Project Erasmus + Talent Education
Project Erasmus + Talent Education
DESIGN THINKING
Design Thinking is an educational method aiming at activating creative talents of students, and using these skills to further improve students´ own surroundings. This requires empathy, analytical thinking, creativity, flexibility, activity, and dealing with feedback. The programme will be applied at different schools by the teachers pursuant to the grant application. This fact will be monitored by the University (PLATO) and evaluation of the methodology will be further developed. PLATO is a research and development agency owned by the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. It is all about learning in PLATO: learning at school, learning by training, learning at work. Via research, development, opinions and evaluations PLATO contributes to strengthening of learning environments in sectors of society. Dr. Jaap van Lakerveld is the director of PLATO. He is responsible for impact analysis. Karin Koens and Yfke de Jong are teachers in SCOL and they are processing the method in a paper manual. All participating organisations will implement Design Thinking testing and evaluations in their curricula. They will also provide input for the study of Plato into the effectiveness of Design Thinking in the education of talented students and use it as an outcome for the manual in their report.
See more: http://www.talenteducation.eu/toolkitforteachers/designthinking
Recent studies in secondary schools have shown that a quarter of all pupils indicated were often bored because the subject material does not match with their learning needs. This motivated the Erasmus+ Talent Education to aim at prevention of underperformance.
In project Talent Education, teachers, scientists, and trainers joined forces to develop new teaching methods adjusted to the learning needs of various groups of children and adolescents.
The Talent Education Toolkits for Teachers is a joint toolkit enabling teachers to adapt their instructions to the learning needs of their pupils in practical ways.
The Talent Education Toolkits for Teachers includes methods, step-by-step plans, lesson examples, and manuals.
What is Design Thinking?
The Design Thinking is a method arising from a solution – oriented teaching is a method which enables people to develop the skills to be innovative.
It is useful now as well as in the largely unknown future. The DT method´s main basics are:
The method offers a structured approach to developing skills to meet the demands of the rapidly changing „real“ world.
Creative process
Through a creative development process DT intends to find new, creative solutions for current issues in the „real“ world. To this end, a step-by-step method has been designed by which innovative and solution-oriented ideas are developed. Doing research and „out of the box“ thinking are highly important, and make this method very suitable for use in education. Intermediate judgements should be avoided, and it is OK to make mistakes, as an essential part of the learning process.
Design Thinking method is based on 5 steps:
Being able to see the world through someone else´s eyes: what does s/he see and feel; what is in his/ her mind: trying to understand as much as possible of the user´s problems and realities, his/her needs, desires, behaviour and relation to the world.
Determining a definition of the problem that needs solving as precisely as possible.
Gathering a maximum of ideas for solving the problem by brainstorming and thinking out of the box.
Visualizing those ideas in order to test them and improve their usability.
Testing the provisional solutions in relation to the student´s needs.
Working cyclically
The steps constitute a cyclical process, where one can, and should, revert to previous steps in order to adjust the process.
METACOGNITIVE SKILLS
Similarly to intelligence metacognitive skills are very powerful indicators of learning outcomes. Research shows that gifted students do not always possess these skills. This can remain unnoticed for a long time. Especially when the courses aren’t challenging/hard enough, gifted students will do well enough using their own intelligence. They do not need their metacognitive skills. Problems often arise with disappointing results once the course becomes more difficult. This could be after the transition within the upper secondary education or sometimes even in the third level of education. It is therefore important that teachers recognize early students with weak metacognitive skills and guide their development. The programme already exists, but is rarely used. In the project the programme will be applied at different schools by the teachers. This will be monitored by the universities and on the basis of evaluation a methodology will be developed for teaching metacognitive skills. The training will be given by Marcel Veenman, cognitive psychologist. Sarka Portesova from the JCMM will provide impact assessment. Nelleke Wagenaar and Nathalie van der Arend, who are teachers of SCOL, are processing the method in a manual.
See more: http://www.talenteducation.eu/toolkitforteachers/metacognicalskills
About Metacognitive Skills
Recent studies in secondary schools have shown that a quarter of all pupils indicated were often bored because the subject material does not match with their learning needs. This motivated the project Erasmus+ Talent Education to aim at prevention of underperformance.
In the project Talent Education, teachers, scientists, and trainers joined forces to develop new teaching methods adjusted to the learning needs of various groups of children and adolescents.
The Talent Education Toolkits for Teachers is a joint toolkit enabling teachers to adapt their instructions to the learning needs of their pupils in practical ways.
The Talent Education Toolkits for Teachers includes methods, step-by-step plans, lesson examples, and manuals.
What are metacognitive skills?
Metacognition pertains to knowledge and skills for organizing, guiding and controlling one´s own thinking, actions and learning processes. It includes skills for:
Students with good metacognitive skills are a helm of their own learning process through which they can execute a learning task more effectively.
Can metacognitive skills be trained?
