, regular education is not an option, either due to
personal circumstances, or due to circumstances in the teenager’s direct environment (e.g.
teen moms, chronic illness). UrWay.nl targets school dropouts that:
• Have not attended school in a long time.
• Have structural problems with no chance of immediate return to school or work.
• Have the commitment of at least one parent or caretaker, and stability in the home
environment.
• Are between the age of 15 to 17.
The Local Team tries to build a relationship with the participants and their family, in order to
be both accessible and approachable during (family) crises, but also to celebrate
participant’s personal successes. The Local Team hotline is available 24/7. The Local Team
review the weekly reports of the coaches to filter any important events or happenings.
In the following years they replicated the experiment in other parts of India and globally,
urban and rural, with similar results, challenging some of the key assumptions of formal
education. The "Hole in the Wall" project demonstrates that, even in the absence of any
direct input from a teacher, an environment that stimulates curiosity can cause learning
through self-instruction and peer-shared knowledge.
The quality of education declines with remoteness and disadvantage (Mitra, Dangwal &
Thadani, 2008). There are many places in the world, and especially in the developing world,
where geographical, economic, social, political, religious and other factors limit the provision
23
of good primary and secondary schools and good teachers will be unable or unwilling to go.
If the possibilities and limits of self-organising learning without and with mediators can be
evidenced and understood, children in such areas can gain enormous benefits. To establish
the case for this, we needed to develop some research questions that could be answered in
different educational environments and which would yield convincing evidence.
In the study, it was shown that given unsupervised access to a computer with Internet-based
instructional material the children were quite capable of organizing themselves into self-
learning groups and, without supervision and instruction, achieving the same levels as their
peers in a nearby state government school but not those of similarly aged children in an
affluent, urban school. So self-organized learning has its limits. In unsupervised
environments such as the Hole-in-the-Wall, different children do what they like doing and
therefore tend to excel in their particular areas of interest. But what this study shows is that if
pupils such as those in the village of Kalikuppam are then provided with a friendly mediator
who provides supervision but exercises minimal intervention (encouraging rather than
teaching), these issues are less likely to be a problem.
Teachers must step outside their own comfort zone and ask questions and share problems
they face. Consistency, congruence, and perseverance are essential in bringing the
message across.
Once or twice a month, interesting people (such as Seth Godin or Itay Talgam) give a lecture
that is disconnect from the program. The lecture can be about anything (i.e. conflicts,
marketing, Nietzsche & Buddhism) and is aimed to inspire and initiate thinking. Lecturers are
invited by staff, students, or some even come by themselves.
4.3.2 Methodologies
Several methodologies are used in the program, including, Startup Wheel, e-marketing,
green marketing, self-esteem (Matthew McKay), Art of Hosting, Appreciative Inquiry,
Scenario Learning, ‘Deep democracy, etc. Whatever is needed in the context of the project
or education, the methods and tools are searched for and used. The partner projects more
or less guide the curriculum, which is established with the students themselves.
The essential methodology is the school’s pedagogy itself: becoming a social entrepreneur
(or intra-preneur) by being one.
25
4.3.4 Peer-Assessment & Reflection
“Getting stuck in order to fly”: learning can be a difficult and emotional road, because
situations may seem problematic and solutions may not be at hand. It is the intention to
allow this to happen and to overcome the problems in a collaborative setting.
Reflection is an essential element: the ability to learn as a team and use the diversity of the
team to rise above a problem situation. An effective learning setting is one where you can
express doubts and share critique. Because each individual is going through a personalized
learning process, there is no standard assessment or accreditation. Students are asked to
reflect twice a month using the “learning wall”, where they present what they have learned
and then get feedback from peers.
At the end of the year there is a final project/assessment: the “Rite of Passage”. The four
questions (above) are put central in the project. Each student is asked to express what they
have learned in whatever form they want to (i.e. workshop, film, art installation, etc.). Each
student will receive a personalized certificate with a story about him/her and tips for the
future.
