#co-think- enhancing digital competence through inclusive, collaborative, computational thinking Erasmus Project

Project Title

#co-think- enhancing digital competence through inclusive, collaborative, computational thinking

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

The #co-think project has emerged from the need to respond to curriculum changes in Europe, where computer science, programming, and computational thinking has been or is about to be introduced even for very young students. The partners in #co-think- 5 local school authorities/educational centers and 5 pilot schools from Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK, Finland and Denmark have tried to meet the challenges of introducing computer science to teachers by carrying out a number of collaborative training activities in line with the overall project objectives: SHARE AND EVALUATE MODELS AND APPROACHES FOR THE INCLUSIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF COMPUTATIONAL THINKING AND OVERALL DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL COMPETENCIES.

More than 30 ICT educators, 100 teachers and 1000 students aged 7-12 have been involved in the activities and dissemination has reached approximately more than 10000 primary school teachers and ICT educators and 1800 policymakers across the partner countries.

During the course of 3 years 4 transnational meetings, 4 computational thinking learning and training activities, 3 student challenges or ‘learnathons’ and approximately 30 dissemination events were carried out. The final training activity in London March 2020 included a whole day digital making event at TATE Modern involving all target groups of the project: students, teachers, educators, principals, directors and policy makers. The project has involved associated partners from companies, universities and other institutions who contributed with their know-how and expertise related to the theme of the project.

The local authorities in the partnership have shared the workload of hosting the different events and disseminating the project at a local, regional and national level. In addition each partner has been lead of one of the different work packages:project management, communication and dissemination, learning and teaching activities, curriculum implementation and evaluation. Each local authority has also been in direct contact with their local “pilot” school which have served as role model for other schools within the reach of each local authority.

The project has above all resulted in an increased knowledge among all target groups of the teaching and learning concepts of computational thinking for younger students, inclusive thinking and gender stereotypes and an overall improved digital competence in using a wide variety of tools and methods to enhance the computational thinking of students. Schools and local authorities have used and shared different material and approaches and pedagogies for the teaching and learning of computational thinking and all material that has been collated at the project website https://www.co-think.eu/.

Foremost, the project has created an international network of local authorities, schools and teachers where discussion and exchanges have continued in other collaborative forms, such as new projects and future exchanges, and involved other aspect of teaching and learning.The increased awareness of ICT implementation in schools all around Europe has impacted partners’ sense of European belonging and increased all partners’ willingness to pursue and develop transnational collaboration to support school development. This sense of belonging has been in particular emphasized during the corona pandemic as partners shared challenges and solutions for distance learning.

Above all the project has, in line with the Erasmus+ horizontal priorities, contributed to innovation and disseminated innovative practices in a digital era, by promoting gender equality and inclusion in the use of technology and by promoting innovative methods and tools for teaching, training, learning and assessment as drivers of improvements in lifelong learning.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 168275 Eur

Project Coordinator

Utbildningskontoret, Norrköpings Kommun & Country: SE

Project Partners

• Tampereen kaupunki/Lielahden koulu
• TAMPEREEN KAUPUNKI
• Læring, Kultur og Fritid i Middelfart Kommune
• EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT TRUST
• Hitherfield Primary School
• Ektorpsringen
• De Waterwilg