LET’S BE INNOVATIVE! Development of Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Primary School Teachers Erasmus Project

Project Title

LET’S BE INNOVATIVE! Development of Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Primary School Teachers

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits); Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

CONTEXT/BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
The development of new and improved services, systems, and products is an important driver for the EU market. Innovation necessitates people who can generate new ideas, cooperate in innovation teams, and boost environments that support the entire chain from idea creation to their implementation. But it requires competencies and especially personal characteristics, innovation modus operandi, i.e. way of thinking, which can not be easily taugth. Therefore, it is essential to start with youngsters.

OBJECTIVES
The project empowered the innovation mindset in primary schools and trained teachers for innovative work – anywhere; in all subjects, in daily situations in school, in real life challenges. The target group were teachers for the 2nd and 3rd triad in primary schools (pupils aged 9-14); indirect target group were pupils.

NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS
In each country, one or two schools and a core “knowledge” institution were project partners. These had know-how to develop InnoTeach concepts, materials and to transfer innovation best practices from industry to the educational system.

MAIN ACTIVITIES, RESULTS AND IMPACT ATTAINED
Firstly, the profile of competencies for participating teachers was defined and a comprehensive training methodology prepared addressing three pillars: Development of Innovation, Innovative Teaching, and Making Innovation Work.
Based on the training materials, we carried out an international joint staff training event. 18 trained teachers became mentors to their colleagues from school. For them, and also for the forthcoming generations, e-Training portfolio was prepared using state of the art andragogical approaches and digital solutions. It was finished with “real-life” interdisciplinary innovative projects, which required cooperation of various experts. Project were tackling: teaching process innovations, improvements for school and its local environment, e.g. innovations in school’s garden; development of tourist destinations, cooperation with elderly people’s home, local flower shop, socialisation and closer cooperation of pupils/teachers and parents, and suchlike. Also other various stakeholders actively participated, e.g. kindergarten, elderly people’s home, municipality, parents of pupils involved, etc. In cooperation with hundreds of pupils, teachers developed 16 innovative projects.
In addition an international Exam System focused on validation and recognition of skills and competences was developed in line with the ECQA (European Certification and Qualification Association) exam methodology. Altogether 83 InnoTeach mentors were trained (212 cooperated and 2111 pupils and 52 stakeholders involved)

The main project achievements were presented at 4 (inter)national multipliers events and 5 international conferences. The presence of two mayors, secondary and university level representatives, researchers, economy and policy makers additionally confirm our thesis that the InnoTeach idea and achievements should be an integral part of international innovation ecosystem. Within our events, there were also representatives of eminent institutions, such as Joaneum, Grenoble IOT, Jozef Stefan Institute and participants from France, Germany, Australia, Finland, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, Austria and Slovenia.
Moreover, the Project contributed to the application of various motivational elements, thus encouraging pupils to co-create a learning process.

LONGER-TERM BENEFITS
The project addressed at least 3 of top 10 skills for businesses to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, identified by World Economic Forum (WEF 2016), i.e. Complex problem solving, Critical thinking and Creativity.
At the schools’ level, a critical mass of teachers was reached and innovative culture in schools was enhanced by way of applying multidisciplinary approaches. The InnoTeach also received a very good media response. Moreover, the Austrian ORG Schulschwestern used the InnoTeach materials for new school subject called WIN (Wirtschaftlichkeit – Innovation – Nachhaltigkeit). In Slovenia, materials were included in some workshops for teachers organised by Slovenian national agency SPIRIT. It also expressed interest to continue the InnoTeach programme and include other schools. Also the University of Primorska- Faculty of Education expressed interest for cooperation on concrete courses for elementary schools. Based on project proposal evaluation by Slo NA, InnoTeach has a great potential to be transferred to other countries as well as to other educational levels. Based on this fact we already started activities in Czech republic, Italy, Germany and France. Last but not least, prof. Likar’s (project leader) student prepares a PhD thesis based on InnoTeach project.
And what is more, our children can eagerly expect highly-motivated teachers, well-equipped with the competences for the 21st century.

http://innoteach.itstudy.hu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 206865,75 Eur

Project Coordinator

Korona plus d.o.o., Institut za inovativnost in tehnologijo & Country: SI

Project Partners

• iTStudy Hungary Számítástechnikai Oktató- és Kutatóközpont Kft.
• Kerepesi Szechenyi Istvan Altalános Iskola es Alapfoku Muveszeti Iskola
• Turai Hevesy György Általános Iskola
• Osnovna sola Lava
• Osnovna sola Trnovo
• ORG_Grazer Schulschwestern
• INTERNATIONAL SOFTWARE-EXPERTS FORCOLLABORATIVE NETWORKS I.S.C.N. GESMBH