Animated Learning for Transitions – Early Recognition Erasmus Project

Project Title

Animated Learning for Transitions – Early Recognition

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: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Pedagogy and didactics

Project Summary

The context of the Alt-ER project builds from the partner group all working with creative strategies for learning, but seeing them remain on the sideline of popular educative methodologies despite their efficacy in helping young people navigate the early years of formal education. As such, the objectives were to find ways to convince parents and teachers of the value of self directed creativity and the usefulness of ICT in engaging with it. A great hope was that the strategies developed would be applicable both in the home and the classroom, creating a highly valued “scaffolding” of the materials, intents, and learning activities. Alt-ER was the combined effort of 7 partners from 6 countries, and as such presented a thorough cross section of attitudes and perspectives on education and best practice for reaching young people. The partner grouping was very good for presenting vastly different views to a common concern, that being effectively teaching young people. The involvement of VIA and AAU represented a formal background in working with children through creative means, but placed the research and work on a higher level given their position as esteemed higher education institutions in Denmark. CAN, as a formal school environment with relevant aged children, was an effective testing ground for ideas that did not demand a long lead time, and was reflexive and thorough in getting feedback on concepts and ideas in the development phase, but also deeply valuable for their ability to present the stratification we could stand to expect between larger, more well to do countries, and smaller less wealthy ones, ensuring we had a concept that would work in both settings. The three creative initiatives (CAM ETC, KINO, & TG) that worked in the group were all focused on creativity, be it through animation, film, and gaming, and were invaluable in creating the most complete view to the creative arts and their potential role in education. BUAS (formerly NHTV) was a fantastic partner for their ability to create the digital interface of the ALt-ER world, and to keep the ambitions of the project in a realistic band without shutting down ideas. The activities undertaken in the project were transnational project meetings that were focused on the planning, execution, and subsequent decoding of workshops and test sessions with parents, teachers, and children. Alt-ER was effective in creating a baseline understanding of the dynamics at play between both creativity and ICT when engaged in educative work. We were able to determine and highlight important aspects of education and socialization that are well served by creativity based strategies, but also to determine effective ways of using ICT to activate young people in their use. Alt-ER did experience, as expected, certain push-back from teachers and parents who felt that games and apps were something external to valuable and considered educative efforts, akin to a film-strip in years past. The group was able to point to important group dynamics, knowledge of one’s self, and valuable socialization tactics as grounding points that validate self directed creativity in educative contexts.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 267536,28 Eur

Project Coordinator

VIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE & Country: DK

Project Partners

• Camera-etc asbl
• Teachergaming LLC
• AALBORG UNIVERSITET
• Mittetulundusühing Kinobuss
• STICHTING BREDA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
• Colegiul National de Arte Regina Maria Constanta