Teacher networks for

professional development -

the case of eTwinning

Dr. Riina Vuorikari

European Schoolnet

National Agency for Education (Skolverket) Stockholm, Sweden

21.11.2012

•  Created in 1997, based in Brussels

•  Network of 30 European Ministries of Education

(MoE) or National Educational Authorities

•  Transforming education in Europe

European Schoolnet (EUN)

Outline of this presentation •  eTwinning

– What is eTwinning?

•  Teacher networks – What are teacher networks? – What is teachers’ co-operation?

•  Different scenarios for 2025

•  Concluding remarks

What is eTwinning?

A Lifelong Learning Programme initiative - within Comenius

Launched January 2005

2005-2008 Phase 1

2008-2013 Phase 2

2014 Entering Phase 3 - within « Erasmus for all »

the portal www.etwinning.net

is the heart of

eTwinning

1983 schools 3907 eTwinners

in Sweden  

eTwinning offers:

1.  Cross-border school projects •  Using Information and Communication Technologies

2.  Formal and informal professional development

•  On-line: distance courses and online interest for teachers, •  Off-line: Professional Development Workshops,

national meetings

3.  Social networking tools

What are eTwinning projects?

http://www.etwinning.net/en/pub/news/news/top_european_2012.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE35aIQ71Hs&feature=youtu.be

eTwinning professional development

offers

13

PD on-line:Teacher Rooms

Designed as places to invite other people to discuss topics

PD on-line: eTwinning Groups 34 Groups now active

PD on-line: Learning Events

15

15 Learning events a year 20,000 + teachers involved

eTwinning as

a social networking tool

Social networking: Personal profile

17

Personal content

Contacts

Journal

Projects

eTwinning as

a network

eTwinning-

spreading a positive virus

called pedagogical innovation!

Who will not

get the virus?

Channels through which information, ideas and innovation flow

=

Who will not get

the virus?

The ones who are not

connected, e.g. who are not

co-operating with others.

Part 2: What are teacher networks?

What are teacher networks? •  Learning networks, i.e. technology-supported

communities –  learners share knowledge with one another –  jointly develop new knowledge

•  Include various forms of teachers’ co-operation,

•  i.e. teaches working together in groups or teams to improve educational processes and outcomes (OECD, 2009)

•  Can exist on many levels –  within a school –  across schools at regional, national and

international level

Context 1.

•  More and more often, blended networks

=> digital world is mixed with the physical one

•  Contribute to the quality of –  the teaching profession and –  the learning experience of students –  by encouraging collaboration and knowledge

exchange at both teacher and student level

Context 1. What are teacher networks?

Like our lives too!

Teachers’ co-operation

•  The TALIS studied various forms of teachers working together (OECD, 2009)

•  Possible to group activities: 1. Exchange and co-ordination for teaching

–  e.g. exchange teaching materials with colleagues 2. Professional collaboration

–  e.g. Teach jointly as a team in the same class –  Engage in joint activities across different classes and

age groups (e.g. projects).

Context 2.

eTwinning projects!

Benefits of teachers’ co-operation

•  Co-operation among staff creates opportunities for –  social and emotional support, –  exchange of ideas and –  practical advice.

•  It can enhance

–  professionalism, –  feelings of self-efficacy and –  prevent stress and “burnout”

•  Different kinds of collaboration may not have the same effects!

“ more than half of the teachers surveyed

reported having wanted

more professional development

than they had received.” Teaching and Learning International Survey (Talis)

OECD, 2009

Context 3.

Context 3.

TALIS, OECD, 2009 eTwinning!

Context 4.

A long term engagement in eTwinning

1 out 7 of “old-timers” keep coming back!

Part 3: Scenarios for

the teaching professionin 2025

Significant changes in what we learn, how we learn, where we learn and when we learn

Thus affecting also role of teachers

36

Institute of Prospective Technological Studies

“Future of Learning” reports

Why look into the future?

•  Prospective scenario building as a strategic planning method to help make flexible long-term plans.

•  It's a process of analysing possible future events by considering alternative possible outcomes (scenarios).

•  The future landscape is "only one childhood away" •  Unless we plan strategically for the future of teacher education, we will be unable to deal with teachers' future needs (Newby, 2005 in Journal of Education for Teaching)

Five stories of possible futures:

imagining how

the teaching profession could look in 2025,

in order to challenge assumptions

and stimulate thinking about the present.

Five scenarios for teacher profession and teacher networks in 2025

Crosscutting issues in scenarios •  Scenarios not mutually exclusive

•  Highlighting changes in teacher profession

•  Opening of teacher networks towards other stakeholders

•  Importance of ITT and recognition as CPD

•  Ownership and control of data

•  Privacy, security, safety, identity

An example

Scenario 4: Diversified Teaching Careers � New roles as a teacher

Pro’s •  Personalised and autonomous learning •  Different teaching professions: teaching in

class, teaching virtually, student monitoring Con’s

•  Significant investment in teacher training •  Highly dependent on use of digital technologies

for organisation and administration of learning •  Supported by demanding infrastructure and

learning analytics

Scenarios leading to recommendations

Policy recommendations General (all levels)

•  Recognise the potential driving role of teachers •  Revise current teaching and learning approaches •  Revise and maintain investments in ITT and CPD

•  Establish closer interaction between research, practice and policy •  Recognise diversity approaches but bring them together

Policy recommendations Member States, regional and local levels

•  Support and motivate teachers to share educational practices with ICT

•  Develop incentives for teachers participation (e.g. workload, curricula, career paths)

•  Enable informal, alternative teacher collaboration to take place

•  Recognise and incentivise participation of teachers in teacher networks, including formal recognition as part of CPD

•  Promote cross-border, European connections between national and regional platforms

•  Encourage innovation with and through ICT, via pilots and initiatives to scale-up.

To conclude:Benefits of

eTwinning for schools

eTwinning benefits

1.  Variety of pedagogical practices in the class •  E.g. Project-based pedagogies, ICT, authentic learning, play

2.  Professional development through co-operation

•  Within the school, e.g. eTwinning teams •  Across schools, e.g. local co-operation, networking •  With other stakeholders, e.g. learning beyond school walls

3.  School vision and internationalisation

•  eTwinning part of the vision

See you in eTwinning!