Yes, they can:
Metacognition and learning performance
Metacognition determines learning performances to a large extent (up to 40%). As such, metacognition is more important to the learning process than intelligence, social - economical background, and motivation. Metacognitive skills can be acquired and enhanced by instructions and training. Research has shown that an adequate metacognitive instruction and a training lead to lasting improvements of metacognitive skills and consequently to better learning performances.
The research has shown that almost a half of intellectually gifted students appear to get weaker and weaker in a metacognitive way. Possibly these gifted students are insufficiently challenged in regular education to develop their metacognitive skills. At school they still can rely on their intelligence. Whenever the learning matter becomes more complex, students are at risk of study delays and drop outs.
Step-by-step action plan for learning tasks
When carrying out learning tasks, students work according to a fixed step-by-step plan. This way they can make an assignment better (fewer errors and higher figures) and faster (time savings).
8 steps:
In the TETT Metacognitive Skills each step individually explains what a student can do and what the role of the teacher is if a pupil cannot get it done independently. Focus is on the coaching role of the teacher who mainly should ask questions and intervene as little as possible if a student already performs skilfully. Learning a strategy which is just little bit different than a student is used to can be confusing and could lead to a situation that a student no longer applies his own strategy. Observation of metacognitive skills of students must therefore precede their practice if the specific skill is already there, an exercise is not necessary and probably even cause disadvantage. In principle therefore, metacognitive instruction must be customized.
Executive functions
Executive functions (EF) are basic mental capacities that become available to the child through maturation of the brain. An important example is inhibition or control over impulses: a stop function by which action tendencies can be interrupted when something goes wrong. A second example is elementary planning of action sequences. Elementary planning is required for execution of complex actions.
In very young children (< 4 yrs.), EFs are still absent. But at the age from 4-5 the brain becomes more matured for developing EFs.
An inhibition and elementary planning are prerequisite for applying metacognitive skills. An inhibition is needed to first read an assignment before starting with task execution, or to check the outcome before giving the answer. Elementary planning is prerequisite to a goal – directed planning as a metacognitive skill.
Thus, the development of EFs precedes the development of metacognitive skills.
PRACTICAL DIFFERENTIATION
Students have different levels and educational needs. Education must be adapted to differences between pupils. Differentiation is the way a teacher handles differences between pupils by varying e.g. the way of giving instruction and instruction time. With divergent differentiation a teacher accommodates as much as possible to individual levels and educational needs of the children. The teacher facilitates learning process of the students. The method of Practical Differentiation already exists and Fred Janssen of the University of Leiden (ICLON) will conduct an impact assessment and on this basis, will prepare a manual supplemented with best practices. Firstly, teachers will be trained and then they will implement what they have learned. This is followed by the effect of measurement and processing of the results in a manual.
See more: http://www.talenteducation.eu/toolkitforteachers/metacognicalskills
About Practical Differentiation
Recent studies in secondary schools have shown that a quarter of all pupils indicated were often bored because the subject material does not match with their learning needs. This motivated the project Erasmus+ Talent Education to aim at prevention of underperformance.
In project Talent Education, teachers, scientists, and trainers joined forces to develop new teaching methods adjusted to the learning needs of various groups of children and adolescents.
The Talent Education Toolkits for Teachers is a joint toolkit enabling teachers to adapt their instructions to the learning needs of their pupils in practical ways.
The Talent Education Toolkits for Teachers includes methods, step-by-step plans, lesson examples, and manuals.
Taking differences into account is rewarding
Pupils of the same class are not all the same. They differ in level, prior knowledge, interests, perseverance, fear of failure, etc. Therefore, it is preferable not to treat pupils the same. And to adapt teaching to the pupils´ differences. The research has shown this is rewarding. When differences are taken into account in the classroom, this result s in increased motivation and achievements of all pupils.
Yes, but how can this be done in practice?
Adapting to differences is easier said than done. As a teacher, you generally see 150 pupils in your classroom each day, most of whom you meet only twice a week or three times a week. In addition, you do not have a lot of time available before, during, and after your classes to really pay attention to those differences. So pay attention to those differences. So any differential approach should not only advance every pupil´s learning, it should also be adjusted to the teacher´s possibilities in a regular classroom situation.
Differentiation: Basics and Deepening
We have two distinct toolkits: a basic toolkit and a deepening one, each consisting of three steps. By means of the basic toolkit, you can create practically differentiated lessons simply by reversal and omission. The deepening toolkit allows you to keep on expanding your differentiated educational repertoire. Basic toolkit: reversal; omission; checking and deepening toolkit: ambition; variation in form and variation in perspective.
Many classes start with an explanation of the new subject matter, followed by relatively simple smaller assignments (partial tasks) and ending with more difficult assignments (full tasks) which pupils generally consider to be more interesting and relevant. So now we suggest starting class by introducing such a motivating full task (reversal). This task will be the theme of teaching.
Subsequently, all that is normally offered in class like explanation and partial tasks may now be viewed as help for taking on the full task. Some pupils need a lot of help, others do not. Pupils get the help they need (made-to-measure help) and all other help is omitted.