4.3.5 Client-Assessment
Crucially, Knowmads is an enterprise as well that needs to survive in a competitive
environment. The students manage the enterprise in close collaboration with the staff, and
determine the strategy and identity of the school. It is not a school that only preaches social
entrepreneurship, but is social entrepreneurship. Chaos and complexity part of the
curriculum as well as the organizational structure: there is little high-level control over what
the students must do or know. Because students are in fact working for the partners, they
are assessed according to market standards. Their efforts may result in sending in an
invoice, so if the work is not good enough, the partners will definitely tell them.
4.3.6 Autonomy
Students must follow their intuition and take a chance. Knowmads intends to create a space
where you can manifest yourself and increase your awareness, taking the journey from
dependent to autonomous.
4.3.7 International
With the World as a Playground Knowmads strive for the ability to navigate turbulent chaos,
not only from the safety of their home, but wherever, and whenever. Therefore an important
part of the education is to temporarily relocate and try out new things and different cultural
contexts. Hence, after 1 year of their education, – for a period of three months – students
have the possibility to go abroad and work on international projects as one and the same
team. This part of the education is called International Project Design and can take place in
any country and/or continent: Knowmads students decide and set the destination.
4.3.8 Co-create/Collaborate
Knowmads have a free curriculum, with some fundamental concepts and methodologies that
are taught and used during the year, depending on the projects the students are involved in.
Leadership is something that emerges from the group process and collaboration, where
Teamwork (so the result of the team), rather than individual work, is assessed.
The project began with a first Work Package (WP1) in which the aim was to explore the
profiles of the participants: learners, teachers and management staff, in order to ensure that
the approach developed would be adapted to their needs, requirements, and preferences
and also that relevant aspects such as their attitudes and motivation were well understood,
in order to provide information for the development in subsequent work packages of the
project methodology, and a series of activities designed to re-motivate students to study and
regain confidence.
It was agreed between partners to employ a qualitative method for this exploration WP1 and
it was also agreed that a semi-structured interview would be the most suitable data collection
tool.
The average profile of a beneficiary of this program is a person between 17 and 20 years
old, who has left the formal education system without a qualification due to a combination of
personal, social and institutional reasons.
5.4.1 Conclusions
- Between their personal interests, it was found that they were engaged in a wide range of
activities, including use of ICT.
This leads to the idea that when there is intrinsic motivation, and a subject that interests
them, these students do act and interact, and that ICT may be a useful tool to stimulate the
motivation of these learners.
Trainers
Concerning trainers, most of them had extensive experience with the target group and
agreed that good communication skills and the ability to transfer their enthusiasm to the
27
students was key to getting them to participate and achieve their objectives. Besides, almost
all had some knowledge of ICT (for personal uses), but didn’t have a clear idea of how to
use technologies for education. A “train the trainers activity (or course)” about the new
methodologies that are going to be used is needed, so that trainers will be able to give
support to students and feel comfortable about using them.
Managers
Managers were the group that mentioned more problems in relation to the
implementation of new methodologies. There is a need for a methodology and a program
that involves no extra cost, is easy to manage, does not enter into conflict with the centre´s
educational approach and that is convincing for both managers and trainers.
29
5 Implementations in Local Contexts
In this chapter all reAct partners describe their plans how to implement the Pilot 1 in their
local situations. As the contexts vary among the countries, partners will adapt the overall
strategies, and design principles according to the local circumstances. However, the main
phasing of activities will be implemented as much as possible according to the project
workplan (see: provisional_react_project_workplan_190210.doc).
PILOT1: There will be two iterations of the pilots in each centre in the project which will test
the methodology and the environment developed.
• FAMILIARIZATION: The first stage of activity will involve familiarization with the tools and
the other participants, with special emphasis on activities focused on the development of
a sense of belonging to the group.
• COLLABORATIVE CREATION: The participants will then form international teams and
participate together in a creative project. Though they will be supported in this, all
aspects, such as the subject, objectives, and tools used will be their decision.
