FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT / RAPPORT TECHNIQUE FINAL

DIGITAL LEARNING INNOVATIONS FOR SYRIAN

REFUGEES AND HOST COMMUNITIES IN LEBANON Eliane Metni;

;

© 2019, ELIANE METNI

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction, provided the original work is properly credited.

Cette œuvre est mise à disposition selon les termes de la licence Creative Commons Attribution

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IDRC Grant / Subvention du CRDI: 108376-001-Digital learning innovations for Syrian refugees and host communities

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DigitalLearningInnovations

FinalTechnicalReport

January2019

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SubmittedtoIDRC

By

InternationalEducationAssociation

January2019

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AcronymsandAbbreviations

CMDIKit Coder-MakerDigitalInnovationKitDOPS Départementd’OrientationPédagogiqueScolaireFMB FondationMounaBustrosIEA InternationalEducationAssociationLAYW Learn-As-You-WorkMEHE MinistryofEducationandHigherEducationMIT MassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyRPi RaspberryPi

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TableofContents

Abstract............................................................................................................................6

Introduction......................................................................................................................7

Objectives.........................................................................................................................7BriefOverview............................................................................................................................7SelectionofSchools....................................................................................................................8Participants................................................................................................................................8TheCoder-MakerDigitalInnovationsKit(CMDIKit)....................................................................8

OnlinePlatformandWebApplication............................................................................................8DigitalLearningEquipment............................................................................................................9SoftwarePackages.......................................................................................................................11PedagogicalContent....................................................................................................................11

TheIntervention.............................................................................................................13CareerGuidanceActivities...........................................................................................................18

ProjectTimeline..............................................................................................................18

Methods..........................................................................................................................19

DataCollection................................................................................................................19Focusgroups............................................................................................................................19Interviews................................................................................................................................19

InterimInterviews........................................................................................................................20Postinterventioninterviews........................................................................................................21

Observations............................................................................................................................21PostImplementationQuestionnaires.......................................................................................22Assessmentofstudents’project...............................................................................................22GenderBalance........................................................................................................................23

Data................................................................................................................................24PostImplementationTeachers’Questionnaire.........................................................................24PostImplementationStudents’Questionnaire.........................................................................26Students’ProjectAssessmentRubricResults............................................................................27

Findings...........................................................................................................................31Pre-InterventionSituationAnalysis..........................................................................................31

ViolenceandSchoolDrop-out......................................................................................................31AdaptingtoaDifferentCulture....................................................................................................31UnpreparedTeachersandLackofMotivation.............................................................................31FixedMind-Sets............................................................................................................................32

TheImpactoftheIntervention.................................................................................................33CaseStudy1:TheSmartGlassesfortheVisuallyImpaired.........................................................33CaseStudy2:DetectorofTwoPersonsinSchoolToilets............................................................35CaseStudy3:SmartTunnel..........................................................................................................37CaseStudy4:ProtectOurEnvironment.......................................................................................38MotivationtoTeachandLearn....................................................................................................39Teachers’Practices.......................................................................................................................39SchoolCultureandSocialCohesion.............................................................................................39CommitmenttoLearning.............................................................................................................40

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Self-regulationandAwarenessofLearning..................................................................................40TransferableSkills.........................................................................................................................40Students’Achievements...............................................................................................................40GrowthMind-Set..........................................................................................................................41Students’ConsiderationsofHigherEducation.............................................................................41

Analysis....................................................................................................................................42ImpactonTeachers......................................................................................................................42Students’LearningOutcomes......................................................................................................43Socio-Cultural...............................................................................................................................43CostEffectivenessandScalability................................................................................................44

LessonsLearned.......................................................................................................................45DeeperUnderstandingofDLI:SituatedPedagogicalUseofDLI..................................................45BuildingCapacities:SimpleversusComplexSolution..................................................................45Cohesion:ExtendingSTEAMLearningintheCommunity............................................................45GenderBias:GirlsHaveanAppetiteforSTEM.............................................................................45Volunteers:GrowandStructureVolunteerism............................................................................46Policy:MEHE’sEndorsement.......................................................................................................46EfficiencyandBureaucracy..........................................................................................................46

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................46

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Abstract

ThistechnicalreportprovideskeyfindingsandlessonslearnedfromoftheDigitalLearningInnovations(DLI)projectimplementedinLebanonbetweenAugust2016and2018withano-costextension.TheimplementationwasledbytheIEAwithitspartnerFondationMounaBustros(FMB)inclosecollaborationwiththeMinistryofEducationandHigherEducationintwenty-oneschools,targetingrefugeeslearningwithunderservedLebanesestudentsinmorningshiftpublicschools.AdditionalfundingfromFordFoundationcontributedtoincreasingthescopeoftheprojecttoanadditionaltwentyunderservedLebaneseschoolswhichbenefitedfromequipmentdonatedbyFondationMounaBustros.TheaimoftheDigitalLearningInnovationsprojectwastotestthepotentialofpedagogicalandtechnologicalinnovationstoimprovethequalityandaccessibilityoflearninginandoutsidetheclassroomforSyrianrefugeechildrenandhostcommunities,withaprimaryfocusonchildrenages14to18.Theprojectreachedforty-oneschools,spreadacross5locationsimpacting61educators,41principalsand1,470studentsandbeneficiariesincludedschoolprincipals,teachers,parentsandstudents.Theimplementationincludedthedevelopmentofmixedmethodsresearchtools,pedagogicaltrainingmaterials,atechnologicalplatform,equipmentdistributiontoschools,aninterventionwithteachers,acareerguidancedayforstudentsandseveralcommunityevents.Theresearchinstrumentsincludedfocusgroups,semi-structuredin-depthinterviews,observations,questionnairesandassessmentoflearningoutcome.Theimplementationprovidedaholisticintervention,connectingteacherslearningtostudents’learningoutcomes,basedontheCoder-MakerDigitalInnovationsKit(CMDIKit)designedwithstrongfoundationsofpurposeful,situatedcontextualandauthenticpedagogicalprinciples,costeffectivehardware,opensourcesoftwareandtrainingmaterials.ThemodelprovidedablendedmodelofteachertrainingandcommunityengagementfollowingIEA’sLearn-As-You-Work1modeldesignedtoenableschoolsandeducatorstoprovideaneffectivelearningexperiencewithinthechallengesofthepost-crisiswhererefugeesarelearningwithhostcommunities.Theprojectwassuccessfulinaddressingsomeofthechallengesidentifiedintheprovisionofeducationinpost-crisisandrefugeesituationssuchasschoolviolence,alackofmotivationtolearn,teachingpredominantlyfocusedoncontentdeliveryandworkingstudentsstrugglingtoadapt.Withitsholisticapproachtoteachingandlearningtheinterventionrevealedthattheblendofpedagogicalandtechnologicalprocessesprovidedatransformativeexperiencetoteachersandstudentswhodevelopedadeepsenseofpurpose.Studentswereclearlymotivatedbeyondtheinitialexcitementofdigitaltechnologies,exhibitingcommitmenttolearningandtheirlong-termprojectgoals.Teachers’capacitieswerestrengthened,learningoutcomeswereenhanced,teachersandstudentsgainedtransferableskillssuchascomplexproblem-solving,self-regulatedlearning,collaboration,criticalthinkingandcreativity,perseverance,self-confidenceandmoreinformeddecisionstowardscareerchoices.Inadditiontolearning,theprojectinitiatedmoresocialcohesion,collegialityandcollaborationaroundstudents’projectatschoolandgirlsshowedanappetiteforSTEMactivitiesdespitethegeneralsocietalassociationofSTEMfieldswithboys.Studentswerecommittedtotheirlongtermlearninggoalswhichissignificantinaculturewherethenormisforchildrentowork.Theinterventionwasdesigned,withspecificattentionofcosts,inviewofscalabilityandmaintainingquality;andtheCMDIkithardware,softwareandcontentprovideopensourcesoftwarepackageskeepingcostaslowaspossible.However,itisimportanttofurthervalidateDLI’slong-termsustainabilityandhavealongitudinalstudyofitsimpacttoevaluatethepersistenceofobservedtransformation,thecorrespondingimpactonstudents’learningoutcomes,andtheirlater

1http://iea.org.lb/Sections.php?ID=3

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progressionintheirlifeandcareer.Inaddition,withtheincreasingimportanceofSTEMinthejobsofthefutureandknowingthattherewillbeaworldwideshortageofSTEMskillsinthefuturejobmarket,itiscrucialtoaddressthisgapinfutureDLIinterventionsinordertohavemoreequitableandinclusivesociety.

