European Teacher Education for Primary Schools Progress Report

Insert your logo here European Teacher Education for Primary Schools Progress Report Public Part European Teacher Education for Primary Schools Project information Project acronym: Project title: Project number: Sub-programme or KA: Project website: ETEPS European Teacher Education for Primary Schools 134415-LLP-1-2007-1-DK-ERASMUS-ECDSP Not applicable Not applicable From To Reporting period: 01/10/07 30/09/08 Progress 30/09/08 University College Sealand Mr Gert Fosgerau Faculty of Teacher Education, University College Sealand +45 72 48 10 13 gfo@ucsj.dk Report version: Date of preparation: Beneficiary organisation: Project coordinator: Project coordinator organisation: Project coordinator telephone number: Project coordinator email address: 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. 2 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools Executive Summary The group has agreed on a core programme for the European Degree Programme in Education. Learning outcomes have been agreed upon for nine subjects of which some are part of the core programme and some are optional. The project has only been going for 12 months out of the 24 months of the whole project for which reason work is still in progress. The public project website has not as yet been established; it is part of the dissemination. As a progress report this report is mainly aimed at the Agency and the participants of the project as well other staff members at the participating institutions. However, the target groups in respect of the final report and the dissemination are the European Educational Authorities and Faculties of Education who will be invited to join and share the experiences from the project. All interested will be invited to join the project e.g. by staff and student exchange in relation to the education. . The objectives are To share experiences from the project To stimulate intercultural understanding among the participants To inspire other countries to participate through staff and student mobility The project itself is very concrete: create a teacher education that can be accredited in as many European countries as possible and enrol the first students in 2009. As a minimum, identify the subjects and the modules that can be recognized by all the participating institutions. Three of the partners, Växjö University, Stenden University and University College Sealand, have been members of the same Erasmus Network, Symposium, since 1991. The activities have mainly been a program for student exchange and staff mobility. Anadolu University and University College Sealand have worked together for 1½ year. The two universities also have a program for student exchange, and staff members from Vordingborg have visited Anadolu to work together with colleagues on some specific issues in teacher education. Charles University and University College South have worked together for 10 years in a program for student exchange. Anadolu University and Højskolen in Buskerud have collaborated for 3 years. The partners have specific strengths and well qualified academic staff in different subjects. Therefore the management responsibility in the second part of the project was distributed according to the strongest capabilities of the individual partner institutions. This is also expected to be the most effective and efficient way to achieve the goals of describing and seeking accreditation for a common program. The Project Manager has continuously monitored the project and organised and facilitated collaboration between the partners in the group, assured quality, internal evaluation, planned exploitation and dissemination of project issues and results. Together with the Steering Committee the Project Manager has evaluated the project 3 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools after the first 12 months and drawn up the financial application for the second year of the project. A virtual communication platform for the project has been established to stimulate communication, inspiration and assure continuous documentation. 4 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools Table of Contents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. PROJECT OBJECTIVES.................................................................................... 6 PROJECT APPROACH ...................................................................................... 6 PROJECT OUTCOMES & RESULTS................................................................. 8 PARTNERSHIPS .............................................................................................. 14 PLANS FOR THE FUTURE .............................................................................. 16 CONTRIBUTION TO EU POLICIES ................................................................. 17 EXTRA HEADING/SECTION............................................................................ 19 5 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools 1. Project Objectives - to analyze and describe best practices in a number of European countries in teacher education for primary schools, - to bring together academic staff in teacher education from many different European countries to gather knowledge and methods from each other in teacher education, - to facilitate staff and student mobility as a relevant and necessary part of a common developmental project promoting high performance and awareness of a European dimension in the national programmes for teacher education, - to create a virtual environment to support the professional and social connections, - to create a project in teacher education with an integrating effect in the European community, thus creating a sense of European citizenship, - to contribute to the realisation of a European Higher Education Area, - to confront traditions in teacher education in different European countries with the aim of choosing the best practice to be implemented in a joint program for teacher education, - to postpone the needs for a European based concept of accreditation of tertiary education, including a European based