• SUPPORT AND REFLECTION: This will take place in parallel to the project and after it.
The support team will look for opportunities to promote reflection on the process with the
learners and propose activities related to meta-cognitive skills and critical thinking.
• COLLABORATIVE INTEGRATION: In this phase the integration with the main activity of
the training action will begin. The process will be similar to the previous project and
decided on by the learners but will now relate to the subject area of the training action in
each centre. These projects will be presented to the other centres at the end of the
phase.
• FINAL INTEGRATION PHASE: In this phase the activity turns to the principal activity of
the programme. This however will be adjusted, depending on the results, in each
context, of the previous activity – particularly with respect to learner motivation - to
include more creative and collaborative activity and a greater emphasis on the use of
meta-cognitive and critical thinking skills.
31
• Tools should be easy to do and if possible in a short time span as students appear to
have short attention spans.
Training 2000 will involve two regular schools who are interested in the reAct Project. Below
follows their preliminary drafts of the program they intend to provide in collaboration with
Training 2000.
33
The school was also thinking of using this project during the remedial classes. It is about a
period of the scholastic year dedicated to those students that have some problems in certain
subjects and in need to work more deeply on them.
Once the group of teachers has been identified they will be working on contents and
didactical methodologies during the next 2-3 months together with the experts from this
project. Methodology should be different from the traditional ones and should integrate the
face to face methodologies to the on line ones (blended learning). We also discussed about
the possibility for the students to work on specific projects work, which will be
made/promoted by the students in order to achieve an independent/autonomous learning.
The pilot testing will probably focus on three/four subjects and won’t change the ministerial
programs, but it will change the teaching methodologies. Subjects that seem to better fit this
kind of experimental path are English language, mathematics and technology, computer
studies. The school, will also evaluate if adding more specific subjects as law or business
economics. There is a possibility to teach a technical subject in the English language.
The school, would like to have more contacts with other European groups of students in
order to show their students other realities and at the same time improve and enhance their
knowledge about specific subjects. This could be implemented with a videoconference or
similar ICT tools. The school already owns some on-line/video conference systems that
could be also used during the piloting phase.
In this Program there are periods of training and working. In the first part of the course
participants get a scholarship and afterwords they learn and do practices in a company or
industry related to the course.
From the 5th to the 7th of • Presentation of reAct Project. Objectives, reAct
September. web, other web links.
• To raise in encouraged teachers the initiative,
On line monitoring and enthusiasm, skills in using ICT they know and use
meetings during the pilot • Methodological training (using the developed
stages. guidelines)
• ICT Training (using the collection of selected tools).
35
The length (number of hours), contents and Teachers Training Programme didactic
strategies will be adapted to the target group of teachers involved in Pilots.
The teacher trainer will offer support (if necessary) to teachers at the start of the different
pilot phases with the double purpose of providing security to teachers and to get feed-back
on the evolution of the pilot, regardless the tools of quality control and monitoring which
might be defined.
The content of the course will be related to the different subjects to succeed in getting the
School Certificate and the subjects related to the trade they are being trained.
The objective of the course is not only to learn some practical skills and some kind of
certification, even including developing positive values related to learning the craft, such as
discipline, effectiveness in achieving the objectives, efficiency, the value of teamwork,
One of the principal difficulties involved in pilot projects is that they run the risk of failing to
integrate into the context they arise from, and become interesting experiments, rather than
being adopted into everyday practice. For this reason another fundamental objective of the
project is to integrate the methodology for recovering the motivation to learn into current
initiatives. The activity proposed is intended to function as a launch platform at the start of an
action, with aim of changing perceptions of learning and hence of the action (from “last
option” to “personal opportunity”). The activity therefore takes place at the beginning of an
action before slowly making room for the usual activity (though transformed) of the action.
We intend to follow the four phases foreseen in the project:
1. FAMILIARIZATION: The first stage of activity will involve familiarization with the tools and
the other participants, with special emphasis on activities focused on the development of
a sense of belonging to the group.