IntroductionSincethebeginningoftheSyriancrisis,Lebanonisthehomeof1.5millionrefugees,halfofthemundertheageof18,thusplacingaconsiderableburdenonafragileeducationsystemthatneededreform(RACEIIreport).Despitealltheeffortsexertedsofar,itisestimatedthatonlyhalfofthosechildrenareenrolledinschools(UnitedNationsHighCommissionerforRefugees,20162).TheDigitalLearningInnovations(DLI)projectisdesignedtodevelopandtestinnovativeeducationallearningsolutionstoaddressthechallengesforrefugeeslearningwithhostcommunities.TheprojectaimsatusingtechnologicalandpedagogicalinnovationstoimprovethequalityandaccessibilityoflearninginandoutsidetheclassroomforSyrianrefugeechildrenandhostcommunitiesinLebanonandJordan,withaprimaryfocusonchildrenaged14to18.

ObjectivesTheoverarchingobjectiveofDLIaimstousetechnologicalandpedagogicalinnovationstoimprovethequalityandaccessibilityoflearninginandoutsidetheclassroomforSyrianrefugeechildrenandhostcommunitiesinLebanon,withaprimaryfocusonchildrenaged14to18.Thespecificobjectivesoftheprojectwereto:

1. Developandtestan“EcologyofDigitalEducationaltoolsandResources3”inLebanonandJordantoeffectivelyaddresstheeducationchallengespropertothecontextsofthehostcountriesandthosecausedbytheinfluxofSyrianrefugees;

2. Provide an effective, low-cost model designed to build the capacities ofteachers,educatorsandadministratorsandcounsellor;

3. Deepen our understanding of the relevance and effectiveness of differentdigitallearninginnovationsinapostemergencysituation;

4. Inform digital learning innovation related educational policy-making andactionatnationalandsub-nationallevelsinLebanonandJordan;

5. Helpstudentstransitiontohighereducationandcareer;

BriefOverviewInLebanon,theprojectreachedforty-oneschools,spreadacross5locationsimpacting61educators,41principalsand1,470students. Beneficiaries includeschoolprincipals, teachers,parentsandallstudents of the same school. The implementation included the development of research tools,pedagogical training materials, a technological platform, equipment distribution to schools, aninterventionwithteachersandacareerguidancedayforstudentsandseveralcommunityevents.

2UnitedNationsHighCommissionerforRefugees.2016.EducationQuarterDashboard.Beirut:UNHCR.3Theterm“EcologyofDigitalEducationalResources”isborrowedfromtheEcologyofResources(Luckinetal)

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SelectionofSchoolsTheinterventionraninmorningshiftschoolswhichwereselectedinclosecollaborationwithMEHE,Ministry of Education and Higher Education and DOPS, Department d’Orientation PédagogiqueScolaire,basedonthehighestpercentageofrefugeesasperthedataavailableatthetimeofselectionandthewillingnessoftheprincipalsandeducatorstoparticipateintheproject.Theselectedschoolswerelocatedinfivegovernorates(MountLebanon,North,Beirut,SouthandBekaa)withapercentageof refugees ranging between 20% and 60% (with the exception of four schools in which thepercentagesrangedfrom3-18%toincreasethegeographicdiversityoftheschoolsrepresentedintheproject).Theprojectdescriptionwassharedwiththeschoolsandallparticipantsweregivendetailedinformationalongwiththerequirementsforteachers’participation.

Afterstartingtheprogram,sevenschoolswerereplacedforvariousreasonsbeyondourcontrolandhencethereweretwogroupsofteachers,onethatstartedinFebruary2017andoneinDecember2018;bothgroupsfollowedexactlythesameprocess.ThelistofschoolsispresentedonAppendicesAandB

ParticipantsParticipants includedprincipals, teachersand students. Schoolswereasked to invite two teachers(onescienceandonecomputer)whowereinterested,willing,andabletocommittotheprogram.However, fewschoolsdidnothaveacomputerteacheror if theyhadone,theirschedulesdidnotallowthemtoparticipateintheworkshops.Inaddition,fewHighSchoolshadaheavyloadonscienceteacherswhocouldnotleaveschoolonthedaysoftheintervention.Theintentionwasfortechnologyteacherstoteachcodingintheirclassandsubjectmatterteacherstointegratecomputationalthinkingin their teaching to enhance learning and strengthen learner outcomes. However, due to thecircumstancesmentioned,almostallschoolssentonlyoneteacher,eitherascienceoracomputerteacherwiththeexceptionofafewschoolswhosentboth.

In order to engage participants in the DLI intervention, IEA developed the Coder-Maker DigitalInnovationKit(CMDIKit)whichconsistsofpedagogicallearningmaterial(tutorials,applicationsanddesignchallenges),digitaltoolsandaplatformforlearningandexchanginginformation.

TheCoder-MakerDigitalInnovationsKit(CMDIKit)TheCMDIKitincluded:

1. Anonlineplatformandawebapplication2. Digitallearningequipment3. SoftwarePackages4. Pedagogicalcontent

OnlinePlatformandWebApplicationAnonlinepassword-protectedplatformwascreatedandenhancedforDLIallowingeducatorstotracknewsletters,receiveupdatedcontent,sharetheprogressoftheirworkandcommunicatewithtrainers.

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Figure:1DLIsharingplatformonIEAwebsite

Inaddition,aweb-basedapplicationwasdevelopedtocommunicatewithteachersandsendpushnotificationtoteachers.Thewebapplicationwasfinalizedlateintotheprojectandwastestedafteritscompletion.

Figure2:WebApplication

DigitalLearningEquipmentTheequipmentconsistedofRaspberryPi(RPi)stationswhichwereselectedbyvirtueofnecessitytoprovidethemostaffordable,sturdy,andreliablesolution.ThedecisiontoselecttheRaspberryPiwasalsoinfluencedbyIEA’spreviousexperiencewiththeRPiwithrefugeeswhichrequiredpracticallynomaintenance.AllDLISchoolsreceivedRPistations,thosefundedbyIDRCreceived7stationsandthosefundedbyFondationMounaBustrosreceived2stationseach;thestationincluded:

1. ARaspberryPi(RPi)board2. Apowersupplyunit(PSU)3. A SDmemory card (loadedwith software to operate the RPi and learning

guide)4. AScreen5. AMouse6. Variouselectronictools(adaptor,breadboards,sensors,motors,etc.)

TTheRaspberryPirunsonRaspbian,anopensourceoperatingsystem,whichenablestheuseofseveralopensourcesoftwarepackagesusedinDLI,suchasScratchandPython.

