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European Innovative Teaching Award
  • Project

Professional Development in Digital Education to Improve School Quality

School: Stichting voor Interconfessioneel en Algemeen Bijzonder voortgezet onderwijs te Rotterdam e.o

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Topic(s) addressed

The LMC, a consortium of 6 schools (organisations), had one main priority in mind with regard to this project – the think tank ‘LMC-DIGIPROOF 2022,’ consisting of teachers, policy makers, principals, and team leaders. This think tank was to focus on the development of an approach to education where IT and digitalisation may be integrated into everyday learning, and subsumes three aspects: digital literacy, digital didactics, and technology. Several of its associated sub-goals were the use of Microsoft Office, the introduction of an ICTO commission (IT in education), changes in the IT landscape, the broadening of LMC Academy’s digital supply courses (for teachers), and the incorporation of new educational tools such as Canva, Lego League (computing), and VR towards the promotion of blended learning. More information may be found in the e-magazine ICT in het onderwijs: LMC-DIGIPROOF 2022 - e-magazine #8 (foleon.com) 

The LMC visited a number of different organisations in order to increase its knowledge of digital education, including the London Connected Learning Centre, Burntwood School, Google Anywhere School, Bowes Primary School, Bett 2020, and Highgate High School. Both the think tank DIGIPROOF and the ICTO Commission worked together in order to guide the digitalisation process, which resulted in a much broader reach in comparison to the ad hoc intervention measures that a number of schools had been subjected to in the previous year. Each school is now equipped with iCoaches (IT-managers in education), which not only linked both educational and technical considerations, but also assisted in the dissemination of knowledge across participating schools.  A number of the project’s direct results included the daily use of devices for improved learning, new software opportunities for learning (including for students with learning disabilities), and the introduction of new subjects such as computing (see: Article in Dutch). Another aspect that the LMC worked on is an online ‘escape room’ on the subject of digital literacy in order to map its teachers’ digital skills. Visual reports of the mobilities may be found in the annexes.

Target groups

Members of the school board (with LMC-VO as the consortium coordinator), school leaders, and teachers.

Methodologies

Participants from various levels within the organisation attended the BETT Conference in London, and carried out a number of visits to schools in the London area, resulting in the accumulation of new knowledge and skills that assisted in the shaping of policy reforms at the school level on the themes of digital literacy, digital didactics, and technology.

Environments

ICT in education was a central policy priority across the school board and schools, with the aim of being 'digiproofed' by 2022; the emphasis of the Erasmus+ project was on exploring, learning, giving meaning to, and assisting in the realisation of the strategic pillar: ‘the pedagogical-didactic basis – more than in order.' A project group was also developed, as well as a project plan, 'ICT in Education.' Dutch school members chose the UK as a result of the many best practice examples of investments in their schools’ pedagogical-didactical climate, and quality improvement measures among teachers in the United Kingdom.

Teachers

Participants comprised of informatics/coding teachers, beta-challenge programmers, individuals who were iCoaches, as well as those who followed the Learning and Innovating Masters programme – all of which enabled participating teachers to become front-runners at their schools with regard to ICT. Policy officers from the school board’s central bureau operated at a number of different departments such as education and quality, the LMC Academy, digital affairs, HR and communication, as well as the school’s board of directors. These staff members had decided to participate so as to better approach the project’s theme from a wide-angle perspective (professional development, contents and applications, and infrastructure).

Impact

The experience that was carried out in London and the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic (shortly after the visit) accelerated digital developments with regard to the educational process and its structural basis. The value of access to basic facilities (device, internet connection) was rediscovered, as well as broad awareness on the importance of skills in digital literacy towards the provision of quality education. The project’s most valuable outputs were the development of the ICTO (at the strategic level) and the think tank LMC-VO DIGIPROOF (at the operational level) – both of which were essential in providing direction towards measures aimed at education and digitalisation, and ensured that such considerations did not remain at the ad hoc level of crisis intervention. Moreover, during the time spent in London, it became clear that teachers had to be in possession of their own devices if they were to increase their expertise in ICT education. This resulted in the gradual provision of laptops for all teaching staff who worked more than 0.4 full-time equivalent.

Project category
  • Secondary education
Project year
  • 2021

Stakeholders

Participants

Lyceum Kralinge

Address
Netherlands

Roncalli Mavo

Address
Netherlands

Veenoord VMBO

Address
Netherlands

Vak College Zuidrand

Address
Netherlands

Palmentuin

Address
Netherlands