Innovative Provision of Innovative Provision of Professional Development Professional Development Opportunities to TeachersOpportunities to TeachersSofoklis Sotiriou, Pavlos Koulouris, Emmanuel Sofoklis Sotiriou, Pavlos Koulouris, Emmanuel

Apostolakis Apostolakis R&D Department, Ellinogermaniki AgogiR&D Department, Ellinogermaniki Agogi

GreeceGreece

Presented by Presented by Pavlos KoulourisPavlos Koulourispkoulouris@ea.grpkoulouris@ea.gr

Small rural primary schools: Small rural primary schools: ‘borderers’ of the education ‘borderers’ of the education

systemsystem MultigradeMultigrade schools schools

Providing the children of Providing the children of remote areas with the remote areas with the access to education which access to education which all children of Greece are all children of Greece are entitled to.entitled to.

Challenges and needsChallenges and needs Initial training in multigrade teaching: Not sufficientInitial training in multigrade teaching: Not sufficient

Typically, inexperienced newly-appointed teachers Typically, inexperienced newly-appointed teachers are posted to remote schools for a short term serviceare posted to remote schools for a short term service

Hence a need to:Hence a need to:improve improve expertise in expertise in multigrade teachingmultigrade teachingacquireacquire new knowledge new knowledge and skillsand skillsdevelop develop personal personal competences falling competences falling beyond the established beyond the established initial and in-service initial and in-service teacher training curriculateacher training curricula

Multigrade teaching competence: Multigrade teaching competence: A problematic conceptA problematic concept

No No standardized standardized requirementsrequirements

No clear definition of good No clear definition of good multigrade teaching multigrade teaching

Teachers are left alone to Teachers are left alone to exploreexplore and and learnlearn multigrade teaching multigrade teaching on on their owntheir own..

DifficultiesDifficulties

Not easy to provide Not easy to provide conventional professional conventional professional development:development: distance, costs, lack of distance, costs, lack of

substitute teacherssubstitute teachers

Rural vs UrbanRural vs Urban: the : the consequences of a widening consequences of a widening socioeconomic and digital socioeconomic and digital dividedivide

Addressing the problem: Addressing the problem: the use of ICTthe use of ICT

Different forms of technology-supported Different forms of technology-supported learning and distance education models learning and distance education models have been tried in the pasthave been tried in the past

Our response to the challenges:Our response to the challenges: Alleviating teachers’ isolation through distance Alleviating teachers’ isolation through distance

training, support and networking training, support and networking opportunities. opportunities.

Our main questionsOur main questions What is the appropriate What is the appropriate contentcontent for the for the

professional development and support professional development and support activities?activities?

How appropriate are the various available How appropriate are the various available and emerging and emerging delivery technologiesdelivery technologies??

What are some possible extensions to What are some possible extensions to conventional e-learning technologies and conventional e-learning technologies and practices, which could help teachers practices, which could help teachers learn learn as individualsas individuals and to and to learn from each learn from each otherother, participating in a sustainable , participating in a sustainable lifelong learning networklifelong learning network? ?

Our course in the past six Our course in the past six yearsyears

• Teachers’ competence development through Teachers’ competence development through training training content delivered over the web content delivered over the web (MUSE project)(MUSE project)

• Testing more advanced technologies for Testing more advanced technologies for broadband broadband delivery over satellitedelivery over satellite, while continuing to further develop , while continuing to further develop the content (ZEUS and RURAL WINGS projects)the content (ZEUS and RURAL WINGS projects)

• Development of a network (NEMED) and an increased Development of a network (NEMED) and an increased interest in concepts and tools related to interest in concepts and tools related to lifelong learning lifelong learning networks networks (NEMED, RURAL WINGS)(NEMED, RURAL WINGS)

The training contentThe training content

Professional development along Professional development along two main axes:two main axes: Use of ICT in teacher’s work, both Use of ICT in teacher’s work, both

for teaching and administrative for teaching and administrative purposes.purposes.

Application of teaching and learning Application of teaching and learning approaches which are most approaches which are most appropriate for the multigrade appropriate for the multigrade classroom.classroom.