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Figure3:SchoolDLIElectronicsEquipmentgettingreadyatIEAoffices

Figure4:DLIEquipmentBoxesreadyforshipmenttoschools

Figure5:DLIequipmentinstalledataDLIschool

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SoftwarePackagesScratchisavisualprogrammingsoftwaredevelopedbyMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology(MIT)withawiderangeofresearchliteratureaboutcomputationalthinkingandcognitivelearninginschools(Papert,1980;Wilensky&Resnick,1999).However,despitetheexcitementaroundScratchandprogramming,thereseemstobenosignificantevidenceofenhancedlearningorskillsimprovementwithprogrammingonly(ibid),hencetheimportanceofhowitallfitsintheoverallpedagogyoftheCMDIKit.Pythonisasimpleyetrobustandpowerfulobject-orientedprogramminglanguagewhichiswellsuitedforbeginnersandprovidesasolidbaseforlearningprogramming.Itisadynamiclanguagewhichusesclearandlogicallanguageperformedatrun-timebyaninterpreter;ithighlightsthecodeindifferentcoloursandreinforcestheimportanceofaccuracyandcorrectsyntax.Furthermore,thesoftwarepackagesScratchandPythonsoftwareareopen-source,sothelearnerswillnothavetoincuradditionallicensingcostsandcanleveragethepowerofPythoninawiderangeofapplicationsastheygrowatschool,university,andattheworkplace.Eachsoftwarehasathrivingcommunitywhichprovidessupportandanswersquestions.TosupplementthesoftwaretaughtaspartoftheCMDIKit,teachersandstudentsusedtheInternet,PowerPoint,YouTube,WhatsApp,mindmappingsoftware,wordprocessing,photoandvideoeditingtocommunicateamongeachotherandtoresearch,design,presentandsharetheirprojects.PedagogicalContentThe pedagogical content included an online guidewithmorethan10Tutorialsand20ApplicationsandLearningDesigns.Thetutorialsprovidestep-by-stepguidance from beginner to advanced levels inScratch, Python, and circuitry. The applicationsincluded step-by-step Learning Applications (LA)designed to support and enhance the Lebanesecurriculum and thematic learning for primaryteachers. All applications are designed based onchallenging science conceptswhich aremade easyandintegratedinopen-endeddesignchallengeswithexamples,ateacherguide,andastudentworkbook.TheonlineguideandapplicationsarealsoavailableofflineontheRPi’sSDcardandcanbeupdatedwhentheuserisonline.

Figure5:LearningDesign

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Theprocessofengagingwiththecontentis integrated to guide teachers andstudents to learn gradually from simpletomorecomplexcomputationalthinkingconceptsandtasks.Thedevelopedguideincludes:

1. Tutorialstogetstarted2. Unpluggedlessonsto

understandconcepts1. Scratchtutorialsrangingfrom

beginnertoadvanced2. Scratchapplicationsand

designchallenges3. Pythontutorialsfrom

introductiontointermediary4. Pythonlearningapplications

anddesignchallenges5. Circuitryfrompassiveto

morecomplexelectronicstutorials

Figure1:Coder-MakerOnlineGuide

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TheIntervention

Theinterventionstartedwitha3-dayleadershipworkshopandwasfollowedbya6-dayteacherprofessionaldevelopmentworkshopsspanningoverfourmonths.Theaimoftheleadershipworkshopwastohavethemsupportthedigitaltransformationintheirschool,understandingtheprogramrequirementandprovidingteachersandteamsthesupporttheyneededtosucceedintheproject.

Figure 2: Leadership Workshop

Theaimoftheteachers’workshopwastoguidethemthroughthedigitaltransformationandteachthemhowtousetheCMDIKit.Thespecificobjectivesoftheteachers’workshopweretoenableteacherstoguidetheirstudentsto:

1. Gaininsightintoselfandcommunity2. Engagewithpassiveopen-endedchallengesandthemes3. Explorecomputationalthinkingconceptsandactiveinstructionalmethods4. LearnintroductoryandintermediarylevelsofScratchorPython(dependingongradelevel)5. Learnhowtouseelectronictoolsandcircuitry6. Applywhattheylearnedinclassroomapplications7. Combineelementsandconnectconceptswithlearningobjectives8. Experienceandsimulatetheentirecycleofaprojectthatrespondstoacommunityneed9. Definetheproblem,conductresearch,imaginesolutions,design,construct,codeandreview

theirprojects10. Sharetheirprojects

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Figure3:DLITeachers'Workshop

Figure4;Teachersengagingwithcircuitry

Thetrainingspannedoveraperiodoffourmonths:fromFebruarytoMay2017forthefirstgroupandfromDecember2017toMarch2018forthesecond.Theworkshopforthefirstroundofteacherswereheldinfiveregionallocations(South,Beirut,Kaslik,TripoliandBekaa)andinBeirutforthesecondgroup.The interventionwas designed using IEA’s Teacher Professional Development, Learn-As-You-Work(LAYW)methodologywhich isprocessandoutcome-orientedandguides teachers step-by-steponhowtoapplytheprogramintheirowncontexts.Theprocesscombinespedagogicalandtechnologicalskillsengagingteachersgraduallyfromsimpletomorecomplexconceptsandtasksthatsupportandreinforcethelearninggoalssetbythenationalcurriculum.Theoutcomesarealignedwithproblem-solving skills andprovide training in a blendedmannerwith interpersonalworkshops followedbycontinuoustrackingandonlinesupport.Themethodologyenablesteacherstoslowlygainconfidenceastheyworkwiththeirstudentsandtotracktheprogressionofteamsastheyselectaproblemtoaddressanddeveloprelevantsolutions.The program is designed such that computer teachers support or teach coding in their class andscience teachers integrate computational thinking in projects designed to enhance learning. The

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programisinheritablyflexibleandhasspecificitiesforprimary,intermediaryandsecondarystudenttosupportitsintegrationdependingonthesubjectandgradelevelofteachers.Thelearningprocessscaffoldsconceptsandlearningblocks,simulationsandchallengestomeettheobjectivesoftheofficialcurriculum.Reflectiveexerciseswereweavedthroughtheprocessandmid-way reflectionswere collected and comparedwith the post implementation reflections. Teacherswereinvitedtopracticewhattheylearntandtoapplythesameactivitiestheylearnedintheworkshopthefollowingweekwiththeirstudentsatschool.Atschool,teachersdedicatedanhouraweekwiththeirstudentsusingthesameprocessthattheyfollowedduringtheinterpersonalworkshopsinadditiontoafterschoolhourstosupportthefinalstagesofdevelopmentofstudents’projects.Inadditiontoteachers’workshops,fourworkingsessionswereofferedbyIEA,withsupportfromvolunteersprovidingtechnicalsupporttoteamsofstudentswhowereworkingontheirprojects.Sincethiswastheirfirstexperience,teacherswereinvitedtoengagethewholeclassinactivitiesandtoimplementaprojectwithoneortwogroupsofuptofivestudentsbasedonstudents’interest.UpontherequestoftheMinisterofEducation,theDLIteamsofstudentswereinvitedtopresenttheirprojectsattheMEHE.AlistofprojectspresentedbystudentstoMinisterHEMarwanHmadeh,MPNicolasSehnaoui,DirectorGeneralMr.FadiYarak,andofficialsattheMinistryofEducationisprovidedonthenextpage.

Figure5:DLIstudentsexplainingtheirprojecttoHEMinisterHamadehandHEMPNicolasSehnaoui

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Table:1:ListofprojectspresentedbystudentsatMEHE

Project Name Description School Team

Detector of Two Persons in a Toilet Cabin

A system that detects two persons in a toilet cabin and operates an alarm at the school’s admin to protect children from sexual harassment.

