Ei YoU!

Educational innovation facing youth unemployment

PORTFOLIO OF CONCEPTS/PROTOTYPES FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Prototype1 – Emotional support 1

Allow students to benefit from na informal contact space with teachers

Enable the collection of more detailed and personalised information

Space of motivation based on emotional/affective support

Challenges

The challenge is to help student to find motivation in school. We shouldn’t lose them (dropping out). There are some measures in school but they aren’t enough.

Aspirations

Get successful people to come to school to talk about their experiences. Students can spend time with successful people personally and learn from them. We should take necessary precautions and have rules in place for students to continue school.

Focus Areas

Teachers direct students to guidance councillors and psychologists. Teachers visit them, speak to them and try to affect them. Teachers coordinate with family and the student to monitor the progress.

Prototype1 – Emotional support 1Guiding Principles

All these activities should be concrete. Learning should be applied. The best way of learning is living and doing.

Frequency of practise is important.

Activities

Sometimes we coordinate the get together of companies and students. Graduates also come and visit the school and share their experiences. We introduce working conditions to students.

Teachers can visit the parents.

To help to control the situation we have class masters, whom students follow.

Teachers encourage students and challenge them.

Learn as much as possible about the student, by spending time with them and supporting them with a variety of strategies.

Prototype2 – Emotional support 2

Challenges

Emotional problems of the students, families, parents and teachers

Teachers themselves, have a lot of psychological struggles.

Students struggle with their family and their culture.

Aspirations

Our ideal mission is to create a happy society.

Focus Area

Students, the family structure and their culture

Guiding Principles

There should be emotional support for students, parents and teachers.

Activities

Family visits the teachers and teachers visit the family. The government can fund more of this kind of opportunities for teachers, students and families to do activities together.

Prototype 3 – Positive Experiences

Bring to school former students / young entrepreneurs with successful paths

Promote visits to companies - future employers

Boost trade shows / training workshops

Assist the bureaucratic part of job application

Teach how to deal with silence of companies

Prototype 4 – Alternative pathways New capabilities to work with students: Flexibility: we have to be versatile to adapt to change, to have skills in different areas

Entrepreneurship: join and create their own jobs;

Persistence / Perseverance: not give up, seek diverse training

JobLab

Networking skills

Prototype 5 - Guidance Office

Establishment of an office to guide a specific group of students as a pilot implementation.

The students will be guided according to statistics and observations with negotiations between teacher-student and family.

The families of pilot intervention students will be served by the consultancy services

Peer-learning activities

Personal improvement seminars

Prototype 6 – Alternative school

create an alternative school for drop out students with the help of entrepreneurs, experts who are themselves drop outs and therefore have a strong sense of what is missing in the public school system …

Prototype 7- DreamworkshopOrganise workshops to develop personal skills that are key to a strong character that will be more resilient, for 10-13 years old, e.g.

Perception of self

Build trust

Collect experiences

Recognition of agency

Personal goal setting

Challenges

The individual’s attitude can hinder their ability to take initiative. Bamboccioni are young men in Italy, who don’t want to leave their parents’ home.

A general aimlessness and a feeling of being lost among students coupled with them being expected to know what they want to do. We believe that this leads to students resorting to looking for jobs which they don’t find emotionally fulfilling.

Prototype 7- Dreamworkshop (cont)

Social Darwinism – ‘survival of the fittest’ a misinterpretation of Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. (It’s a dog eat dog world and if you want to make it you have to be the best and screw over the rest.) Homo homini lupus est – A man is a wolf to another man.

Aspirations

Our small aspiration is for students to develop the skill of constructing realistic goals, which are aligned with their values and emotions. Our big aspiration is values to be woven into the fabric of our education system.

Guiding Principles

These value lead aims should benefit the individual and the wider community, thus gaining an ecological dimension. Collaboration and healthy competition should serve as means of achieving the aims. Teachers lead by example in a non-conformist way.

Activities

Discussions and debates about moral dilemmas e.g. in health, wealth, personal and professional relationships, politics and economics. Various Speech and Debate platforms.

Teachers can draw attention to values using stories from literature, science, history ...

Prototype 7- Dreamworkshop (cont)

Teachers can question students’ aims with regards to their values,

“What is important to you about this aim?”

Project based learning. Students start by brainstorming ideas and constructing aims aligned with their values and for the purpose of ‘ticking that box’.

For example, students who want to do a service in their community, such as performing a play or a concert at an old people’s home or a children’s hospital, would identify their value based aims before the project and reflect on whether the project satisfied their values afterwards.

Teachers facilitate to help students the make aims specific, measureable, achievable, realistic, time bound and exciting.