Now you have succeeded in reconstructing regular teaching into differentiated teaching by reversal and omission. To decide whether the newly-designed teachings or classes already given were construed effectively differentiated, we formulated some criteria as questions for you to go through after you finish designing your classes. Where necessary, you can adjust your design. You can also invite your pupils to answer these questions at the end of the class.
Reconstruction of regular teaching by reversal and omission is a way of thinking about teaching you can vary with endlessly, and it enables you to continuously expand your own educational repertoire. In order to map out your own learning path as a teacher, you first have to be aware of what you are currently doing, and why. Based on this, you may then wish to expand your repertoire step by step, building on what you already know and are to do, again and again. TETT Practical Differentiation toolkit provides you with practical models to do so.
Differentiated challenging teaching can be shaped in many ways. For instance, full task first and/or made-to-measure help may relate to one, or more lessons; it can be decided upon by either the teacher or the pupil; a lot of options can be offered or just a few, etc. A TETT rubric shows the most important dimensions, providing sheer endless possibilities for variation.
Recent studies in secondary schools have shown that a quarter of all pupils indicated that they were often bored because the subject material did not match with their learning needs. This motivated the project Erasmus+ Talent Education to aim at prevention and struggle with underperformance.
In project Talent Education, teachers, scientists, and trainers joined forces to develop new teaching methods adjusted to the learning needs of various groups of children and adolescents.
The Talent Education Toolkits for Teachers (TETT) is a joint toolkit enabling teachers to adapt their instructions to the learning needs of their pupils in practical ways.
The Talent Education Toolkits for Teachers includes methods, step-by-step plans, lesson examples, and manuals.
TETT comprises four separate toolkits:
Bloom and Gardner
Creative thinking processes are stimulated through characteristic of suitable and challenging assignments. That is why on the one hand the levels of intelligence of Bloom and on the other the multiple intelligences of Gardner are central to the approach. Such concept is at the basis of both the Practical Strategy developer in Slovenia based on an Observation protocol and the Activity matrix published by the Dutch SLO by Janneke Breedijk. The TETT also mentions Minka Dumont´s Thinking Keys were partly inspired by Bloom and Gardner as well.
7 subjects in the TETT Young Children:
Self-image, self-confidence and motivation of (very) young children
The added value of education adjusted to children with advanced intellectual development is that a child gets a better self-image and more self-confidence. In the TETT, insight and manuals are presented for preventing and remedying of demotivation in gifted children.
Good quality intake of pre-schoolers and proper transfer
The earlier the teacher is aware of a child´s advanced intellectual development, the more effective can their approach be to prevent underachieving. A proper transfer from preschool education is very important. In the TETT you can find a complex intake procedure with an example questionnaire for parents.
Young children with advanced intellectual development
Children with advanced intellectual development do not have social-emotional needs which are any different from those of average children. Research shows that children with advanced intellectual development are not only ahead of their age group cognitively but also socially and emotionally. That is why it is important for children with advanced intellectual development to take part in activities with developmental equals. These children need a sensitive and coaching approach by the teacher. The idea is that the teacher should understand these pupils.
Protocol or plan of action needed
Interviews conducted at Dutch schools have indicated that formulating a protocol or plan of action is essential for the implementation of a special programme for children with advanced intellectual development. This was also concluded to be a central point of attention in the cooperation of institutes and schools in Slovenia. Literature on giftedness also points in this direction. Schools indicate that the implementation of a special for children with advanced intellectual development is more demanding in time and effort than is usually perceived. Protocol or a plan could help towards a sound development track and particularly toward safeguarding improvements in the school´s teaching aims. The TETT Challenging Young Children which originates in cooperation of teachers and pedagogical staff in Leiden, the Czech Republic and Slovenia, offers protocol models as well as strategies based on these protocols. Also a practical Plan of Action can be downloaded for a step by step policy based implementation of educational improvements for children with advanced intellectual development.
Risk of underachieving
Within a few weeks, children with advanced intellectual development tend to adapt to the group level and stop looking for challenges to acquire knowledge and insight. This way at very young age they develop the risk of underachieving which is sometimes hard to combat at a later stage. When advanced intellectual development is diagnosed early in a child, a suitable teaching method can be devised to meet its demands. In the TETT Challenging Young Children a lot of attention is paid to the signs and identification of underachievement in (very) young children. A manual for this can be downloaded from the Toolkit.
Coaching role and suitable teaching
Experts who were involved in the development tracks devised by Talent Education and Leidse Aanpak makes it clear that the teacher´s coaching role is of the essence for children with advanced intellectual development in order to develop their full potential. They state that these children thrive particularly when they work with developmental equals in suited courses with sufficiently challenging assignments at regular intervals.
This is also challenging for teachers and pedagogical staff though. In order to teach pupils with advanced intellectual development strategies and skills for solving difficult and challenging tasks, it is essential that the teacher instructs, motivates, and guides at the right level. Moreover, these children need the teacher to focus the attention on the learning process and not so much on the end result for end results are different for each child.