Jbeil Second Public Middle School

4 Syrian males 0 Syrian female 1 Lebanese male

2 Lebanese females Auto-bell Automatic bell that operates according to the

school’s schedule and holidays, the school has three floors and one supervisor.

Baakline Intermediate Official School

1 Syrian male 0 Syrian female

3 Lebanese males 2 Lebanese females

Blind Aid Stick A stick that warns the blind about the presence of hurdles in its way through sounds that it emits.

Institut Technique de Batroun

0 Syria male 0 Syrian female

3 Lebanese males 0 Lebanese females

Electro Power Station

A clean power station that uses the Raspberry Pi. Jahlieh Public Middle School

2 Syria males 0 Syrian female

3 Lebanese males 0 Lebanese female

Septic Tank Alarm System

An alarm system that warns about the increase of water level in a septic tank.

Yahshoush Mixed Public Middle School

5 Syria males 0 Syrian female

13 Lebanese males 0 Lebanese females

Medical Room A room that provides medical support at home. Martyr Rafic Hariri Secondary School, Doha Choueifat

1 Syria male 1 Syrian female

2 Lebanese males 2 Lebanese females

Door Opening System

A system that opens doors automatically for handicapped in public spaces like supermarkets, hotels, and restaurants.

Hoch El Omara Secondary Public School, Bekaa

1 Syria male 0 Syrian female

3 Lebanese males 2 Lebanese females

Raising Awareness About Nature’s Cleanliness

A digital story to raise awareness about the importance of keeping our environment clean.

Kfarmatta Public Middle School

0 Syria male 1 Syrian female 1 Lebanese male

0 Lebanese female

Animal Protection System from Cars

A system that protects animals and operates on the Raspberry PI

Hammana Public School 0 Syria male 0 Syrian female

3 Lebanese males

4 Lebanese females

Robot vacuum cleaner

The Robot vacuum cleaner is a fully automated self-operated device for school yards that runs on the Raspberry Pi and programmed using Python

Antelias Public High School

0 Syria male 0 Syrian female

4 Lebanese males 0 Lebanese female

Protection of Children in Public Gardens

An alarm system that warns the operators of a public garden if children have approached the fence, it operates a light and an alarm.

Beirut Al Aliah Public Middle School for Girls

2 Syria males 2 Syrian females 2 Lebanese males

2 Lebanese females

Insummary,72studentspresentedtheirprojectsattheMinistryofEducation,28%ofthemwereSyrianstudents,withamajorityofboys,75%versus25%girls.Thefulllistofprojectsdevelopedbyallstudentsfollows.

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Table2:presentsthelistofallprojectsdevelopedbyallstudents:

Numberofschools

SchoolName ProjectTitle

1 AlHudaSchool-Saadnayel SchoolExitOrganizer

2 AnteliasPublicSchool Robotvacuumcleaner

3 BaaklinePublicSchool AutoBell

4 BarEliasOfficialSecondarySchool SavingElictricity

5 BeyrouthAlAliahPublicSchool Laserreframboisepi

6 BeyrouthAlAliahPublicSchool ProtectionofChildreninPublicGardens

7 GebranAndrawosTweiniPublicSchool TheTunnelTrafficmeter

8 JahliehPublicMiddleSchool ElectroPowerStation

9 KfarmattaPublicSchool RaisingAwarnessaboutenvironment

10 RafikAlHaririOfficialSecondarySchool MedicalRoom

11 SaadnayelSecondaryPublicSchool SmartGlassesforVisuallyImpairedPeople

12 SecondPublicSchoolofJbeil SexualHarassmentPrevention

13 ShehimOfficialHighSchool SD-Tr@p

14 ShehimThirdOfficialschool Accidentfree

15 YahshoushPublicSchool SepticTankAlarmSystem

16 ZahiaKaddourahPublicSchoolForGirls SmartControl

17 HochElOmaraSecondaryPublicSchool DoorOpeningSystem

18 AlWafaaSecondarySchool SmartSortingTrashBin

19 CollegeKhadijaElKobra-Makassed Drivemesafe

20 GeorgeFremHighSchool-Jounieh SmartCar

21 HammanaPublicHighSchool Systèmedepréventiondesaccidentspourlesanimaux

22 KhorbitKanafarPublicVocationalSchool Smartirrigation

23 MakassedAliBinAbiTalebSchool AmazingColorCreator

24 MakassedAliBinAbiTalebSchool Auto-FireFightSystem–WoodsProtection

25 MakassedAliBinAbiTalebSchool SchoolWateringSystem

26 MakassedAliBinAbiTalebSchool AutomaticCureSystem

27 MakassedAliBinAbiTalebSchool GasLeakageSecuritySystem

28 MakassedAliBinAbiTalebSchool SeaCleaningSystembyEco-FriendlySubmarine

29 Saints-Coeurs-Zahle School'sKiosk

30 ShoufHighCollege SmartwateringandFertigationSystem

31 TechnicalInstituteofBatroun BlindAidStick

Inadditiontoworkshopsandworkingsessions,54%maleand46%femalesbetweentheageof14and18participatedincommunityeventswhichspannedovertheprojectdurationincluding:

1. Asharingdaywithtwenty-threeteamsinJune20172. Fivehackathonswith92studentswith53%boysversus47%girls3. Acareerguidancedaywith18studentsinAugust20174. Ashowcaseofstudents’projects(12projectsand72students)atMEHEin

January20185. Participationof22teamsintheSecondLebanonRaspberryPicompetitionin

April2018.

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Detailsoftheseeventswerepromotedinthecommunitybeyondtheteamsparticipatingintheproject.Theeventswereinformalandaimedtohelpstrengthensharing,connectingandlearningfromeachother.

CareerGuidanceActivitiesAspartoftheprojectimplementation,atrainingprogramoncareerguidancewasdeliveredtothemostunderservedstudentsfromtheBekaa:18SyriansandLebanesebetween14and18yearsofage.Theone-daycareerguidanceprogramwaspromotedviaschoolteachersandoutofthe25studentsinvited,18responded.Fewgirlsregisteredintheprogram:28%,comparedto72%boys.Theintentionofthecareerguidanceprogramwastounderstandthestudents’perceptionoftheircareerpathsandconsiderhowitmaybeintegratedintheprojectintervention.ThedatacollectedfromstudentsthroughfocusgroupsandquestionnaireswereanalysedandusedtoinformthedetaileddesignoftheCMDIKit.Duringthecareerguidanceprogram,participatingstudentsshowedadeepappetitetounderstandandknowtheircareerpathways,andakeeninterestinexploringtheirpotentialoptions.

ProjectTimelineAvisualsummaryoftheimplementationisprovidedhereafter:

Figure6:DLITimeline

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Methods

Themethodsusedintheresearchincludedfocusgroups,observations,interviewswithparticipants,questionnairesandassessmentofstudents’projectasfollows:

1. Pre-intervention focus groups with principals and teachers and post-interventionfocusgroupswitheducatorsandtrainers;

2. In-depthsemi-structuredinterviewswithprincipals,teachers,studentinnineschools,mid-wayandposttheimplementation;

3. Observationsthroughouttheintervention’sworkshopsandworkingsessions;4. Questionnairestoteachersandstudents5. Assessmentofstudents’project(rubric).