Teachers encourage students to give their feedback and reflect on their learning experience in relation to their values.

Heuristic approach to learning.

Students engage in video or board games which stress cooperative learning.

The school invites alumni to talk about their experiences after leaving school.

Prototype 8 - Interaction school-family

increase the interaction school-family in the educational action of vocational orientation

create conditions for an amelioration of the relation climate within the class:

Help-desk for parents

Group-work with parents

Challenges

Lack of interest of families to about school and educational affairs.

Trying to overcome difficulties of dysfunctional families, divorced or deceased etc.

Low educational level of parents is a factor.

The workload parents have doesn’t let them forge strong bonds with their children.

Prototype 8 - Interaction school-family (cont)Aspirations

Connecting parents, students and teachers. We should open a helpdesk at school for families, to inform parents pedagogically. Parents, administration of schools and teachers should trust and approve each other through the process of educational implementations.

Focus Area

We need to organise functional and supportive family training sessions, because we believe that education starts with the family.

Cultural and social activities.

We need to create well planned family-student interaction activities, throughout the education season.

Family visits at the home, to observe the student at home. E.g. Does the student have his own room? Observe behaviour.

The doors of school administration should be open to schools 24h.

Guiding Principles

Close connection with families. Family has the most important role, rather than teachers. Therefore, families need to be analysed. Cooperative and supportive work atmosphere at school is conducive to good learning practise.

Administration should always be ready to help when teachers have problems.

Prototype 8 - Interaction school-family (cont)

Activities

Connecting contracts – parent, student, teacher

Home visits to families.

Well planned cultural activities with families and students.

Pedagogical training programs for families.

Helpdesk at school to help parents psychologically, esp. divorced and dysfunctional families.

Team motivating activities for teachers would to make atmosphere workable and warm at school.

Measurements

Questionnaires and surveys for families, students and teachers. They ought to be scientific and should be approved by educational authorities.

Periodic staff meetings at school with monthly reports.

Student’s improvement record and kept personally by teachers.

Monitor improvement.

Prototype 9 - Teacher mediation

Beat the obstacles that teachers find in doing their role

re-establish a link among knowledge, concepts and culture

active-listening in the communication between teacher-student

Aspirations

We want students to feel at ease and be comfortable at school. Stimulating students’ interest and curiosity in order to be aware of the close relationship between knowledge, culture and the real possibility to be successful in life.

Fun learning

Critical learning

Activities which make sense for both students and teachers.

Developing critical thinking

Focus Area

Academic subjects

Connection between different areas like laboratory science and literature

Prototype 9 - Teacher mediation (cont.)

Guiding Principles

Getting experience through close interaction between subjects, knowledge, experience and action.

Coordination among all users.

Activities

Find aspects of interest that are hidden in all subjects in school (e.g. physics in football)

Meeting successful people and learning from them by active listening.

Prototype 10 – Cooperative Learning

Advantages

● no competition

● you can find your strength (and bring it in) and weaknesses (they “disappear” because you focus on your strength)

● self-confidence is increasing

● makes you more self-confident, makes you stronger

● motivation

● earn social skills like respect, tolerance, to accept “that to be different is normal!”

● everyone can contribute something

● additional values

○ group is not addition, it is multiplication of skills/knowledge/...!

○ liberate energy

○ team is working in “modern” way, this is needed in jobs!

Prototype 10 – Cooperative Learning (cont.)

Disadvantages

● for teachers to easy to manage the group

● teacher must be creative, mentally strong

● cesare: teacher should be part of the team

● some students like to work alone

● for teacher working sheets are special

● special preparation

● some can “sleep”, while others are working

How can we overcome them

● practice, practice, practice (“Übung macht den Meister”)

● slowly build up trust using exercises, games, etc.

● in the beginning it should be easy!

● teachers should be part of the team (cesare!)

● cooperative working in a holistic way

● when work is presented questions are asked to every one

● good mixture of working together and working alone

Prototypes 9 and 10

Prototype 9 – Network model

to assure the best continuity between the first and the second levels of education

to provide the student with a training project along all levels of study

develop an orientation culture, favouring thetranining and operative dimension

to include project of alternation school/work

Prototype 10 – Valuing experientiallearning

a kind of teaching oriented towards the learning by ‘discovering’ has to base on the ‘making’ and on the “making together”

every discovery is a conquest!

problem resolution strategies applied to dropout, absence, demotivation,…

Prototype 11 – Leadership coachingTeachers should be a strong team with a common goal, helping & coaching each other, each with their unique talents, overcoming obstacles, finding ways to support pupils or to find creative systemic solutions

HOW?

horizontal gatherings, a learning network for teachers that strive together and reflect/play/experiment on current school issues, gatherings in which they can practice listening skills , reflection, empathy, perseverance, vision, strategy, integrity, teaching with high aspirations/trust in pupils

Prototype 11 – Leadership coaching (cont.)CHALLENGES:

Lack of time, framework, lack of cooperating and teamwork between teachers, problem of domination between the teachers, some prefer work alone, lack of managment support, lack of motivation and care.