2. COLLABORATIVE CREATION: The participants will then form international teams and
participate together in a creative project. Though they will be supported in this, all
aspects, such as the subject, objectives, and tools used will be their decision.
3. SUPPORT AND REFLECTION: This will take place in parallel to the project and after it.
The support team will look for opportunities to promote reflection on the process with the
learners and propose activities related to meta-cognitive skills and critical thinking.
4. COLLABORATIVE INTEGRATION: In this phase the integration with the main activity of
the training action will begin. The process will be similar to the previous project and
decided on by the learners but will now relate to the subject area of the training action in
each centre. These projects will be presented to the other centres at the end of the
phase.
5. FINAL INTEGRATION PHASE: In this phase the activity turns to the principal activity of
the programme. This however will be adjusted, depending on the results, in each
context, of the previous activity – particularly with respect to learner motivation - to
include more creative and collaborative activity and a greater emphasis on the use of
meta-cognitive and critical thinking skills.
37
5.5 The Portuguese Pilot 1
Contact person: Anabela Luis
Our school has about 100 teachers. For this particular EFA course, we need about 6 to 7
teachers. Some of them are familiar with ICT, but do not seem too comfortable with the idea
of using them in the classroom. They have already acknowledged concepts such as
“competences” and “informal learning”, but they still have a formal approach of the task of
teaching. I believe they are open-minded to a different kind of learning environment, but they
are still very engaged with a course-centric point of view. They feel that teachers are less
important, because they have the single duty of preparing the students for the exams and
nothing else. And, in fact, that’s what happens most of the times: students are prepared for
the national exams and not with a life-purpose in the XXI century. But as I said previously, it
is too soon to profile the staff, since they will be chosen only in July.
Something very similar will be done with the students, as it will be important that they feel
being recognized as human valuable beings. That’s why I suggest activities proposed by the
learners themselves, letting them be the co-creators of this project.
how would they prefer to acknowledge the curriculum?
what changes would they propose?
what if they were in charge? (this one is my favorite)
Ralph, the founder of the academy, plays an essential role in the educational process. He is
teacher and mentor and organizes everything from teachers, attributes, events, etc.
Obviously, if possible, in collaboration with his students. Students have the key to the school
and are able to come and go whenever they please.
39
5.6.3 Course Details
MIX means Mentality, Identity, and eXpectation. About 15-30 students fulltime (4 days a
week), €4000 per annum student fee, no official or state recognized diploma, and three
fulltime teachers. Students are usually potential or true drop-outs between 16 and 28 and
are not successful in the regular education system.
A fulltime student spends at least 4 days a week in the school, which can be described as an
open studio. Students (especially second and third year students) are also involved in peer-
tutoring, which means that in collaborative group sessions, the students from different years
are supposed to give each other tips and reflect on each others work. Artists and/or
professionals from the creative industry organize a workshop each week on Tuesday. Each
professional usually provide 5 workshops within a specific theme or technique. Another part
of the pedagogy is earning by learning: students are motivated to sell their expertise,
creative approach, and their work during the education.
It is important to consider the role of the teacher in more detail: at MIX, the wish or demand
of the students are really central. All is focused on finding a drive, finding an intrinsic
motivation to learn to express in a creative and meaningful way and making money at the
same time. Teachers and professionals are asked to ask questions, to listen, and to ‘teach’
only when asked for by the students.
Another important element in the 3-year program concerns entrepreneurship. Students have
to become entrepreneurial which is described in the term “earning while learning”. In that
way, they become responsible not only for the direction they take in the education, but also
in the use and application in society.
MIX is a creative art academy: creativity is the essence of the education. It could therefore
be an interesting partner to look at how creativity emerges from the students.