DataCollectionFocusgroupsAtotaloffivefocusgroupswereheldasfollows:

Period Number StakeholdersNumberofParticipants

Pre-intervention 1 Principals 182 Teachersgroup1 401 Teachersgroup2 14

Post-intervention 1 Teachers 181 Trainers 51 Volunteers 12

Formalinvitationsweresenttoallparticipantswithfollow-upphonecalls.Allfocusgroupslasted4hours,wereheldinBeirut,andwereconductedbytheDLIresearchteam.Theconversationswererecorded,transcribedandorganisedforcoding.Pre-interventionfocusgroupsincludedanintroductiontotheprojectandanoverviewofwhatpreviousschoolshadcompleted.Principalswereaskedtodiscussandsharetheirperceptionsaboutteachingandlearning,technologyandtheimpactofSyriansintheirschool;teacherswereaskedtodescribetheapproachesthattheyyouuseintheclassrooms,theirexperiencewithclassroomprojectsandtechnologyandtheimpactofrefugeesintheirclasses.Post-interventionfocusgroupincludedadebriefsessionandparticipantswereaskedtosharetheirperspectivesontheexperience,thechallengestheyfacedandhowtheywereabletomitigatethem.InterviewsIEAresearchteamconductedninein-depthsemi-structuredinterviewsinterimandpost-interventionwiththesameparticipatingprincipals,teachersandstudents.Theinterviewswereallconductedinschoolsstartingwiththeprincipalsintheirofficesandfollowedbyteachersthenstudents.Infewcases(n=3),principalscalleduponteachersintotheirofficebutinmostcasesinterviewswithteacherswereheldintheclassroomwherestudentsworkedontheproject.Principalsandteachers’Interviewslastedaround45to60minuteseachwhilestudentsgenerallylasted30minutes.Students’interviewswereinallcasedheldinthepresenceofteacherswiththeexceptionofonegroup.

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InterimInterviewsDuringtheinteriminterventioninterviews,principalswereaskedmainlyhowthingsweregoing-onwiththeproject,howparticipantswereselectedandthetypeoflearningthatwashappening.Teacherswereaskedhowthingsweregoingforthem,howtheyhadselectedstudents,thechallengestheywerefacing,andhowtheywereaddressingthem.Studentswereaskedabouttheirexperience,iftheyenjoyeditornot,whattheywerelearningandwhatchallengestheywerefacing.Itwasalsoatimeforprincipalstoinquireaboutteachersandstudents’progressionandtoexpresstheincreasingmotivationaroundschool.

Generally,teachersshowedtheinterviewerstheirprojectwall(picturedbelow)withstudents’interest,communityquestionsandwheretheyworkedwiththeirstudents.Theyspokewithenthusiasmandmotivationanddiscussedtheirprojects’progression.Ontheotherhand,studentssharedtheirinterestandprojects,askediftherecouldbemoreworkingsessions,explainedhowtheycreatedtheirbulletinboard,theideastheyhadaroundthecommunityproblemandshowedhowtheywerelearningandapplyingthetechnology.Theyalsosharedtheirdesignsandprojectdevelopment.

Figure7:DLIProjectWall

Figure8:Students'sharingtheirproject

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PostinterventioninterviewsDuringpostinterventioninterviews,principalswereaskedaboutthewholeexperienceintheirschoolandhowtheysawnextsteps.Teacherswereaskedabouttheirexperienceanditsimpactonthem.Studentswereaskedabouttheirexperienceandwhattheylearned,ifandwhatdidtheyenjoyandwhatmadeitenjoyable.Consistently,principalstooktimetodescribeindetailstheinterventionintheirschools.Mostofthemsaidthatithadimpactedtheirschooldeeply,wellbeyondtheimpactonteachers,andthatithadtransformedstudents,theyalsodiscussednextsteps.Asforteachers,theyspokewithmotivationabouttheirexperiences,thebenefitsforthemandtheirstudentsandhowtheytackledchallenges.Invariably,studentsspokeabouttheirprojects,howtheyweregoingtocontinueandtheimpactoftheprojectonthem.Generally,theyhadaclearvision,werefocusedandarticulate.Theirbodylanguagewasattentive,theylistenedandwantedtoknowaboutthenextsteps.Theyspokewithdeterminationandself-assuranceabouttheirprojects.

Figure9:Students’Interview

ObservationsObservationswereheldbytheresearchteaminthevariouslocationsoftheworkshopsandworkingsessions.Discussionswererecordedandtranscribed,picturesandnotesweretaken.Workshopswentverysmoothlywithteacherswhocompletedallactivitiesandinvariablyleftworkshopswithsmilessayingtheywerehappytobeabletoimplementdirectlyactivitieswiththeirstudents.Duringtheworkshops,theyspokeabouttheirstudents’reactiontotheactivities,theirenthusiasmandquestionsparticularlyaboutthecommunityresearch.Theyalsospokeabouttheirstudents’projects,theirchallenges,worriesandthethingsthatweregoingwell.WorkingsessionswereheldinBeirutandintheregions.TheonesheldinBeiruthostedalargernumberofstudentsreaching-uptotwelveteamswhichmeantthatthenumberofpeopleworkinginthesamehallwasaroundeighty-twopeoplewitharoundsixtystudents,twelveteachersandaroundeightvolunteersandtwotrainers.Thefirstworkingsessionstartedwithapresentationofeachschoolteamsharingtheirprojectidea(s),attendeesexchangedfeedbackandaskedquestions;theneachgroupworkedontheirproject.Duringthesessions,teamsworkedcloselytogetherandoftenstudentsandteacherscirculatedtoknowwhatotherschoolsweredoing.Teamsworkedinterdependentlyandwereresponsibleforbringingeverythingtheyneededtodeveloptheirproject:drawings,design,andfabricationbeforewritingthecode.Althoughallstudentshadlearnedthebasicsofcoding,theyassignedtoeachotherdifferentresponsibilities.Hence,theytookdifferentrolesandorganisedthemselvesdependingonwhattheyhadinclinationstowards,includingsettinguptheequipment

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beforeworking,learningmorecode,researchingtheproblem,sketching,designingandmaking,takingpicturesanddocumentingtheirwork.ThosemoreinterestedincodingwentonYouTubeandsharedvideosonWhatsApp.Duringworkingsession,oftentheyshowedtheconversationsandhowtheyorganisedtheirWhatsAppgroup.Thediscussionsduringworkingsessionswerelengthierastherewasmoretimethatcouldbespentwithteams,speaktostudentsandteachersandunderstandwhatandhowtheywereworkingon.Attheendofeachcycle,teachersandstudentswereaskedtoreflectontheprocess.Teachersandstudentsweregivenreflectivepromptswhichwerecollectedandtabulatedinanexcelworksheet(totalteacherresponses,N=20)andanaverageof2studentsperschoolansweredinbothbatchesbringinguptoeighty-onethenumberofstudentresponses(totalstudentresponses,N=81).

Figure10:Observationsduringworkingsessions

PostImplementationQuestionnairesAttheendoftheproject,teacherswereinvitedtogivefeedbackabouttheprocess.Teachers(n=13)respondedonlineorbyemail(n=20)withatotalofN=33respondentsandresponsesarepresentedinthedatasection.Studentswerealsoaskedtogivefeedbackand(n=24)submittedtheirresponsesonline.TheteacherandstudentquestionnairepresentedintheAppendixincludedaratingscalefrom1to5asfollows:1=Notatall,2=Somehow,3=Generally,4=Mostly,5=Extremely.

Assessmentofstudents’projectInordertoassessstudents’problem-solvingskillsandoverallperformanceintheproject,arubricwasdiscussedandgiventoteacherstocompleteattheendoftheintervention.Theobjectiveoftherubricwasforteacherstoassess,reflectandmeasurethequalityoftheproblem-solvingprocessratherthanthequalityoftheendproductonly.Therubricconsistedofeightdomainswithasetofindicatorsforeachdomainandthreeratinglevels(1=NeedsImprovement;2-3=Good;4-5=Exemplary.Thedomainsconsistedof:selfandcommunity,problem,design,create,analyzingandinterpretingresults,planning,teamworkandmeta-cognitionandassessedwithdescriptiveindicatorsavailableforreferenceintheAppendix.

