The aim of the workshop was to train principals/managers, educational curriculum consultants, master trainers and teachers on how to select appropriate available ICT tools that suit their own needs in terms of planning, implementing and sharing pedagogical ideas, managing their classroom, and organising the curriculum. This further empowered them to create effective problem solving scenarios to use in their classrooms with their students as well as in multiple environments such as face-to-face, online and other technology mediated learning. This approach enables all stakeholders (principals/managers, educational curriculum consultants, master trainers and teachers) to examine their own practices in the light of the best performing approaches.
Program Objectives
Throughout the duration of the workshop teachers will be handled in three different modes: a) as learners participating in real world learning activities; b) as teachers implementing problem-solving and collaborative strategies in their classes; and c) as researchers collecting, examining and interpreting data about their practice and their students’ learning.
Teachers will be provided with templates that promote standards based teaching, student-centered learning, and using more effective strategies to reach students (indicative examples are: Guided Research Model, Inquiry Based Teaching, Project-based Learning, The 5E Instructional Model (Constructivist Model), The Learning Cycle (Supporting Conceptual Change), ICT supported Culture Awareness Learning (ICCAL), and Direct Instruction), which they will be given the opportunity to modify according to their discipline and every day teaching practices. A number of indicative portals (such as FUNecole (funecole.com), COSMOS [www.cosmosportal.eu], OSR [www.osrportal.eu], Learning with ATLAS@CERN [www.ea.gr/ep/lacern/], Natural Europe [www.natural-europe.eu], Organic.Edunet [www.organic-edunet.eu], MERLOT [www.merlot.org], MELT [www.melt-project.eu], CALIBRATE [calibrate.eun.org]) will be proposed to participants in order to help them develop their technology enhanced learning scenarios. The training workshop comprises of 4 hours of presentations and demonstrations and 10 hours of hands-on activities. The workshops will be held in a multimedia laboratory where each participant will have direct access to a PC and will carry out planned exercises (participants are strongly encouraged to bring their own laptops).
By the end of this workshop participants should be in a position to:
- Promote the usage of new web-based comprehensive instruction practices that successfully to infuse technology into the 21st century school curricula
- Demonstrate how ICT facilitates new forms of thinking and learning that require the cultivation of the different and wide ranging skills necessary for the 21st century future citizens.
- Show how to prepare learners for the technology-rich and culturally-diverse modern societies.
- Re-define of the role of the teacher who has to make room for other types of learning (e.g. self learning, peer learning, curiosity driven learning, experiential learning that lead students to the learning to learn paradigm.
- Learn how to implement comprehensive approaches in context–based learning, inquiry-based techniques and innovative student centric pedagogical practices.
- Present best practice Learning Environments both for primary and secondary levels that utilize web-based learning resources that support and enhance the 21st century educational movement.
