Train your Brain Erasmus Project

Project Title

Train your Brain

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 : Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Open and distance learning; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

According to the United Nations publication, August 2020 “Relatively few countries are monitoring the effective reach and use of distance learning modalities. However, estimates indicate variable coverage: distance learning in high income countries covers about 80–85 per cent, while this drops to less than 50 per cent in low income countries. This shortfall can largely be attributed to the digital divide, with the disadvantaged having limited access to basic household services such as electricity; a lack of technology infrastructure and low levels of digital literacy among students, parents, and teachers.”

This crisis demands to prioritize safety and remote learning is the most feasible solution to keep the school’s community engaged in learning away from the classroom. Innovative practices that enhance students’ soft skills in a distance learning environment. Coding activities, quizzes and puzzles aiming to the development of 21st century skills (such as problem solving, time management, algorithmic thinking) combined with team building activities to enhance social skills. Priority will be given to develop materials that enable teachers to provide online classes that introduce students to innovative subjects and simultaneously focus on students’ personal development in a social distancing environment. Furthermore train the teachers to become more confident and independent in using the tools. As the COVID 19 crisis has impact to the teaching reality of every country, this includes international synergies to exchange ideas and also share good practices in order to be accessible to all countries Achievement of relevant and high quality skills and competences: supporting individuals in acquiring and developing key competences to be resilient and able to adapt to the new challenges that will arise after this crisis. The Programme will also support actions that develop or disseminate technological tools, as well as actions that apply the “learning outcomes” approaches in carrying out education, training and youth activities or assessing their quality and relevance.
The key objective of the project is to develop a complete and concrete toolkit for the teachers to help their students acquire new skills while enhancing their social skills in a day and age of a remote reality that sometimes weakens social interactions. To meet its goals the project will have specific deliverables during the phases of implementation. Good practices already tested along with new activities designed to be held remotely will be gathered at a transnational training guide. The guide will also include training content for the teachers – methodologies and examples on how to teach coding and all the content including papers, videos etc. – that will be uploaded in an online platform. The platform will be designed by a mixed team consisting of teachers and IT staff so as to be easily used by educators. A specific coding curriculum including sessions with detailed activities that can be implemented remotely will also be provided for the teachers. There will be a specific section for the developed activities aiming at the social skills’ cultivation and also a forum to give an interactive aspect and allow users to share good practices and create networks. An app will also be designed providing students the opportunity to train independently even without internet access in remote areas.

Activities
– Management and Coordination
– Training Content for Teachers
– Tools Development (Platform and App)
– Educational Content Development
– Quality Control and Evaluation
– Dissemination and Testing

Target Groups: The direct target groups of the project are teachers and students in the 13+ range. We will also include minor students facing social and financial difficulties. In addition, Public and Private Education Organizations and Institutions, Teachers, Trainers, Students 13+ , VET providers, Civil Society Organizations, Community Associations, Innovation Hubs, etc.

Robotiikka is an NGO focusing to increase interest in and understanding of Science, Technology and robots with long experience in developing tutorial material for both teachers and pupils Eduact is an NGO also develops innovative educational projects of high quality emphasizing in the 21st skills development and collaborating with the Greek Ministry of Education for the addition of Robotics in school curriculum. Robootika is the NPO, the first to start Robotics Projects in Esthonia. UTH is a state University, having 8 schools offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs and like FYG they both have long experience in Erasmus+ programs. All of the partners have experience in Erasmus+ and most of them have already collaborated with each other in different projects.

The platform is desinged fot totally remote learning, will be tested by local VET Organizations and can be also for future challenging situations.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 156500 Eur

Project Coordinator

Robotiikka- ja tiedekasvatus ry & Country: FI

Project Partners

• EDUACT – DRASI GIA TIN EKPAIDEUSI
• PANEPISTIMIO THESSALIAS
• INSTALOFI LEVANTE SL
• NPO Robootika