ELFE 2 interim report: Visits in Denmark and the United Kingdom

1. ELFE 2 interim report:Visits in Denmark and the United Kingdom Elżbieta Gajek http://www.ils.uw.edu.pl/~egajek e.gajek@uw.edu.pl Brussels 19.01.2009

2. ELFE 2 Partners • Trade Unions from: • Denmark • Latvia • Poland • Slovenia • The United Kingdom

3. ELFE 2 Aims • To identify methodologies used in schools and teacher education institutions in order to favour a use of ICT that promotes the added value of using ICT in education in terms of teaching and learning models (by building on the ELFE 1 findings); • To develop recommendations addressed to policy-makers, to schools and teacher education institutions and to trade union leaders on the three priority areas identified in ELFE 1 (ICT and teacher education, ICT and school management, ICT and strategic use of available financial means).

4. Criteria for the selection of institutions • Examples of the • Outstanding use of ICT in Education • Good pedagogical practice • Added value • Strategic use of ICT • Transferability of experience

5. ELFE 2 Visits • In Denmark 21-23rd April 2008 • Grantofteskolen (Ballerup, Denmark)  www.grantofteskolen.dk • Ørestad gymnasium (Copenhagen, Denmark) http://www.oerestadgym.dk/ • N. Zahle Seminarium a section of Professionshøjskolen i København, Copenhagen, Denmark (University College Copenhagen) http://www.ucc.dk and www.nzs.dk

6. Denmark Grantofteskolen, Ballerup • Facts: • Laptops for grades 1-3 and 10th • Interactive whiteboards • Learning platform • No special ICT lessons • ICT coordinator – a teacher leader of ICT • Internal and external training for teachers • Formal and informal training for teachers • Sharing ideas and practices

7. Denmark Grantofteskolen, Ballerup Lessons learned: • Innovative attitude to education long before the ICT issue has arisen • Building media library after a fire that destroyed the old library • Cooperation between all people in the school • The students are very understanding, if the teachers do not know how to use ICT professionally • The teachers stress their unique responsibility for pedagogical use of ICT

8. Denmark Ørestad gymnasium, Copenhagen Facts: • Laptops for all students • Two full time technicians to help teachers and learners with technology • No special computer rooms • VLE as an area for learning equal to physical room and space • No technical problems

9. Denmark Ørestad gymnasium, Copenhagen Lessons learned: • Integration of innovative and future-oriented approaches in the neighbourhood, architecture, school organisation and ICT, • Permission for learning on good and bad examples of ICT-based instruction • Students seek for more f2f contacts with teachers.

10. Denmark Ørestad gymnasium, Copenhagen projektów

11. Denmark Ørestad gymnasium, Copenhagen projektów

12. Denmark N. Zahle Seminarium Copenhagen Teacher training institution Facts: • Three members of the staff responsible for ICT • ICT in variety of subjects (neither in national nor local policies) • ICT infrastructure is not sufficient – they need to improvise

13. Denmark N. Zahle Seminarium Copenhagen Lessons learned • Outstanding use of ICT for Physical Education - Dartfish software • Gender bias can be still an issue; 1001 female students vs. 485 male students • Students need theory and practice on ICT-based instruction • Students think that they are not prepared well enough to ICT-enhanced teaching

14. ELFE 2 Visits • In the United Kingdom 16-18th June 2008 • Morpeth School (London) http://morpethschool.org.uk/ • Stepney Green Maths & Computing College (London) http://www.stepneygreen.towerhamlets.sch.uk/ single sex boys’ school • Institute of Education (University of London) http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/index.html

15. The United KingdomMorpeth School, London Lower secondary school Facts: • The equipment was given by the government • The school is very well equipped – special ICT infrastructure for music, photography and media • The teachers have mix feelings about their own cooperation

16. The United KingdomMorpeth School, London Lessons learned: • The ideal situation is to have every child in front of the computer during a lesson • Teaching has changed because of the use of ICT • Lack of self-study materials for teachers on the use of ICT in education • No margin for risk and error • Increase in teacher’s workload

17. The United Kingdom Stepney Green Maths & Computing College, London Facts: • The school is well equipped with computers with Windows (Ss would prefer Mac’s, too) • Extensive use of learning packages, as they fit the books • Pupils do not bring their laptops to school as this may cause much more trouble than benefit • Well-developed organizational structure of technical and pedagogical support

18. The United Kingdom Stepney Green Maths & Computing College, London Lessons learned: • Digital learning packages enhance individual learning • Attractive novelty has turned into daily routine • Lessons without computers e.g. Bengali language are perceived as archaic • Management procedures are easier • Teacher time is more effective

19. The United Kingdom University of London, Institute of Education Teachertraininginstitution Facts: • Interrelation between the educational theory and the practice • Interrelation between educational research and practice in teacher training • Pragmatic (critical) approach to ICT-based instruction • Teaching based on teacher students’ experience

20. The United Kingdom University of London, Institute of Education Lessons learned: • The need to rethink basics of ICT-enhanced education, its role in the society and culture, looking at it from various perspectives • Controversies • Barriers • Three essential forces: • educational authorities – providers of funds, policies and evaluation; • culture of humans involved – teachers, pupils, parents;roles of people;perception of an educational system as a whole;perception of social values; • business and industry – providers of hardware and software.