Atotalofeighteeneducators(N=18)filledtherubric,(n=10)duringthelastface-to-facemeetingand(n=8)returnedbyemail.TheteamofDLIresearchevaluatedtheprojectsandreviewedtheresultswhichwerewithinthesamerange.

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GenderBalance

Therewasanoticeabledifferenceinthenumberoffemalesversusmalesbetweencommunityactivitiesandthosetakingplaceatschool,75%maleversus25%femaleinschoolprojects,versus53%maleand39%femalesincommunityevents.Amajordifferencebetweenbothisthatalmost50%ofteachersselectedthestudentstheythoughtwereinterestedintheprojectwhichmightbeasignofgenderbiasinfavourofmales.Tovalidatethelowerinterestintheprojectamonggirls,hackathonsandcommunityeventswerepromoteddirectlytothecommunity.Weobservedhigherlevelsofinterestamonggirls.Outofthe92participantswhoenrolled,therewere53%boysversus47%girls,aclearincreaseintheparticipationofgirls.Throughdiscussionswithgirls,additionalideaswerecapturedtogivewideraccesstogirls,suchasorganizingagirlonlyhackathons.Inaddition,thispromptedtheIEAtodevelopprototypesandapplicationsthatarelessmechanicallyfocusedtoattractawiderrangeofinterest.

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Data

Thedatawascollectedsystematicallyprovidingsubstantivelyrichprimarydataconsistingofaudiofiles,videos,meetingnotes.Thedatawasmethodicallytranscribedandanalysedandcasestudieswhichenrichthedatawereextractedalongsidetheanalysisofthequestionnairesandtheassessmentrubric.PostImplementationTeachers’QuestionnaireTeachersfilledthepostimplementationquestionnaireatthecompletionoftheprojectandformswerecollectedandtabulatedinanexcelworksheet(totalresponses,n=33).Therewere20respondentsacrossthefollowingsubjects:computer(9),Sciences(6),Math(4)andEnglish(1)andlevels:8Secondaryand12MoutawassitaSchools.Teachersselectedtheirstudentsdifferentlywhichresultedin75%boysand25%girlsparticipatingintheproject;15Teachersproposedtoeveryoneandaskedwhoisinterestedtojointheprojectand15selectedthosetheythoughtmightbeinterestedintheproject.Theirperceptionsofstudents’interestsvarieddependingonthosethatseemmotivated;afewteachers(n=2)selectedthemostperformingstudentswhichcontrastedwithothers(n=3)whoengagedstudentsofmixedabilitieswithunderachieversandwithstudentswhohadbehaviouralissues.Teachersperceptionoftheexperiencewasoverwhelminglypositivewithanaverageof4.75/5.Whattheyenjoyedmostwasworkingandguidingstudentstoaddressarealchallengeandhavingthemcomeupwiththeirownprojectideas.

Figure11:Teachers'Feedback,Question5

Generally,theyenjoyedtheoverallprocessandalargenumberofteachers(n=20)saidthattherewasnothingtheydidnotenjoy.Issuesthatwerechallengingincludedreceivingtheequipmentlate,theirlackofmasteryofthePythonlanguage,thedistancetocomefromtheirvillagesforthetraining,moretimeforlearningandimplementingaprojectandforafewteacherssupportfromtheschoolmanagement.Allsubjectteachersshowedahigherdegreeofconfidenceinthepedagogicalprocessthanintechnologicalknowledgewithagoodlevelofcomfort(4.0)todealwithcircuitry,

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%

q

Learningwithteachers

Incorporatingsmallchallengesinteaching

Learninghowtocodeandmake

Communityaspect

Guidingstudentsthroughproject

Havingstudentscomeupwithownprojectideas

Workingwithstudentsonarealchallenge

Towhatextentwaseachoneofthefollowingenjoyable?

1 2 3 4 5

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basicScratchandtheRaspberryPi.Theyexpressedmoreconfidencetoguidetheirstudentsinsolvingchallengesandaddressingareallifechallenge(4.25)thaninphysicallycreatingandcodingtheproject(3.75)andPython(3.6)remainedtheareawhichtheyneededmosthelpwith.Allteachers(99%)exceptonefoundtheworkshopsrelevanttotheirteaching.Thosethatfounditrelevantexplainedthattheprojectintegratesphysicsandscienceanditmadethemintroduceanalyticalandproblemsolvingskillsintheirsubjects.Severalteachersmentionedthatithelpedthemtoconnecttheirsubjectwithreal-lifeinascientificprocessandconnectcomputationalthinkingwiththeirsubjects.Withoneexception,allteachersmentionedthattheycouldclearlyseehowtheprojectconnectstootherdisciplinesandwasrelevanttotheirteaching.Theyappreciatedthatithelpedstudentsintegratealltheconceptstheylearnedinmathandsciencesinoneproject.Allteachersappreciatedconnectingtotheirstudents’realitywithanaverageof(4.45/5)whichhelpedthemtoknowthembetter,communicatemoreeffectively,andfindouttheirabilitiestocreateanddevelopaspiritofcollaborationandbeingattentivetoeachother.Teachersratedtheirperformanceintheprogramasgoodwithanaverageof(4/5)butfeltthatfurtherexperienceandmoreworkshopswouldhelpthemtodobetter.Toimprovetheirperformancetoahigherlevel,teachers(n=15)recommendedadditionalworkshops,timetopracticeandtolearnmorecoding,integratingmorecomplexandrelevantcodeswithPython;butalsodesigning,making,codingandaddressingnewchallengesduringtheacademicyear.Teachersrecommendedaddinganevaluationcomponentforteachers;theyalsoexpressedbeinginterestedinworkingonthedevelopmentoffutureapplicationsandscientificactivities.Anotherimportantfactorforimprovingteachers’performancewassetting-uptrainingsessionsthatdonotdisruptschooltime.Theirrecommendations,includedstartingearlierintheacademicyear,havingmoreworkingsessions,moretime,printedinformationandpracticeandavoidingconflictswithschoolschedules.Allrespondentswerepositive100%tojoinfutureworkshops.

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PostImplementationStudents’Questionnaire

Studentsweregivenquestionsattheendoftheprojectviatheirteachers.Thetotalnumberofstudentswhoansweredinbothbatches,N=81.Studentswhofilledthequestionnairerangedfromprimarytosecondaryschooland5technicalschoolstudents;81students(18femalesand63males)filledthepostimplementationquestionnaireatthecompletionoftheproject.Thestudentsenjoyedtheirexperienceandgaveaverypositiveoverallfeedback.Workinginteamsandbeingwithfriendswasselectedby53%ofstudentsasextremelyenjoyableandreceivingacertificateofcompletioncountedfor(54%)ofthemasenjoyable.

Asshowninthenextgraph,thethingsthatappearedtobeenjoyablewerefindingareal-lifeproblemtosolve,codingandmakingtheprojectwithfriendsandlearningnewthingsandinnewways.Theanalysisofthegraphfollows.

IntheiranswerstotheoverallDLICoder-Makerexperience,everyonefoundtheexperienceenjoyabletodifferentextent,withmorethan60%ofparticipantsasextremelyenjoyable,around30%veryenjoyableand10%asenjoyable.Whenansweringtowhatextenteachoftheelementsmadeitenjoyable,learninginnewwayswasfoundasextremelyenjoyablebymorethan67%ofparticipants,veryenjoyableby12%andenjoyableby20%ofparticipants.Whatparticipants

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Towhatextentdidyouenjoythesharingday?