41
6 The reAct Methodological Design
Boiling down what has been said in the former chapters the reAct teaching methods will be
based on a variety of learning concepts derived from both theory and practice. This chapter
presents the eight design principles for the teaching practices we will implement in the pilots
we are planning. The design principles will lead the way the reAct pilots will be carried out
and evaluated. The principles are described in general terms, they leave room to the
teachers to put them to practice taking into account their local circumstances.
Teachers will be supported by the reAct Project in implementing the design principles
through
• An online community of practice where they can share knowledge, experiences,
upload questions and give answers.
• A repository of examples of best practice.
• Short powerpoint presentations on issues they will be asking for, e.g. how does a
personal learning environment look like?
6.2.1 Assumptions
We have made a number of assumptions about the practical implementation strategy.
1. Teachers will only change their teaching practice if they have ownership on their
activities. This is why we should strive at making plans together with them.
2. Teachers will only change their teaching practice if they feel confident about the methods
used. This is why we should strive at introducing new practices step-by-step.
3. Specific activities should not hinder the main program; rather, they should support them.
This is why we should plan for concurrent activities with the program teachers teach.
4. Specific activities should not take too much time, but should be thought of as critical and
attracting to participate in.
As far as the start of the Pilot 1 is concerned, we will start the specific activities with a 2
weeks program (familiarization) in which teachers will work with the students on the
students’ interest, their ambitions, goals, backgrounds, families, and dreams they have for
43
the next 6 months period. Students from MIX Academy will take a stimulating, supporting,
and moderating role by presenting their profiles, their interests and current activities in a
closed group environment of Facebook. Teachers can use the discussions to spot the
students’ interests and work out plans for how to integrate the students’ activities, skills and
interest in the program they will teach afterwards. The overview below shows a more specific
outline of the first pilot phase.
-2
Teacher Learning community (training)
-1
1 (Sep.1)
Familiarization
- Profiling
2 - Project definition
6
Teacher / Learner community
7
8
- Teacher / Learner community
9 - Project 2 (Local Program)
10
Regular group discussions and reflection (online and in class) && Log books and research
Continuous
activities
The idea of these 2 weeks is to let the students take the lead in defining what and how they
would like to learn, what kind of tools they are acquainted with and how they could use these
for learning. The students’ ambitions could be matched with a list of suggestions for further
specific activities during the 6 months period of the pilot. Every month students could
choose, using a poll, from the list of specific activities. These activities might be alternately
local or International.
Teachers should participate in these activities being a part of the learning philosophy of the
reAct Project, and also because the activities can help them using new tools that can be
helpful in new teaching approaches.
45
6.3.2 Specific Activity: Profiling
This activity has been described above. The idea for profiling comes from the fact that the
course is just starting, participants can get to know each other. In addition, kids are
predominantly occupied with themselves, and as a consequence like more to show
themselves in an online environment sharing ideas, activities and interests. We propose an
activity in which the individual can express him- or herself using whatever tool available. The
first 2 weeks students get the opportunity to share personal information using the Facebook
group page. If students or teachers do not have a Facebook page, they must create a profile
on Facebook, otherwise they will miss the entire discussion. We have chosen for Facebook,
because it is the most widely used social platform worldwide, and very easy to use. It also
motivates users to use their real names. In this document, we provide a large list of tools that
can be used to express one self. For example, users can create an online video with pictures
and music they like and share that online. They can also choose an image to identify
themselves, or create an art piece (and show that online).
Relevant links
The links we have chosen here are supplementary to the links that we describe in a following
section called “The Creative Toolbox”. In addition to that set of links, we propose the
following links as a way to create a profile:
Facebook - the social network we will use to communicate
YouTube - find a video that has to do with you and share that on the Facebook page, explain
why that video is so important
43things.com - write down some goals you want to achieve in life, and find peers that have
similar goals
All other links included in the Creative Tool Studio (below).