qualification framework, - to establish the foundation and realisation of agreements for recognizing modules, subjects and even degrees between some European countries and thereby develop an integrated program covering a complete joint bachelor degree, - to contribute the specifically European based democratic values of social cohesion, active citizenship and intercultural dialogue to the global community, - to have the first enrolment of students in the program in 2009. The objectives are The project will bring together teacher education institutions in 6 different countries to analyze, compare and choose best practices in teacher education as a background for developing a teacher education program for primary schools on a European level. The consortium will develop an integrated program leading to a full bachelor degree recognized in the participating countries and building on the idea that the best qualified academic staff in the participating institutions should be used to facilitate the education of the coming teacher regardless of the nationality of the staff. European citizenship and the idea of Europe as a community in a globalized world are given special attention in the subjects and modules developed as well as in the ethos of the project and therefore also in the outcome of the project. The project strongly supports the fact that in the long run nothing is so integrating and essential for building up a common understanding as education. 6 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools The target users will be the teachers and students of the European Degree Programme as well as national and international primary schools used for teaching experience and national and international primary schools as future employers Student and staff mobility is supposed to be essential to developing a feeling of European citizenship so the partners must rely on personal contact and first-hand cooperation when developing and implementing the project, a European Teacher Education program. For this reason there will be some physical meetings in the project so that a common understanding can be developed on the basis of being together face to face. The mixture of students from many different European countries will address the above objectives in such a way that to educate yourself to become a teacher you have to be aware of how to educate children according to these objectives and at the same time work on developing your own attitudes and behaviour. The modules Democratic Citizenship, Psychology, and Educational Philosophy especially contribute to a sense of European citizenship and the democratic and intercultural aspects. 7 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools 2. Project Approach The Project Manager from University College Sealand will coordinate and manage the interrelations between the organisation, the economy, the content, the meetings, the quality, the exploitation, and the dissemination of the project. The development and description of the content in the program will be based on subjects and study areas given a specific number of ECTS credits etc. according to the European Qualification Framework. The credits for a single module will be the same regardless of which partner is offering the specific module, but depending on each individual nationally based accreditation organization it might differ slightly whether the module is mandatory or optional for the students. Nevertheless any module in the program taken at any partner institution will be credited by all partners. The partners in the consortium have different strengths in teacher education programs. Therefore both the planning and the implementation will build on the expertise and excellence of the different partner institutions. This will be achieved by delegating the responsibility for developing the different modules in accordance with the partners’ different strengths and capabilities. When implementing the program the partners will make extensive use of guest lecturers and professors within the consortium and to some extent exchange students participating in the program at the different university campuses. To assure the quality in this work and establish sustainable relations between staff members across borders it is essential to meet personally to establish a solid foundation for virtual cooperation. At the kick off meeting the small subject groups will begin their work as part of a big group of European academic staff with members from 6 different countries. Approximately 70 staff members will head towards a common goal supported by the Steering Committee and the Project Manager. The partners in the project will seek nationally based accreditation of their version of the program independently, but the development of the common curriculum will secure that every module will be fully recognized by all partners in the consortium. At the starting point there might be smaller alterations according to the demands from the different accreditation organisations in Europe, but the ambition is to develop and implement a program that could be recognized more broadly by a European based accreditation organisation. At first, we therefore go for double degrees, but with the perspective of developing a joint degree for a European Teacher Education in the future. The outcome will be a programme with enrolment of students beginning in September 2009 as a direct continuation of the project. The dissemination of the project will take place at an international conference at Charles University in Prague, the oldest university in Central Europe. All project members will be present to share their experiences with participants from the international educational community and extend relations to other universities and staff members. The consortium is open to include other universities in the implementation and further development of European Degree Programme. The 24 months ETEPS project will be organised with 6 meetings and 5 so-called work packages. The meetings will take place in the different partner countries to 8 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools promote staff mobility