CONNECTING FOR CHANGE Erasmus Project

Project Title

CONNECTING FOR CHANGE

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 vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Cooperation between educational institutions and business; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

All the participating Partners in the Connect-for-Change Project have identified the need for a more personalised approach to learners to harness the motivation that comes from a relevant and engaging learning programme. Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board are joining forces with Big Picture Learning (Italy, the Netherlands and the UK) to create sustainable, supportive transnational relationships of professional development and learning.

The motto of Big Picture Learning is ‘one-student-at-a-time’ and this personalised model has been astoundingly successful in engaging learners, especially those who present with a range of social and personal difficulties and a history of low educational attainment. Started in the USA in 1996, Big Picture Learning (BPL) has become one of the most significant and successful innovative educational movements in the world with over 100 schools spread across the U.S. and over 70 internationally, from Australia to India, Kenya to Kazakhstan. In Europe, there are 15 Big Picture vocational training schools in the Netherlands, a social entrepreneurship centre in Biella, Italy and a new centre in Doncaster in the UK.

Some of the key distinguishers of BPL are personalised learning (one-student-at-a-time) built around student interests and real world learning through internships. The BPL digital platform, ImBlaze, is a unique resource allowing internships for learners to be curated with features for searches, attendance and compliance . DDLETB has been developing more personalised VET approaches and wants to improve upon this, especially with disadvantaged learners. The CforC Project will establish sustainable cooperation between the VET Partners, generate and expand new and innovative curricula and methodologies AND will build on digital competences and their applications for teaching and learning.

All the VET Partners have learners engaged in work experience, internships and/or apprenticeships. All have a need to better resource their learners with these opportunities, to have better methods of monitoring and supervision, and to have a great variety of these opportunities available, not only locally but transnationally. BPL has developed the digital platform ImBlaze for this very purpose but it has not been used in Europe. CforC Partners would have a unique opportunity to test out this technology and adapt it to local needs. ImBlaze has the potential to be used across Europe and to transform the way learners access and experience work-based learning.

The target group for the CforC Project is VET educators – the directors and instructional leaders in each of the Partner participating centres. These are Baldoyle Training Centre, Grange Community College, Blanchardstown Youthreach Centre, Sallynoggin Youthreach Centre (Ireland), BPL Academy – Futura College and Gooise Praktijkschool (the Netherlands), BPL Italia – Scuola HNK (Italy), and BPL-UK Doncaster (UK). We are targeting this group because of the VET principles they share, the common needs amongst them, the innovative practices they bring to the partnership and the high potential for up-scaling and sustainability. We also have Associated Partners – educators from Bulgaria and Romania – who are interested particularly in Big Picture Learning principles and practices for VET

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 87676 Eur

Project Coordinator

Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board & Country: IE

Project Partners

• Big Picture Learning Nederland
• BIG PICTURE LEARNING ITALIA
• BP Learning UK