Storytelling
Another interesting way to share personal information, or to conduct a project, is through
storytelling. Students might enjoy sharing stories or creating stories collaboratively, by writing
and/or creating visuals (pictures, graphs, etc). A clear structure of how to build a story
together could support students to develop language skills, communication skills, and
creativity. The teacher could propose using a tool like Storybird (http://www.storybird.com) or
point to the Bubble Project (http://www.bubbleproject.com) to give students an idea of what
they could do. This is generic enough to allow students to become creative and express
themselves in a way they want. Their creations must be shared online, and discussed in
class. Creative teachers may want to add fun assignments during the storytelling, for
example by saying that the story has to include a known myth.
47
As a consequence of this inversed pedagogy we do not provide an extensive pedagogical
pathway for each game. The pedagogy is in the game and the gamer will discover how it
works by playing the game. The idea is that students and teachers use and discover these
games, and discuss what happens during or after play; how the games make them feel, and
what they think they might learn from them.
Besides teachers can spot specific interests or learning difficulties with individual students in
advance and suggest each student to start playing specific games from the list below.
In addition, teachers might invite students to come up with a list of games they usually play
and decide to play one of them together. This can be done within the classroom and at a
distance when each of the gamers is online at home.
The huge advantage of playing web-based games, is that students (and teachers) only need
a web browser to play; they don’t need to download or install anything (with the exception of
Adobe Flash). Most online game sites offer aggregations of different games that can be
played by students and teachers. The table below contains suggested websites, but many
more are available.
Student’s role
What might be interesting for students to do is organizing a LAN Party (Local Area Party)
where students and teachers come together to play games for hours on a row. LAN Parties
are highly social events where the participants become friends and exchange lots of
information. All you need is a place where there are computers available that are connected
locally or via the Internet. If the teacher is able to provide the room with computers, students
will do the rest. A LAN Party is like a schooltrip, it is exhausting for teachers but it brings
motivation and interest of learners.
Relevant links
Game / site name and URL Description
FarmVille FarmVille is a farming social network game developed
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6.3.4 Research & Learning
Aim of the activity
This activity aims at developing search skills and learning skills using ICT tools that are
available on the Internet. The skills consist of both strategies for searching information and
for using appropriate keywords.
The pedagogy of this specific activity might focus on problem oriented learning activities.
The problems may be defined by students themselves and should contain information
retrieval and research aspects. Most important is that students take ownership of the
problem to be researched.
Problem based learning or PBL is a pedagogical concept of "active learning" that was
developed at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and fits well in the reAct
Project philosophy. The PBL principles are translated into the following basic features of
problem-based learning:
• The subject material is presented in the form of "open-ended" problems;
• Students work together in small groups;
• Teachers assume the role of "facilitator" of learning.
The aim is that students take responsibility for their group and organizing them, and directing
the learning process with the support of a tutor or instructor. PBL can be used to enrich the
content knowledge and the development of communication, problem-solving ability and self-
directed learning skills can be promoted.
The teaching material consists of a series of "tasks" as problem tasks, action tasks, study
assignments and discussion tasks, enabling students in different ways to treat substance
must approach. Besides tasks textbooks, articles, cases, instructions to the teaching
materials include.
Each task is handled using a jump seven, comprising the following steps:
1. clarify ambiguous terminology;
2. formulating the problems;
3. brainstorming;
4. the problem, mentioning any of the brainstorming discussion;
5. formulating the learning objectives;
6. tutorial / information search outside the group;
7. The debriefing of the learning / synthesizing and testing new knowledge.
The first five steps together form the briefing, then, students start learning in smaller groups,
and the seventh step is the discussion in a last session dealing with the task shutdown.
At each meeting, one of the students takes the role of moderator (chairman) and one student
the role of secretary. Each student group is accompanied by the teacher, the tutor. The tutor
guides the group process, sends the appropriate discussion and acts as a content expert if
necessary.
Besides these information retrieval skills, the Internet offers a variety of websites where
students can learn for free. These sites build communities of people having the same
interest and flourish by the communication between the users. Examples of these sites can
be found for learning foreign languages or learning math.