Sharingyourproject

Beingwithfriends

Seeingtheprojectsofotherschools

CountofReceivingacertificate

Coder-MakerExperience

1 2 3 4 5

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

WorkinginteamsSolvingchallengesMakingtheproject

LearninginanewwayDesigningasolutionCodingtheproject

Findingareal-lifeproblemtosolve

Coder-MakerExperience:Whatmadeitenjoyable?

1 2 3 4 5

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seemedtoenjoymostwas“findingareal-lifeproblem”(with73%extremelyenjoyable,12%veryenjoyableand14%enjoyable)andcodingtheirprojectwith72%selectingitasextremelyenjoyable,11%veryenjoyableand14%enjoyable.Whatseemedmorechallengingforparticipantswas“designingasolution”and“solvingchallenges”whichappearedwith64%and59%respectivelyasextremelyenjoyableversus16%and19%asveryenjoyableand16%and20%asenjoyablewhichmeansthatdespitethechallengesthattheyfaced,theythoroughlyenjoyedthelearningexperience.Furthermore,theythoroughlyenjoyedcodingandmakingtheprojectwhichappearsintherespectiveratingof72%and69%asextremelyenjoyable,11%and10%asveryenjoyableand14%and18%asenjoyable.Itisworthnotingthatworkinginteamswasalsoratedextremelyenjoyable(69%),veryenjoyable(11%),andenjoyable(23%)whichisinlinewithwhatparticipantsmentionedaboutlearningwithpeersinthenextgraph.Allstudentsexceptthreeexplainedthatfindingareal-lifeproblemtosolvewasmostenjoyable.Theyenjoyedcodingasmuchasthinkingabouttheproblem;learningnewthings”suchasthescienceconceptsrelatedtotheirprojectsandthetechnologicalpartsuchas“programmingandlearningtouseelectronicsensors,motors”.“Thenewwayoflearning,working,thinking,havingideas,solvingproblemswithinfinitenumberofsolutionsandtothinkhowtochoosethebetterone;“understandhowthingswork”butalso“meetingpeople,beingwithfriends,makingfriends,workingtogetherasateam,gainingconfidenceandhelpingeachother,meetingteamsfromotherschools,sharingandfeelingpartofthisgroupalwaysmeetinginaniceatmosphere”.“Doing,creating,andachievingourgoals,helpingtoimprovethingsaroundusinsociety”.“Havingresponsibilitiesandbelievingthatwecanandareableto”.Allofthem(100%)statedtheywouldliketojoinfutureworkshop,86%ofstudentsstatedthatthereisnothingtheydidnoenjoyand30%ofstudentsrecommendedkeepingthingsexactlythesame.Theyencountereddifficultiessuchasreceivingthematerialslate,toolittletimefortheproject,timeontheroadandnothavinganextensivelyprintedguide.Afewrecommendationsincludedproviding:anonlinecourse“withstep-by-stepguidedlearning”,an“onlinehelp”,aprintedguide,integratingitintheschoolprogramandcurriculumsoitbecomesawayoflearningbutalsotoaddsimpleandexcitingprojectswithreadymadeexperimentstolearnfrombeforestartingfromthecreativeprocess.Students’ProjectAssessmentRubricResultsTheresultsandanalysisoftheproblem-solvingrubricsfilledbyteachersandvalidatedbytrainersrevealsthatstudentsgainedsignificantreflectiveskillsandwereabletosuccessfullyidentifyaproblemanddefineaproblemwhichtheyaddressedwithexemplarylevelsofcollaborationandcommunicationskillsalongsideexemplaryskillsinmanagingtheirprojecttasks.Ontheotherhand,thedatashowsthatmoststudentswouldfurtherbenefitfromsharpeningtheiranalytical,coding,documentationanddatacollectionskillsinordertofurtherenhancetheirproblemsolvingskillsasfewerstudentsreachedexemplaryratingforthoseindicators.Theanalysisfollowsthegraphbelow:

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Figure12:Resultsofstudents’assessmentbyteachersusingarubric

Thefollowingisasummaryoftheresultsforeachindicator:Gaininginsightintoselfandcommunity:44%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplary,44%asgoodand11%asneedingfurtherimprovement.Teachersreportedthatitwasgenerallydifficultforstudentstotackletheconceptofcommunityandmanywerenotusedtodisclosingtheirfeelingsastheywerenotusedtotalkingaboutthemselves.However,thishappenedgraduallyastheystartedworkinginteamsanduntangledtheconceptofcommunitywhichbecameclearerastheyengagedinobservationsanddiscussions.Identifyingaproblem:67%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplaryand33%asgood.Allteachersthoughtthattheirstudentshadgonethroughgreatlengthtoidentifyaproblemanddidverywellbecausetheproblemstheyidentifiedwereallsensedinthecommunity.Teachersreportedthatstudentsstartedexploringawidevarietyofproblemsandtheyneededlotofassistanceinordertofocusononeproblemratherthansurfacemany.Definingaquestion:56%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplary,33%asgoodand11%asneedingfurtherimprovement.Allteachersreportedthatthechallengesstudentsfacedweretoexpresstheirthoughtsintowordsandtofocusononespecificaspect.Recognizingperspectives:33%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplary,56%asgoodand11%asneedingfurtherimprovement;teachersreportedthatstudentshadlearned

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

AnalysisCode

CommunityDocumentation

PerspectivesDatacollection

IntegrationofknowledgeManagingTasksProblem-solving

SketchandDesignInsightintoself

UseofinformationAbilitytocommunicatetheproblem

CollaborationCommunicationDefineaquestion

EmpathyIdentifyingthetoolsInterpretationofdata

ResearchCreate

SharingknowledgeProblemidentification

OverallreflectionReview

DigitalLearningInnovationsAssessmentofStudentsbyTeachers

NeedsImprovement Good Exemplary

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tolookattheproblemfromallitsfacetsduringprojectworkandthatconnectingwithpeoplehelpedthemunderstandwhytheirproposedsolutionwasnotviable.Abilitytocommunicatetheproblem:44%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplaryand56%asgood;teachersreportedthattheprojectmadethemmoreawareofhowchallengingitwastohelptheirstudentstocommunicateclearlytheirideas.Research:44%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplaryand56%asgood.Teachersreportedthatstudentsconductedin-depthinquiryandidentifiedavarietyofsourcesofinformation,beitonline,inbooksorseekingthehelpofexperts,professionalsandpeopleinthecommunity.Integratedknowledgeanduseofinformation:44%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplary,44%asgoodand11%asneedingfurtherimprovement.Teachersreportedthatstudentshadeffectivelylearnedandusednewconceptsintotheirproject.Theyalsosaidthattheyappliedwhattheyknewtoassisttheproblem-solvingprocess,yethowever,workremainstobedoneinthisareatointegratefullytheinformationintheprocess.SketchandDesign:44%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplary,44%asgoodand11%asneedingfurtherimprovement.Theythoughtthatitwasmaybethefirsttimestudentslearnedthatdesignswereimportantinordertoclarifyandcommunicatetheirideastoothers.Empathy:44%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplaryand56%asgood.Teachersreportedthatstudentsconnecteddeeplywiththoseforwhomtheyaredevelopingtheprojectandunderstoodmoredeeplyvariousperspectivesthroughthoseinteractionswithpeople.Create:56%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplary,39%asgoodand6%asneedingfurtherimprovement;thosethatratedfoursaidthatalthoughstudentswereabletocreatetheirproject,theyhadgothelpfromthevolunteerstobeabletocodetheirproject.Theyreportedthatstudentsreconstructedthecodeandcircuitryseveraltimesandthatitmettheproject’sspecifications.Datacollection:33%ofteachersratedstudents’projectsonthisindicatorasexemplary,67%asgood.Theyreportedthattheuseoftoolswasnotalwayssuccessfulandtheywouldhavebenefittedfrommoreconsistencyindatacollection.Interpretationofdataandanalysing:22%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplaryand78%asgood.Thosethatselectedexemplarypointedtohowstudentshypothesisedanddescribedresultsandconclusions.Theothersreportedthatstudentswereabletodrawcorrectconclusionsfromresults,buthadtobeguidedtorelatethemwelltotheoriginalhypotheticalsolutionoftheproblem.Problem-solvingprocess:44%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplary,44%asgoodand11%asneedingimprovement.Theratingforproblemsolvingwasexemplaryandgoodstatingthatthechallengestudentshadwastothinkoutoftheboxalthoughtheywereabletothinkcriticallyanduseproblem-solvingtechniques.Review:67%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplaryand33%asgoodmentioningthatstudentswereinvigoratedtoreviewtheirworkinordertosucceed,theylearnedfromerrorsandwereeagertomakeitbettercontinuouslymakingchangesandlearningfromthem.Theylearnedfromtheirerrorsandexplorednewwaystoapproachproblem.