21. The United Kingdom University of London, Institute of Education Controversies • Coherence in approach to innovation in education • Consistency in funding • Statutory regulations • Business and school software standards

22. The United Kingdom University of London, Institute of Education Barriers • Barriers within the Organisation • Barriers to Potential Cooperation • Barriers to Good Practice

23. The United Kingdom University of London, Institute of Education Criteria for use; Use technology when: • it is needed; • there is a purpose to use it; • it is appropriate to use; • the resources support learning; • it adds something to your teaching.

24. The United Kingdom University of London, Institute of Education Criteria for use;  Do not use technology: • because you know it; • because you know how to use it; • because it is there; • if you can teach better without it; • because you are forced to use it; • when it doesn’t add anything to your teaching.

25. Transferability 1 Infrastructure • Accessibility to educational resources, that is financial support • Determination in implementation of technology • Separation of teaching ICT from maintaining the hardware and software of the educational institution • Educational aids and materials are commercial or teacher-made

26. Transferability 2 Pedagogy • Searching for best practice • Blended learning as good combination of LMS and direct instruction • Adaptive programs • Critical and multidimensional approach to the use of technology • Concentration on human aspects in the use of ICT

27. Transferability 3 Pedagogy • Variety of techniques and methods of active learning • Integrated visual and emotional stimuli in the learning process • In-depth subject oriented approach to the use of ICT and cross-curricular integrated approach to the use of ICT

28. Transferability 4 Vision • Orientation towards the vague future • Educating a balanced learner able to combine school, family and personal life, also using ICT in a different way for different purposes • Combination of egalitarian and diverse visions of education

29. Transferability 5 Professional development • Approval of change • Reflection and evaluation of own and peer practice • Cooperative and individual professional development • Margin for innovation trial and error • Developing professional networks

30. Transferability 6 Ethical aspects • Orientation towards safety on the net • Respect of intellectual property • No age, gender, ethnic bias • Teacher’s professional image on the net • Perception of the place of a human – the user of ICT - in an educational system as an active, responsible subject or an element of an educational mechanism steered from the top

31. Transferability 7 Practice • Effective use of ICT • Interrelation between various external and internal forces in education • Constant change • The role of culture

32. Transferability – Conclusions • Learning from experience of various cultural contexts is possible • The more similar cultural values the more successful the transfer of experience and good practice is

33. ICT as a mirror of culture • Procedures of introduction ICT in education reflect the accepted processes in the society • Ways of the use of ICT reflect ways of social behaviour • Topics encompassed and developed by ICT are relevant to topics crucial in the society

34. Values and behaviour polarization • Top-down vs. bottom-up procedures • Collectivist vs. individualist approaches • Respect for diversity v.s uniformity • Long term consequent activities vs. short time actions • Respect for innovation vs. tradition • Social support for pioneers vs. increase in blockages, • Value of balanced life (work, family, leasure) vs. one area of it • Strong motivation and belief in success vs. easy forgiveness for defeat and failure • Belief in the sensibility of social and political actions vs. lack of this belief.

35. Cultural influence • Good practice in one educational context may not work in another • Transfer of practice is possible to similar educational contexts • Awareness of the cultural strenghts and weaknesses may lead to the selection of the best solutions • ICT changes the culture, but also preserves it • Intentional changes of culture cause huge risk

36. Stability opposed to change Professional stability decreases as changeseems to be the only element that is stable. Lack of stability in education: Systems – technical environment Society – organization,communication Human (inside) – styles,attitudes,perceptions,values Human (social) – activities,interactions,positions

37. Recommendations toteacher trade unions Teacher unions are recommended to consider the following areas related to the use of ICT in education: • The place of teachers in the ICT-based educational system, • Teacher workload as a result of the intensive use of technology, particularly out-of-school contacts with pupils and parents, e.g. via VLEs, • ICT-based cooperation between teachers, schools and educational institutions,

38. Recommendations toteacher trade unions Teacher unions are recommended to consider… • Moderation of change in educational organizations that encourages intensive pedagogic use of ICT, • Building professional ICT-orientated networks – communities of practice, • Structures for the evaluation of teaching materials for pupils, • System of in-service teacher education to help teachers to catch up with the advancement of technology.

39. Recommendations toschool authorities School authorities are recommended to: • develop school evaluation criteria for innovative activities that take into account a margin for error, • build a system of dissemination of good practice among teachers, as this will help to increase common professional knowledge and experience in the pedagogical use of ICT, • enhance bottom-up innovative approaches in teachers.

40. Recommendations toteachers Teachers are recommended to: • Build their professional image on the web • Mediate the forces that influence on education for the benefit of students

41. Thank you