Relevant Links
• www.powerofresearch.eu
• www.about.com
• www.zooniverse.org
• www.smithsonianeducation.org/
• http://prezi.com (presentation tool)
• http://sketchup.google.com/ (create 3D models)
• http://quora.com (Ask questions and get answers, or give answers yourself, in
English only)
51
usually required. It is not required to use a web-based tool, students can choose to do a
photography, music, or video project offline without using any of the tools, and upload that to
the Facebook page.
Possible tools
The list below contains many optional tools to be used in- and outside the classroom.
Web 2.0 tools can be categorized according to six main activities:
• communication
• publishing and distribution,
• collaboration,
• self-organizing learning process
• the creation of a social network, and
• searching and filtering of information in the network.
The tools below have not been categorized as they function as examples of tools available
for teachers in the reAct Project. Within Diigo the list of tools will be searchable for any
purpose a teacher has looking for an appropriate tool. Hence, the teacher will search for
tools on the basis of teaching activities rather than functionalities of tools. This seems to be a
much better approach to provide tools in an environment where teachers can also
contribute, write comments and share experiences.
53
to share by email or embed in blogs or social
networks.
ToonDoo is a cool, comic-creating tool. Drag
and drop images and share your ideas and
thoughts in a comic strip and share with
others.
Mix Book - mixbook.com If you like making scrapbooks, Mix Book is
the place to start. It’s an online community
where you can express yourself creatively.
With their free online tool, it’s easy to make
your own multimedia scrapbooks and share
them with friends.
Mashup Arts - mashuparts.com Mashup Arts website was built for social
networkers who want to share video and
photo ecards by remixing their personal
content with free internet content. There are
many options to help you create your Mashup
Cards by customizing photos, videos, text
and music to create a unique and personal
card. Shareable in online networks like
Facebook.
Odosketch - odosketch.com Odosketch is a flash drawing application that
Pencil - pencil-animation.org lets you create sketches online, using
different paper textures, a variety of brushes
and drawing effects. It’s possible to save your
sketch in flash format so you can watch it as
it was being drawn, and share it with friends.
Pencil is a similar application, free and open
source, and can be downloaded on the
desktop. It has more functionality than
odosketch.
Glogster - glogster.com A Glog is a kind of poster, made up of text,
Wallwisher - wallwisher.com images, music and video. Glogs are a perfect
way to express who YOU are!
Wallwisher is an online collaborative space
where people can leave online notes (post-
its). See for example
http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/react-project
Go Animate - goanimate.com Go Animate is an online tool to make
Strip creator - stripcreator.com animated cartoons. The support is in English
Xtranormal - xtranormal.com and Spanish. The animations can easily be
shared online.
Strip creator is a very easy-to-use comic
creator.
xtranormal is an easy-to-use 3D movie-
creator. You only have to be able to type, and
the characters will speak the text.
Google Sketchup - sketchup.google.com Google SketchUp is an intuitive 3D modeling
tool by Google. It has a lot of support videos
in multiple languages. Users can model
anything imaginable, such as a classroom
redecoration, new piece of furniture, or
something else. Also, online you can
Relevant links
More interesting and relevant links are aggregated here: http://groups.diigo.com/group/react-
project.
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7 Research Activities
During the pilots, research will be conducted to capture the results and knowledge emerging
from the pilots. There will be regular interviews and surveys in order to evaluate the
approach taken. Also, as a part of dissemination, results will be published in relevant
journals, and websites e.g. elearningeurope. The research will address the change in
behavior and learning for both teachers and students involved in the project. The objective is
to get an idea about
• how does the reAct teaching approach changes the attitude of learners and teachers
with regard to learning,
• what are the benefits and drawbacks of self-organized learning with regard to
dropouts,
• how do ICT tools and environments support the reAct learning approach
The researching partner will publish a Operational Research Plan including the timelines for
all research instruments mentioned above. These activities will be planned together with the
project evaluator in order to create synergy between research and evaluation purposed of
both partners.