Promotion of Independent Learning Erasmus Project

Project Title

Promotion of Independent Learning

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 Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Pedagogy and didactics; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The context of the project is a development of an existing partnership. Two students from Falu Fri came to St.Angela’s six years ago to make a video as part of their final year project. During the course of their visit it transpired that they had made all the arrangements for the trip on their own and had had come to the UK on their own. St.Angela’s was invited to attend a model UN held annually by Falu Fri and has done so every year since, helping those students who attend develop their independent learning skills.
In March 2014 St.Angela’s was awarded National Teaching School status and was required to build an alliance of partner schools.
Falu Fri began a new humanities course that included a week in London and students and staff coming to St.Angela’s. It was clear to both schools that a series of synergies existed and also great learning opportunities if the partnership was to be further developed. Falu Fri became a partner school in the East London Teaching School Alliance. It was then decided to strengthen the partnership following a needs analysis. St.Angela’s had a need for independent learning and Falu Fri a need for improved impact evaluation of professional development.
A two strand project was conceived that would link together students and staff inputs with an overall focus on independent learning.
The objectives of the project are;
1 To have an annual exchange of students between the two schools in which students from St.Angela’s take part in a Model UN in Falu Fri and humanities students from Falu Fri spend a week in London. Both groups of students will stay with families in the host country.
2 To ensure students take a lead in arranging parts of the programme in their respective countries and develop some independent learning skills as a result.
3. To ensure all students taking part in the project reflect and understand the context of global citizenship in which they are working and to reach a deeper cultural understanding than would have been the case without the project
4 To improve attainment of students through increased motivation as a result of being part of the project
5 To have an exchange of staff between the two schools so that staff from Falu Fri can deliver professional development to staff in St.Angela’s and the East London Teaching school Alliance so that these schools may develop their own strategies for independent learning. Staff from the United Kingdom schools would then have the opportunity to spend a week at Falu Fri to observe these techniques first hand and then implement in their own schools. When in the United Kingdom staff from Falu Fri will study in more depth the impact evaluation of professional development and implement this in their own school.
6 The project to be totally inclusive and in its target group will include students who are at risk of dropping out of education.
7. To address the need of St.Angela’s and schools in the East London Teaching School Alliance to have a greater focus on independent learning.
8. To address the need of Falu Fri to address the development and impact evaluation of professional development in the school.
The participants will be divided into two sections, staff and students.
Staff from each partner school will visit the other to have professional development and to present professional development on the key aims of independent learning and the impact evaluation of professional development. During the lifetime of the project we estimate over 20 students will benefit directly but many more indirectly from the staff that will raise both motivation and attainment.
Students from St.Angela’s will take part in a model UN and stay with Swedish host families. Students from the Falu Fri humanities course will stay with English families while carrying out their studies in London.
Students will plan part of the programme and will be encouraged to maintain contact before and after the exchanges.
Staff will also make exchange visits in order to present professional development on independent learning and impact evaluation. Staff will have the time to work in each others schools.
The methodology is one of exchange visits, planned student activities, staff exchange visitors, sharing of professional development and both partner schools and the students gaining from more robust approaches to independent learning and professional development respectively.
The result will be more motivated students with improved attainment.
St.Angela’s to have a much improved ethos of independent learning and Falu Fri to have a more evaluative approach to professional development. All results will be measured and for professional development activities the Guskey methodology will be used.
Impact is envisaged at an individual and system level as the aims of the project are met. The potential longer term benefits of the project being extended across many more partners in the teaching school alliance and beyond, with better attainment.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 24555 Eur

Project Coordinator

St Angela’s Ursuline School & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Falu Frigymnasium