ASPIRATIONS:

Teamwork, the same test for all the classes, focus is in the student in cooperation, support for the consultors of the teacher, to get to know the students better, creates continuitet.

FOCUS AREAS: The student, discipline, common evaluation

GUIDING PRINCIPLES: Agenda of meetings, establish a leader – the head of department, the will to reach the aim – the will of colaboration, feeling or obligation

ACTIVITIES: 1 meeting every month, establish a deadline, teambuilding activities

MEASURMENTS: teacher satisfacion, increase of teacher's motivation, the fearness, standardisation.

Prototype 12 – Learning Environments

Learning Environments not Teaching environments

The promise of our current education system can't be fulfilled anymore, more knowledge can't warranty better work/life conditions. We need wisdom, not knowledge

HOW?

These learning environments should contribute for individuals to find what matters in their life instead of getting into a predefined path of growth

Prototype 13 – AGORA

AGORA education style – education with the promise: “100 children – 100 learning styles”

HOW?

• Before teaching something, first hear the questions of the kids.

• Developing a personalized learning path to each student under the guidance of a coach

Prototype 13 – AGORA CHALLENGES: large class sizes, knowledge of all the learning types, workload, lack of motivation for teachers and students, a

lack of support in the classroom, lack of understanding, standardisation

ASPIRATIONS: to give students the maximum according to their learning style, motivation, attention, focus on the student, giving the students tools to lean, teach them to discover their style and how to use it

FOCUS AREAS: the student's results, confidence through competences, the awareness of their learning styles

GUIDING PRINCIPLES: diversity, understanding, empathy, relation teacher – student, introducing a teacher's assistant, partnership and cooperation with other teachers and parents, constantly adjusting within limits

ACTIVITIES: to use many tools in the classroom, diversity, 50% active teachers and 50% active students, pre-evaluation and post-evaluation questionnaires, meetings with parents

MEASURMENTS: defining guidance and pedagogical tools, if they are aware of their learning style and if they know how to use it.

Prototype 14 – TestimonialsTestimonials from other teachers

“Teachers I know are always pleased to receive positive responses to the efforts they have put in, so I imagine that such testimonials are motivating to teachers, but also to the students involved and others who receive the message.”

HOW?

• Interviews in video or written.

•Collection of testimonials at the teachers’ room, in the school website,…

Prototype 15 – Empowerment

Empowering students according to their potential while including their community.

HOW?

• building up a support network that helps them to dream and leave given structures.

•Partnerships with NGOS, voluntary groups, others..

Prototype 15 – Empowerment (cont.)CHALLENGES: It costs a lot of time and teachers loose lessons.

Lack of knowledge and information about the companies and about the posibility of their interaction with students.

Lack of will and motivation of the companies, teachers or parents to envolve students into the project.

Sometimes companies charge money and school must pay ensurence.

Asking for permission of the head master and the parents can also be very tiring.

ASPIRATIONS: Responsability, diversity, introducing something new, opportunity, variety, facing reality, aplying theory in practice, new experience, to try to know themselves, to see that school is not that bad, to open their minds, socionalisation.

FOCUS AREAS: student's skills, abilities, wishes, student's atitude, thier posibilities.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND ACTIVITIES: trips to parliaments, factories, courts, etc.

Organized activities (trips) – everybody goes on the same day.

Periods of training.

MEASURMENTS: Satisfactions questionnaires: for students and the community; after-school effect: if the company offers them a job after finishing school

Prototype 16– Creation timeAllowing for time to create – 20% time idea

The idea for 20% time in schools comes from Google's own 20% policy, where employees are given twenty percent of their time to work and innovate on something else besides their current project.

HOW?

Let 20% time for students to do is pick their own project and learning outcomes, while still hitting all the standards and skills for their grade level.

Prototype 17 – Critical thinkingSpur critical thinking

Critical thinking, a pertinent skill that enables rational thought, is one of the most foremost attributes to successful education attainment. With today's technology via either mobile devices or laptop computers students can easily assess information with a blink of an eye.

HOW?

• by assigning non-search engine lessons.

• Example:

Let's explore, for example, the following sentences A-D:

A. Teaching isn't a lost art.

B. Teaching the 5 properties of the verb to the class, Mr. Z. suddenly decided to use excerpts from Ernest Hemingway for examples.

