Teaching ICT for People with Specific Learning Disorders Erasmus Project

Project Title

Teaching ICT for People with Specific Learning Disorders

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

People with learning disabilities encounter many difficulties in their employment process; nevertheless, SpLD people constitute an important potential to contribute to the economy and the labour market. It is shown, indeed, that vocational training and valuable work experience are useful tools for successful integration into the community. Training is considered one of the most important ways to achieve optimal employability. In several countries the training offer is rich and varied, but there are problems that severely limit the subsequent process integration work. People with disabilities often encounter attitudinal and environmental barriers which do not allow their full active and equal participation in society. The fact that a fifth of the working age is unemployed due to disabilities is a critical issue in as much as it is accepted that many disabled people are able to work if they are given the proper support.

TI4PeS is a project developed by a cooperation between an NGO, University, SME and VET Providers from 5 different countries: Sweden, Italy, Bulgaria, Portugal and Poland. The main objective was sharing knowledge and experience between partners on how to increase the capabilities of people with learning disabilities for employment and improve VET students with SpLD skills about ICT and software development; and VET teachers about SpLD issues. The project had the intent to foster transnational cooperation in order to deliver quality and innovative training material in the field of learning disabilities.

The results of this project led to the creation of several products functional to the processing of the contents of the platform.
Output 1: led to the creation of a report in which each country presented the national situation regarding the world of SpLD, and its inclusion in the school world in the VET field. The overview of this research study has led to an understanding of the needs within each country regarding the scope of ICT as well.
Output 2: Led to the creation of a theoretical manual of SpLD knowledge, usable by teachers and trainers who need to understand how to recognize cases of SpLD.
Output 3: After data processing and theoretical study, the practical aspect that was focused on was the production of practical and concrete tools to be used in the classrooms for the use of the platform and for the creation of a good working environment in the classroom : teaching PLAN, with observation boards to work on the effectiveness of the platform’s content, and inclusion PLAN, useful teacher tools to create a good working environment in the classroom through games and activities. In addition, the contents of ICT (Word, Power Point, Excel, and HTML) have been processed in this output to be inserted into the platform.
Output 4: The goal of this output was to test the platform content processed by the partnership. It was done in Portugal and Italy in classes with students with SpLD, with trainers who gave real lessons in the classroom, all under observation that took place through those tools processed in the previous output.
Output 5: The goal was to create the e-learning platform. It can be used by teachers and students, allowing you to take advantage of content, create new ones and share them. This allows you to disseminate the necessary materials for lessons according to the needs of the students, so that they are understandable to students with SpLD.

The project targets mainly people that are looking for vocational education to access the labor market in order to foster their employability. Another target group were VET trainers that will be trained, even if the project is over, in order to be able to follow the trainee in his/her education path on the online platform as e-tutors. E-tutors will evaluate the learners at the end of each module and at the end of the overall e-training course. The on-line platform is in fact available and open to those that will want to use it in the classroom with student with SpLD.

The online training modules offer the necessary theoretical background about ICT and some skills of software development, together with case studies that will prepare the learner before the practical experience. The project is also boosting the supply of suitably qualified VET trainers, and it allow the enhancement of skills in an up-to-date and European framework.

Some of our stakeholders found very useful and helpful this platform and the contents created. Institution, schools, association that work in the field of SpLD wanted to use the platform and upgrade contents that can use for train and teach. This partnership was also disseminating the project’s results in terms of the establishment of innovative and qualitative training methods in a European level. Public and private authorities could also be benefited by the use of the project’s results.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 211651,08 Eur

Project Coordinator

Hytton Technologies & Country: SE

Project Partners

• PARVI NATIONALEN CENTAR PO DYSLEXIA
• AEVA – ASSOCIACAO PARA A EDUCACAO E VALORIZACAO DA REGIAO DE AVEIRO
• CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE PER LA PROMOZIONE DELL’EDUCAZIONE E LO SVILUPPO ASSOCIAZIONE
• AKADEMIA PEDAGOGIKI SPECJALNEJ IM.MARII GRZEGORZEWSKIEJ