The e-learning technologiesThe e-learning technologies

E-learning environments:E-learning environments:

satellite telecommunications for satellite telecommunications for broadband delivery of rich broadband delivery of rich educational contenteducational content

synchronous (videoconferencing, synchronous (videoconferencing, application sharing, chatting) application sharing, chatting)

asynchronous (web-based asynchronous (web-based learning through structured learning through structured access to a rich pool of access to a rich pool of educational content, and educational content, and networking)networking)

Turning the school into a ‘Learning Hub’ open to the local community

New New leadership roles for leadership roles for rural school teachersrural school teachers

Inviting the teacher to work Inviting the teacher to work with, and for, the local with, and for, the local communitycommunity

Inviting the teacher to become Inviting the teacher to become a a change agentchange agent in the in the

communitycommunity He/she will He/she will catalyse innovationcatalyse innovation and development and development

in the school and the local communityin the school and the local community

He/she will He/she will turn the declining school into a lively turn the declining school into a lively nodenode supporting supporting lifelong learninglifelong learning for everyone for everyone

The rural The rural schoolschool will become will become more responsive tomore responsive to the growth and survival the growth and survival needs of its communityneeds of its community

Education will develop Education will develop responsible citizensresponsible citizens and and create opportunities for create opportunities for tomorrow's rural leaderstomorrow's rural leaders to emergeto emerge

A model for training deliveryA model for training delivery

The networking technologyThe networking technology The NEMED web portal:The NEMED web portal:

a lively virtual space of a lively virtual space of structured structured exchangeexchange between network partners between network partners (open to everyone)(open to everyone)

A repository of teaching and learning A repository of teaching and learning resources connected to multigrade resources connected to multigrade education, jointly created and updated by education, jointly created and updated by the teachers – network membersthe teachers – network members

Challenges / outstanding Challenges / outstanding questionsquestions

We want to elaborate further our vision of We want to elaborate further our vision of lifelong learning for rural teachers, and lifelong learning for rural teachers, and its connections with the concepts of its connections with the concepts of competence developmentcompetence development and and lifelong lifelong learning networklearning network

We are investigating tools and We are investigating tools and methodologies which can: methodologies which can: foster the improvement of personal foster the improvement of personal

competences in rural teachers, and competences in rural teachers, and encourage and facilitate a teacher’s encourage and facilitate a teacher’s

contributions to the development of the other contributions to the development of the other teachers. teachers.

Outstanding questionsOutstanding questions

Revisiting the training delivery model Revisiting the training delivery model mentioned above, at the micro level:mentioned above, at the micro level: aiming to incorporate methods and aiming to incorporate methods and

tools facilitating informal learning tools facilitating informal learning through peer interactionthrough peer interaction

Outstanding questions re. Outstanding questions re. technologytechnology

Which technologies are able to Which technologies are able to support rural teachers, both as support rural teachers, both as individuals and as members of individuals and as members of teams, to further develop their teams, to further develop their competences making use of the competences making use of the distributed knowledge and learning distributed knowledge and learning resources available?resources available?

Outstanding questions re. Outstanding questions re. technologytechnology

The NEMED portal:The NEMED portal: So far, a repository of teaching and learning So far, a repository of teaching and learning

resources jointly updated by its members, resources jointly updated by its members, and a place of exchange and contact. and a place of exchange and contact.

How else? What else?How else? What else?

RURAL WINGS:RURAL WINGS: An opportunity to organise numerous An opportunity to organise numerous

learning resources and diverse learners in learning resources and diverse learners in rural communities into meaningful, working rural communities into meaningful, working networks fostering lifelong learning and networks fostering lifelong learning and competence development.competence development.

The notion of The notion of communities of practicecommunities of practice

A powerful conceptual tool: A powerful conceptual tool: people who share a concern or a people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they learn how to do it better as they interact regularlyinteract regularly

We are aiming to enable the We are aiming to enable the development of a community of development of a community of practice of rural teacherspractice of rural teachers

Community of practice: Community of practice: How?How?

A A shared domain of interestshared domain of interest: the : the development of multigrade teaching development of multigrade teaching competencescompetences

We need to establish and sustain We need to establish and sustain members’ commitmentmembers’ commitment to the domain to the domain

We need to We need to facilitatefacilitate community community developmentdevelopment by assisting teachers to: by assisting teachers to: engage in joint activities and discussionsengage in joint activities and discussions help each otherhelp each other share information and learn from each share information and learn from each

other, while pursuing their interest in other, while pursuing their interest in their domain. their domain.

A community of practice A community of practice rather than a mere community of rather than a mere community of

interestinterest

Rural teachers developing a shared Rural teachers developing a shared repertoire of resources – a shared repertoire of resources – a shared practice: practice: ExperiencesExperiences StoriesStories ToolsTools Ways of addressing recurring problems Ways of addressing recurring problems

in their small rural school, etc. in their small rural school, etc.

Questions - problemsQuestions - problems This takes timeThis takes time It requires sustained interactionIt requires sustained interaction How can technology support activities How can technology support activities

through which communities develop their through which communities develop their practice?practice? problem solvingproblem solving requests for informationrequests for information experience seekingexperience seeking reusing of assetsreusing of assets coordination and synergycoordination and synergy discussion of developmentsdiscussion of developments mapping of knowledge, identification of gaps, mapping of knowledge, identification of gaps,

etc.etc.

How can this be designed and realised given current technological developments?

An open challenge

multi-user virtual environments (virtual worlds)?