C. Mr. Z. is teaching the concept for conjugating regular and irregular verbs.

D. This year's teaching conference will be held in San Francisco so it will be wise to bring the up-to-date teaching-made easy manual on pedagogical methodologies.

Although sentences A-D all contain the term "teaching" in them, the word is functioning different grammatically in each sentence. How are they functioning? Answer in comment section

Prototype 19 – Positiveness

Show your students how good they are at school, tell them the good things, because the more they know the more they try to know.

HOW?

Be positive all times

Give feedback, including the good things

Don’t focus on the error, but see it as opportunity

Prototype 20 – GamificationGamification

a) it is playfull;

b) gives live tractions of the results and comparison with others (not only among students but also between schools);

c) it is the time to introduce real challenges to students so that they learn how to tackle them and then achieve results valuable not for grading but for community (after all, grading is just one of the tools to measure and motivate)

Gamification attempts to harness the motivational power of games and apply it to real-world problems – such as, in our case, the motivational problems of schools.

Prototype 21 – Young leaders

Finding the most talented young professional and training them to become education leaders.HOW?

They go in rural and remote areas, where there is high demand for well-prepared teachers.

Fresh view and a high degree of motivation, combined with all the new education techniques that you mentioned (gamification, hackathons, hands-on innovation workshops, and so on) can be the reset needed in the system and in the youngsters’ minds to have a lower drop-off rate and better engaged students

Prototype 22 – Going outside

Getting young people out of their comfort zone and let them face challenges outside of school for a week

HOW?

Introducing an "employment week" and letting students tour their city in search of initiatives and entrepreneurs, from whom they can learn something new.

Giving youth a chance to change their perspective of working life and taking their fear is an important step!

Prototype 23 – Gap timeTaking a break from education and having a job experience or going away for a while could be a positive idea. It gives the students the chance to really consider what the right course is and a gap period can provide a renewed vigour for study and a more focused approach to learning.

HOW?

Use the levels gap to stop education for some months.

Use these months to explore new things, try a job, travel or do some community work.

Prototype 24 – Making connectionsTo improve connections between educational level using educational guidance

A Good educational guidance is the best way:

to limit the Number of drop outs and the students changings from one education programme to another

to re - integrate early school leavers

to motivate students to increase their knowledge and skills

Prototype 25 – Finding Talents- Activities for talent research (German experience of “Talenthaus”)

- Space of talent expositions

- Bank of time to exchange skills and learn from others

- Urban arts: for young people to paint. Like BOA MISTURA activities.

- Photography workshops + expositions

- Theater classes (additional to acting, script, scenario, direction) with children from different horizons

Prototype 26 – Personal development

- Contact associations working on personal development to work withkids AND teachers

- Little moments of Mindfulness practices , yoga sessions and meditation everyday.

- Monthly meeting with mentor

- Educational games from the star until the end with personal goals to promote social skills

Prototype 27 – Trying the future

- Visit companies, factories, financial institutions, start-ups gouvernment organizations to choose from to go spend some weeksand see how it Works.

- Meet or learn about inspiring people: like success stories frompeople like them.I

- Invite experts to make activities to think about SWOT, Dreams, abilities, personality.

- Invite companies and employees to present what they do.

Prototype 28– Impact in the surrounding context

- Environmental awareness

- Create games around their city were they need to mix sports, math, history, sciences, etc. to win. Like treasure hunts.

- Activities to help neighbors

- Workshops to solve social issues

- Get involved with old people by volunteering and doing little talent shows with them.

- School trips around to discover and get to know plants and animals.

- Workshops about how to have a positive impact on their environment and communities.

Prototype 29 – Small actions in school- Implement digital education in their homework

- Masterclass for teachers about a topic that students know well

- Education nouvelle model in France

- Learn how to code

- Self taught subjects were students can choose a topic they want to get deeper insights, and promote free learning platforms.

- Learn about body and health by doing healthy recipes.

- Start classes with games

- Develop everyday life needed skills

- Practical activities to apply what they learn in class. Like mechanic class about bicycles.

- Outside sports

- Debates about topics seen at the news or at documental watched in class.

- Working groups to do homework to help each other.

- Participate in international projects to practice language exchange and use internet tools to learn new skills and meet people.

- Skype with a class somewhere in the world.

Prototype 30 – Teachers’ training

FOR TEACHERS

- Activities to learn how to motivate students and improve their social skills.

- Update with provided on-line curses

To get inspiration

- Brilliant.org

- Boa Mistura

- JR-Artist (inside Out)

- Teatro del barrio

- ARDUINO (electronics)

- Codeacademy.com (coding)

- RaspberryPi (electronics)