and deeper understanding of the perspective and value of cooperating across borders. A Steering Committee of 6 members, one from each partner institution will have the overall responsibility for the outcome of the project. As applying partner University College Sealand will appoint a Project Manager who on behalf of the Steering committee will be in charge of organising and managing the project and of handling economic-administrative tasks in accordance with the project management plan, the budget and the commitments to the Lifelong Learning Programme. In the progress period four meetings have taken place in Denmark, Turkey, Norway and the Netherlands respectively covering the first three work packages of the project. The second work package was divided into two parts with the first part carried out in Turkey and the second part in Norway. The work in these packages covers Management including Framework, Implementation and monitoring, Developing Syllabuses and Developing ETEPS Curriculum as well as Evaluation and accreditation of a European Teacher Education program. 9 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools 3. Project Outcomes & Results Work package 1: Outcomes - To develop a plan for communication, financial management, quality assurance and evaluation, exploitation and dissemination - To develop the common understanding and framework for a bachelor in European Teacher Education - To define the length, content and structure from which the groups in W2 can start developing syllabuses - To develop a format for the description of the syllabus for each subject/study area in W2 - To develop a virtual environment supporting communication in the project Results The first project meeting was carried out in Vordingborg, Denmark, 20th and 21st November 2007; participation by Steering Committee, Project Manager, Financial Manager and an external expert. - a plan for communication was made. A virtual platform was set up for continuous reporting and communication. The platform was demonstrated for the partners and access was given. - a plan for the financial management was implemented. The Danish partner and applicant will coordinate and manage the interrelations between the organisation, the economy, the content, the meetings, the quality, the exploitation, and the dissemination of the project as stipulated in the application. - a plan for the quality and assurance was made and an external expert from the Netherlands that checks and ensures the quality of international primary schools was called in for this purpose. - a plan was made for the dissemination. The plan is in accordance with the application the dissemination of the project will take place at an international conference at Charles University in Prague, the oldest university in Central Europe. All project members will be present to share their experiences with participants from the international educational community and extend relations to other universities and staff members. The consortium is open to include other universities in the implementation and further development of European Degree Programme - common understanding was made through presentations of national curricula and presentation of a suggestion from the Danish partner for a framework for a bachelor in European Teacher education 10 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools - the suggestion for a framework which included suggestions to content, length and structure will form the basis for the groups in the second part of the project to start developing syllabuses in detail - an initial format was agreed upon for the description of the syllabus for each subject/study area in the second part of the project - a virtual environment was introduced to support communication in the project - furthermore capacity building was discussed Work package 2.1: Outcomes - To develop a common understanding of differences and similarities in the national syllabuses - To draft a syllabus for each of the maximum 12 subject/study area within the European Teacher Education - To plan the continued communication until a result is ready for presentation - To develop windows for student mobility Results The second project meeting was carried out in Istanbul, Turkey, 4th and 5th February 2008; participation by Steering Committee, Project Manager and the members of the working groups. - a common understanding was developed of differences and similarities in the national syllabuses in the work groups of each subject - syllabuses for nine subjects/study areas was drafted within the European Teacher Education - it was decided that the subjects/study areas should integrate ICT in the syllabuses and that ICT can be created as an optional subject/study area within the European Teacher Education the whole group was introduced to the virtual platform for continued communication - windows for student mobility is developed through Erasmus programmes and new partnership agreements but the European Degree Programme in Education will offer new possibilities for student mobility due to the module format of the study areas and ETCS points awarded for the modules. Student exchange as an obligatory part of the programme implies mutual recognition. Work package 2.2: Outcomes - To develop a final curriculum for a European Degree Programme in Education 11 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools - To develop a plan for teaching practice including discussion of blended learning - To develop examples and possibilities for cross-curricular/thematic elements in the curricula Results The third project meeting was carried out in Norway, 15th and 16th May 2008; participation by Steering Committee, Project Manager, Project Group and external experts. - A final curriculum was developed containing an obligatory Common Programme and optional subjects to agree with national curricula. The common programme comprises 130 ECTS points including teaching experience as well as a minimum of one semester abroad. - A plan was developed for teaching practice. It was decided, however, that the group should continue their work in cooperation with the group in charge of