ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN

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ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN
9th International Conference on Technology
Supported Learning Training
December 3 5, Hotel Intercontinental, Berlin
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The MUltigrade School Education
Project Distance Training of Teachers in Remote
Rural Schools 
Costas Tsolakidis, Emmanouel Fokides, Persa
Fokiali, Sofokles Sotiriou, Michail Orfanakis
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Outline

• Prehistory
• Framework
• Consortium
• Definitions
• Multigrade school reality
• The role of multigrade education
• Identified needs in multigrade schools
• Description of the MUSE project
• Projects Objectives
• Training Framework
• Current Status

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Prehistory
ONLINE EDUCA 1999
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S?.?.?.?.?. (S????? Greek raft)
SCHOOL NETWORK OF THE AEGEAN
funded by the Ministry of the Aegean installation
of 88 computers in 46 schools in
32 small islands

• connection to Internet
• teacher training
• work with educational software
• development of Educational material
• development of web pages to represent the schools
  
• distance learning from the University of the
  Aegean in Rhodes

ONLINE EDUCA 2001
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Framework
The ?USE project is co-financed by European
Commission within the framework of the SOCRATES
programme, action COMENIUS 2.1 (106231-CP-1-2002-
1-GR-COMENIUS-C21/20024146)
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Consortium

• Salakos Primary School (Greece)
• Vinturi Tastulan Pr. School (Finland)
• Veiko Pr. School (Finland)
• Tarifa Pr. School (Spain)

These schools are the pilot test sites of the
training programme.
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Definitions
What is a multigrade school ?
Is a type of school where the teacher has to
teach in more than one grade simultaneously in
the same classroom
Why do we have many multigrade schools ?

• a lot of mountainous regions and a large number
  small islands
• historical reasons forced the population to
  live in areas of difficult access
• a significant percentage of the population
  still lives in the above
• described regions

schools operating even with a very small number
of students and even if the conditions do not
provide the ideal educational environment
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Definitions
4/5 mountainous areas
More than 10.000 islands
In Greece
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Definitions
In Finland multigrade schools represent 30
of the total school number In G. Britain 6,3 of
primary schools are multigrade
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Multigrade school reality

• Teachers have to be well prepared
• they have to plan ahead
• be exact on how and when to administer specific
  parts of the syllabus
• the schoolbooks are the same as in any other
  school
• there is a considerable work for the teacher who
  has to deal with
• different grades

In multigrade schools usually there is a teacher
acting as headmaster having the double role of
manager and teacher.
Multigrade schoolteachers have a great deal of
administrative work.
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The role of Multigrade Education

• Multigrade schools are considered to play an
  important role on providing access to education
  for all in remote, isolated and underdeveloped
  rural areas.

• Multigrade schools are the focal point for
  cultural, social and in cases economic
  development of the area they operate

• Multigrade schools practice multigrade
  teaching that is considered a very interesting
  teaching model for many educators.

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Identified needs in multigrade schools
Multigrade teachers have a multidimentional
Educational task more difficult than the one of
their coleagues in normal schools
Managers of the school
Teachers act as promoters of multigrade school
social role
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Description of the MUSE project

• The project is based on the use of information
  and communication technology (ICT) in school
  education and in the training of the staff
  working in multigrade schools.

• The project MUSE aims at the development of a new
  model of teachers training that assists teaching
  in multigrade schools.

• Furthermore it encourages innovation in
  pedagogical methods and materials and promotes
  trans-national cooperation and communication
  between schools and teachers training
  establishments.

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Projects Objectives
The specific aims of the MUSE project seem to be
exactly along with the aspects of multigrade
education mentioned in the above paragraphs. In
detail, these are

• To develop an in-service specialised training
  programme for teachers in multigrade schools,
  aiming to meet the teachers needs.

• To enhance professional skills of multigrade
  schoolteachers and improve their abilities to
  develop plans according to the needs of the
  specific school environment.

• To develop a dedicated educational web platform
  which will support in service training and
  support of multigrade teachers.

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Projects Objectives

• To conduct an intervention study in multigrade
  classrooms across Europe.

• To enhance communication among remote
  multigrade school teaching environment and
  outside educational community and initiate the
  formation of a European network on the multigrade
  school education.

• To make recommendations on multigrade teaching
  policy and practice.

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Training Framework
The training programme is developing across three
main axes and in two cycles

• To provide in service training of teachers in
  multigrade teaching methodologies ( mixed age
  grouping, individual teaching etc.) as well as
  training on organizing and managing multigrade
  classrooms.

• To train teachers on the use of ICT and its usage
  for multigrade teaching. The use of ICT should
  focus on (a) upgrading quality of multigrade
  teaching, (b) supporting students learning and
  (c) fostering social development of the local
  community

• To train teachers to be able to design, implement
  and evaluate multidisciplinary learning
  activities which should require cooperation of
  groups of students of different ages, grades or
  schools.

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Training Framework
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Current Status
Teachers Needs Analysis Traning program
Finalised A Cycle of training started at end
of October with collection of evaluation data
A CYCLE 30 hours a. ICT
12 b.
Multgrade teaching 12 c. Cross
curricula applications
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Follows Evaluation period Redesigning training
techniques B CYCLE Final Evaluation
B CYCLE 30 hours a. ICT
12 b.
Multgrade teaching 10 c. Cross
curricula applications
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www.ellinogermaniki.gr/ep/muse
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Thank you