Head in the Clouds: Digital Learning to Overcome School Failure Erasmus Project

Project Title

Head in the Clouds: Digital Learning to Overcome School Failure

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Romas and/or other minorities; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

From 09/2015 to 08/2018 the Vienna University of Technology (TUW) together with 6 partners from 5 European countries implemented the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership “Head in the Clouds: Digital Learning to Overcome School Failure”. The cross-sectoral consortium consisted of TUW, Verein Offenes Lernen (OLE), Fundatia Crestina Diakonia Filiala Sfantu Gheorghe (FSG), GAIA Kosovo (GAIA), Sukromna Zakladna Skola (SZS), Technical University Kosice (TUKE), www.scio.cz SRO (SCIO). This educational project dealt with the prevention of early school leaving, the development of basic and transversal skills and the enhancement of digital education in the context of minorities, mainly Roma. Having in mind that the prevailing educational disadvantages and exclusion of minority group members, lead to lacking integration in the labour market and exclusion from society in general, the project aimed at providing an alternative way to education for children aged 6-17 years, struggling with the formal educational system or having no access to education at all.
Objectives were:
overcoming obstacles for integration
providing a learning environment for target groups who have difficulties to succeed in established formal education systems
increasing the learner’s ability to coordinate, facilitate and analyse their own learning processes
creating an innovative educational tool
reducing early school leaving of children of minorities
increasing transversal skills to increase chances of integration in the labour market
foster creativity, innovation and modernisation in education to raise digital literacy
raising digital competences of educators
creating a device/approach that is easily usable to ensure wide implementation
raising employability and mobility
raising the recognition of non-formal education
sharing new methods, identified lessons and good practices as well as knowledge
networking

The project started with a needs assessment to tailor materials to the local contexts. It developed 6 learning modules, supported by digital materials, tools and software. The chosen approach – MINIMAX – is an innovative educational approach aiming at minimal teacher invasion and maximum learner autonomy. It was inspired by Sugata Mitra’s Self-organized Learning Environments (SOLE), as well as Constructionist learning theory. The learning modules consist of simple and modular structured task sheets, allowing learners to playfully acquire skills, knowledge and competencies in a variety of subjects as well as interdisciplinary, transversal and social skills. Each task sheet is linked to an online hand-in application via QR-code, which allowed users to analyse their achievements, while interacting with members of their group and peers in 2 other European countries – creating a positive individual learning process. The developed educational materials focus on a broad variety of topics including programming, video making, digital literacy, English, environment, culture, history, customs, hygiene and first aid.

Educators were given the opportunity to experience the developed tools and materials in trainings, and were provided with detailed manuals. The learning modules, specifically designed to engage children and youth in their own learning process, were implemented by the partners SZS, FSG and GAIA, in their afterschool and youth programmes, in 3 locations in Slovakia, Romania and Kosovo with more than 100 participating learners from Roma communities. Throughout the implementation period the approach was evaluated by SCIO with the help of other consortium members, using both quantitative and qualitative data including 3 types of questionnaires on learner autonomy, personality and task accomplishment, live observations, interviews with children and educators, written reports and data from the hand-in application. Based on constant feedback and evaluation after the trial period the learning modules were improved and trained to educators both participating in the trial run and beyond, as part of the dissemination strategy of the consortium. All developed educational modules were published as OER, available in English, Hungarian, Slovak and Serbian on the project website https://brainsintheclouds.eu/. A detailed manual focusing on the projects’ aims, teacher roles, training and evaluation approach and outcomes was developed. A 22 minutes documentary about the project was produced, offering further insights and impressions of the practical work done.
The team observed changes in learning disparities, school attendance/leaving, pursuit of careers and transversal skills, especially social interaction skills and digital competences. The observed changes and developed educational modules have inspired the partners working with the target groups directly to continue working with the developed MINIMAX approach, tools and materials both within their institutions as well as beyond by offering guidance and materials to other institutions and stakeholders.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 291891,12 Eur

Project Coordinator

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIEN & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Sukromna zakladna skola
• Fundatia Crestina Diakonia Filiala Sfantu Gheorghe
• GAIA
• VEREIN OFFENES LERNEN
• TECHNICKA UNIVERZITA V KOSICIACH
• WWW.SCIO.CZ SRO