Students competencesin eTwinning projectsURSZULA UTNICKA

GIMNAZJUM W KREMPACHACH

Why do we need competences ?

• A traditional education provides individuals with almost identical competences, while the labour market would need professionals with varying skills and knowledge.

• Good jobs need people who can put knowledge to work.

• New workers must be creative problem solvers and have the proper skills and attitudes.

• Traditional jobs are changing and new jobs are created.

• Pupils must develop a new set of competences if they want to enjoy a satisfying life and to face the complex challenges of today’s world.

Competences

A competence is more than just

knowledge and skills.

Competences = a combination of knowledge, skills, values and attitudesappropriate to the context.

Key competences = competences whichall individuals need for personal fulfilmentand development, active citizenship, social inclusion and employment.

Recommendation 2006/962/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on key competences for lifelong learning [Official Journal L 394 of 30.12.2006].

Competences and skills

8 KEY COMPETENCES

1) Communication in the mother tongue

2) Communication in foreign languages

3) Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology

4) Digital competence

5) Learning to learn

6) Social and civic competences

7) Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship

8) Cultural awareness and expression

TRANSVERSAL SKILLS

critical thinking

creativity

initiative

problem solving

risk assessment

decision taking

constructive management of feelings

'An ideal' learning of competences environment should the following features:

• active and experimental learning, where learners' individual development and personalised learning is supported,

• teaching and learning with subjects and cross-curricular elements are well coordinated and teachers collaborate effectively,

• leadership that builds on a common vision of schooldevelopment, and a shared/ distributed approach that encourages teachers to work in teams rather than only alone.

European Commission/DG EAC: Education and Training 2010 Work Programme. Cluster Key: Competences – Curriculum Reform. Synthesis Report on Peer Learning Activities in 2007

Learning environment

KeyCoNet - European policy network focused on the implementation of key competences in primary and secondary school education.

To deepen and sustain key competences at the school it is important to:• allow time for teachers to develop and deepen their practice,• modify learning environments to better support project-based and

interdisciplinary learning,• improve communications on the objectives to build broader support,• highlight key competences as a priority in school plans,• monitor and evaluate at school level.

J.Looney, A.Michel KeyCoNet's Conclusions and Recommendations for strengthening Key Competence Development in Policy and Practice EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, European Schoolnet 2014.

KeyCoNet recommendations

Teaching should be:

1. Task-based

2. Interdisciplinary

3. Collaborative and individualized

4. Learner and teacher-led

5. Technologically innovative

6. Take place both inside and outside school

7. Involve collaboration with the wider community

8. Pay attention to the social and emotional aspects of learning

Key principles for teachingkey competences

Activity 1 – time 5 min.Calculating a surface area of a sphere:

A=4·π·r²π = 3,14

Find the surface area of a sphere with a radius r = 5 cm.

Why projects ?

Activity 2 – time 10 min.Calculating a surface area of a sphere:

A=4·π·r²π = 3,14

Find out the surface area of this ball:

Why projects ?

Curiosity & competition

Some methods involve pupilsmore deeply, create environmentto involve students' engagementand openess. Such attitudeenhances learning competences.• letters, portfolio,• videoconferences with

dancing, singing songs, presenting traditions, food,

• parcels sent via post,• comparing daily life, films,

photos etc.

eTwinning - knowing each other

Interdisciplinary activities, especially„virtual mobility”, can improve pupils' competences, for example:• planning a trip around Europe,

e.g. using the European Route of Industrial Heritagehttp://www.erih.net/welcome.html

• knowing/learning partner'slanguage,

• writing dictionaries or guides,• cooking & cuisine,• sport and leisure.

Virtual mobility

Tasks:1. Write short wishes in

English and translate them into your mother tongues.

2. Share the tasks for the event.

3. Plan menu and calculate approximate costs.

Birthday party

Activity 3 – time 15 min.Your colleague from the USA is coming to you next week - he is veryinterested in the European culture. Your group wants to organise abirthday party for him.

Example:eTwinning project„Maths and Earth” Activities were targeted to the main aim: suitability of Mathematics and its coincidences with Earth exploration and other branches of science.

Latitude: 50° 3'17.51"NLongitude: 19°55'33.83"Ehttp://www.apsalin.com/online.aspx

Knowing Europe

Lessons outdoors

Example:

eTwinning project„GOAL! Go Outside And Learn”

•Teachers and pupils from 6 schools: Poland, Finland, Croatia, France, Spain and Slovenia

•Lessons led within school timetables

•12 topics implemented into curriculums

•24 teachers, 44 lessons, 22 classes, 420 pupils

GOAL! eTwinning website

Lesson „Ramps”

Students' tasks:

•find information, use MS Office,

•communicate via e-mails,

•calculate a slope of the ramp,

•learn and use Geogebra,

•do the project of the ramp,

•take photos and resize them,

•understand the problems of the handicapped people,

•cooperate in the group,

•present results of work.

Pupils' achievements

•solving problems in a real situation,

•joining knowledge and skills,

•better language skills,

•effective use of ICT,

•interdisciplinary learning,

•ability to discuss and present own ideas,

•assertiveness,

•creativity, taking decisions,

•ability to analyse, to plan, to execute and evaluate

•better attitude to learning,

•social awareness, ability to work in a team,

•cultural awareness, openness to other countries.

What did the pupils find difficult/easy?

DIFFICULT:

•Computer programmes

•Sharing tasks

•Public speaking

•Problem solving

EASY / MOST SATISFIED:

•Going outside a classroom

•Collaboration with pupils from abroad

•Successful public PP presentation

•Working in a group

•Carrying out their tasks

Summary

eTwinning project is a good method to develop students' and teachers’ competences

Educational projects are often related to real life issues, in consequence pupils are more motivated to learn

eTwinning project develops more then one key competence, as well as the transversal skills

eTwinning project is more effective if integrates many subjects (interdisciplinarity)

Thank you