Educational Studies as the learning outcomes of this subject are closely tied to the learning outcomes of the teaching experience. - Blended learning was discussed and it was decided that the ICT group should continue their work for presentation in the next work package. - Examples and possibilities for cross-curricular/thematic elements in the curricula were developed. The work is still in progress. Work package 3: Outcomes - To develop a common understanding of the different national traditions for teaching practice - To develop a plan to secure the quality of and cooperation in relation to teaching practice, including possibilities for international placement activities - To develop a plan for in-service training programmes for teachers who want to become counsellors for students enrolled in the European Degree Programme in Education - To develop a plan for designing double degrees - To discuss a strategy for marketing and enrolment - To develop a plan for designing a joint degree programme for a European Teacher Education programme Results The fourth project meeting was carried out in the Netherlands, 8th and 9th September 2008; participation by Steering Committee, Project Manager, work group leaders for teaching practice and educational studies as well external experts and authorities. The Steering Committee was not represented by Turkey and the Czech Republic. 12 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools - Common understanding was developed of the different national traditions for teaching practice and presented by the leaders representing Teaching Experience and Educational Studies. - A plan to secure the quality of and cooperation in relation to teaching practice, including possibilities for international placement activities was developed. A close contact has been established to international schools using the International Primary Curriculum. - A plan for in-service training programmes for teachers who want to become counsellors for students enrolled in the European Degree Programme in Education was developed including the possibility of applying for other EU programmes for this purpose. - Plans for in-service training of lecturers in the programme in respect of language proficiency and ICT were developed - A plan was developed to design double degrees - A strategy for marketing and enrolment was discussed - A joint degree programme does not seem relevant at this stage, however, plans to investigate further the possibilities were developed 13 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools 4. • • • • • • Partnerships University College Sealand, Denmark, is the applying and coordinating partner. Växjö University, Department of Teacher Education, Sweden Anadolu University, Turkey Stenden University, the Netherlands Høgskolen i Buskerud, Norway Charles University, Faculty of Education, Czech Republic The partners of the project are The consortium is strong because the different partners have worked together in other projects for a long period and are not just brought together in this project. The mutual confidence is based on good experiences between the partners from other contexts. The entire academic staff of the partner institutions will act as a common staff for the program, and thereby the exchange of good practice and improvement of quality of education and training will be supported. This also supports a greater social cohesion in Europe and contributes to the development of the European Community as an advanced knowledge-based community. The project has added value because the group comprises partners both from Eastern Europe and Western Europe with different cultural, historical and religious backgrounds. All subjects will have active citizenship and intercultural dialogue in focus but some more than others e.g. Democratic Citizenship, Educational Studies, Arts and Culture, and Psychology Especially the development of the common mandatory modules of the European Teacher Education program will facilitate multilateral cooperation between the participating universities. The need for an agreement at policy level on how to achieve the goal of European accreditation suddenly demands close cooperation between the partners and potential new participants in the educational program when the first implementation is done. Recognizing the need in the global labour market for teachers who can offer teaching and education at the basic levels without being deeply anchored in a particular national culture, we regard it as our responsibility to educate such teachers. The basis of European teacher education should be a broad foundation in European culture. In this connection we consider the ideal of the open, democratic society and its respect of individual rights, as they are expressed in, for instance, the different declarations of human rights, quite central. In many ways the objective of European teacher education is parallel to the development in other areas of the educational system, particularly technical and scientific areas and, not least, management, economics, and trade. An equivalent development is in its making within the area of health. In our opinion it is urgent that teacher education – an area of education that is crucial for the long-term influence on people’s perception of society and their own position within it – undergoes a similar development. 14 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools Consequently, it is our intention that the European teacher education program that we want to establish must have the European cultures and societies, including their shared history, as the foundation and starting-point of the students’ acquisition of competences for basic-level teaching. This is significant both for the conception of the subjects on which the program should be based as well as for our collaboration between educational institutions in several different – predominantly – European countries. The experience of working in a European partnership has added value in a number of the objectives of the project such as when analyzing and describing best practices in a number of European countries in teacher education for primary schools. Also academic staff in teacher education from many different European countries was brought together to gather knowledge and methods from each other in teacher education the project will have an integrating effect in the European community, thus creating a sense of European citizenship Facilitating staff and student mobility as a relevant and necessary part of a common developmental project promotes high performance as well as awareness of a European dimension in the national programmes for teacher education, The program and the work involved will contribute the specifically European based democratic values of social cohesion, active citizenship and intercultural dialogue to the global community. A partnership has been established with Oslo International School. The school follows the International Primary Curriculum, a programme used by about 300 schools in the world. 15 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools 5. Plans for the Future To finalise the project as described in the application; i.e. fulfilling the objectives of the two final parts of the project: The fifth project meeting on Exploitation is expected to be carried out in Sweden in February 2009. Objectives: - To identify relevant target groups - To develop PR material appropriate for the different target groups - To develop a strategy for marketing the conference with dissemination of the project - To define national and international distribution channels The final meeting on Dissemination is expected to be carried out in the Czech Republic. Objectives: - To share experiences from the project - To stimulate intercultural understanding among the participants - To inspire other countries to participate through staff and student mobility 16 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools 6. Contribution to EU policies The product – a European Teacher Education program for Primary Schools (ETEPS) – will contribute to establishing Europe as an entity offering services and products on the Global Educational Market. The diversity of cultures and traditions in teacher education in the different European countries are turned into a strong basis for developing a teacher education program which pays specific attention to educating young children for a future society where international interdependence is ever more a condition for the peaceful survival of nationalities. The awareness of the values of – so to speak – the European welfare systems will become clearer to the participants. Despite the differences between the European countries it will be shown to the students that values and historic experiences play a role in the education of future European generations. And by recognising what is common for the European people, it will be obvious how this tradition differs from the attitudes and values of other western and democratically oriented cultures. The subjects European Culture and Democratic citizenship supports the formation of the European Higher Education Area. Taking a European point of view, the project will emphasize the differences and similarities between the different national programmes of teacher education. Seeking national accreditation, it will form a good background and put pressure on the argument that because of national differences teacher education programmes in other European countries should not be recognized. In accordance with the objective of inward and outward mobility in the Lifelong Learning Project, during the project period there will be intensive cooperation between teachers from the partner institutions. The work with the development of the European Teacher Education program gives the background for supporting the mobility of the academic staff when the education is to be implemented. It is a specific policy for the partners that the teachers offering their service in the project should form an international academic teaching staff to offer their services at any partner institution in the consortium. In respect of windows for mobility such as inward and outward mobility of students in Erasmus and as Leonardo da Vinci trainees, the partners in the consortium have different strengths in their national program in teacher education. This is intended to be used in a way that not only calls for using this excellence through staff mobility, but also inspires students to go abroad to study some of their subjects or modules in the most inspiring environments. The consortium will invite students from all over Europe, especially students from the partner institutions’ other Erasmus Networks to be enrolled in the European Teacher Education program. In itself teacher education specifically underlines the importance that students gather interpersonal and social competencies. The fact that the students in the program are intended to come from many different countries specifically addresses the ambition, that intercultural competencies are developed and paid special attention in teacher education. Specific modules will focus on civic competencies and contribute especially to the development of the students participating in the program. English is not the mother tongue in any of the countries in the consortium. The English module in the program will educate the teacher student to teach English as a second 17 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools language to children in primary education. ECTS have been implemented and the modules are described in learning outcomes building on the qualification framework for the Lifelong Learning Program. The academic staff joining the project will also develop a rationale and background for introducing a European dimension in their national programmes for teacher education and thereby the project will have an impact going beyond just the immediate product. The project offers quality assurance for national accreditation and forms a framework for double degree /joint degree. In addition, the project fits in with the three cycle structure of a Bachelor Degree, a Master Degree and a PhD. 18 / 20 European Teacher Education for Primary Schools 7. Extra Heading/Section Enter your text here 19 / 20