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ManagingTasks:44%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplary,44%asgoodand11%asneedingimprovementinordertoworkindependently.Thosethatdidnotmeettheexemplaryratinghadachallengetorespectandcompletethetaskswithintheassignedtime.Exemplarymeantthattheteamtooktheinitiativetodefinetasks,setatimeline,matchassignmentstoexpertise,shareresponsibilities,maintainopencommunication,anddevelopstrategiestoenhancegroupsuccess.Documentation:33%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplary,56%asgoodand11%asneedingimprovement.Theexemplaryprovidedacomprehensivecollectionofwork,writtennotes,sketch,design,pictures,dataisdocumentedandorganizedinabookletwhilegoodmeantthatthedatawassummarizedinabookletbutcouldhavebeenmoreorganized.Thosethatneededimprovementlackeddocumentationtosupporttheirproject.Collaboration:44%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplaryand56%asgood.Allgroupswereabletodevelopstrategiesforsuccess,anddemonstrateunderstandingofhowtheproblem-solvingprocessrelatestootheractivities.Severalteachersmentionedthat“collaborationhelpedthemtogettoknoweachotherbetterwhichalsohelpedeachonetoknowthemselves.Thiswasimportantbecausetheyknewthemselvesmore,sotheycommunicatedbetterwiththeircommunityandwitheachother.”Communication:44%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplaryand56%asgood.Theygaveexamplesofhowstudentscouldexplaintheirproject,theconcepts,principles,andprocesseswiththeirownwords,justifyingtheiranswers,andshowingtheirreasoning.Thosethatselectedgoodstatedthatstudentsfacedchallengestoarticulateandexplainclearlytheirideas.Sharingknowledge:44%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplaryand56%asgood.Theexemplarygroupteammembersallworkedtogethertogainknowledge,apply,synthesizeandexchangewhattheylearntastheylistenedrespectfullytotheopinionsofothers.Thegroupsthatwereratedgooddidnotshareknowledgeconsistently.Reflection:44%ofteachersratedstudents’projectonthisindicatorasexemplaryand56%asgood.Thosethatselectedexemplarystatedthatstudentswereabletoclearlyandconciselyarticulatewhattheygainedintheprocess.Teachersreportedthatstudentsdemonstratedmetacognitiveawarenessandabilitytoreflectonself-knowledge,useproductivehabitsofmind,andreflectonthemeaningoftheexperience.Twoteamswereabletodescribetheproblem-solvingprocess,butwerenotabletocriticallyassesshowwellitwasappliedtothecurrentproblem.

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Findings

Thedatarevealsfindingsworthexploringfurtherinthelargerframeworkofprovidingeducationtorefugeeparticularlyinfragilesocio-economiccontexts.Thefindingsthatappearedpredominantlyinthepre-interventionfocusgroupsandthesituationanalysisrevealedthechallengespropertotheinfluxofSyrianrefugeesandthecontextoflearningcontextsinLebanon.Thosearegroupedunderthreemainsectionsandspeakaboutschoolviolenceanddrop-outandanalarmingdrop-outratenotonlyofSyriansbutLebanesestudentstoo,achallengetoadapttoadifferentlearningcultureandunpreparedteacherswholackedskillsandhadafixedmind-setaboutthesituationandwhattheycoulddoaboutit.Thepre-interventionsituationanalysispriortostartingtheinterventionisexplainedhereafter:Pre-InterventionSituationAnalysisViolenceandSchoolDrop-outDespitealltheworkexertedonchildprotectionbyMEHE(RACEIIreport)evidenceofviolencewasseeninthevastnumberofharmfulobjectsconfiscatedontheschoolpremises. Violencewasalsoreported by principals and educators as a serious problem among Syrian students with negativeconsequenceson the Lebanesepopulation and a highdrop-out rate of host community students.Situationsthatstartaroundsmalldisputesquicklyescalatetoviolentencounterswithintensitywhichisusuallynotinproportionwiththeissuesthatgetschildrensodeeplyupset.Eventhegamestheyplayareviolent.Aboy,forexample,beathissisterreallyhardjustbecauseshehadabettergradethanhiminMath.However,althoughearlierreports,citechildrenreportingincidenceofviolenceastheprincipalreasonfordroppingout(Jalbout,20154),thequestionremainsanunresolvedchallenge,evidenceofwhichisthattherearenoafternoonshiftsforHighSchoolstudentsdespitetheenormousworkthatisexertedsincethestartofthecrisis.AdaptingtoaDifferentCultureSyrianparentsexpecttheirchildrentoworkafterschoolevenatanearlyage,asyoungas9years,tocontribute to the family income; they work in the fields, stores, workshops, or restaurants forexample.Theimpactisthattheyoftencometoclasstiredorhavenotcompletedtheirhomeworkbutontheotherhand,teachersfoundthatthismakesthemalsoresponsibleatayoungeragethantheirpeers.Aside frombeingworkingstudents,Syrianchildrencultivatedeep respectcontrastingwith fearofteachersandtheoverallsystemwithastrongsentimentoffrightofphysicalpunishment.Teachersreportedthat,atthebeginningoftheschoolyear,whentheywalkinclassalongtherowsofdesks,invariably children bend to hide their heads with their arm as if they were going to be slapped.Furthermore,althoughSyriansandLebaneseareMiddleEasterncultures,thelanguageofinstructionisArabicinSyriawhileitiseitherFrenchorEnglishinLebanon.ThismadeitmorechallengingonSyrianchildrenwhohadsufferedwar,hadnohome,andhadtoadapttoadifferentcultureincludinglearningcoresubjectsinaforeignlanguage.UnpreparedTeachersandLackofMotivationWiththeexceptionofafewteacherswhoreportedusingactiveteachingandlearningmethodologiesmosteducatorsreferredtoteachingasdeliveringcontentratherthanskills.Allfingerswerepointedattheoldcurriculum(datingbackto1998)thatencouragesteacherstoperpetuaterotelearningandpreparestudentstopassexam.Educatorsfeltunpreparedtodealwith

4https://www.brookings.edu/research/will-the-technology-disruption-widen-or-close-the-skills-gap-in-the-middle-east-and-north-africa/

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thechallengesandrepeatedlyreportedalackofmotivationtolearnandbeingunabletomotiveandinterestlearners.FixedMind-SetsWhatisafixedmind-set?Essentially,agrowthmindsetasopposedtoafixedmind-set“allowsindividualstochangeandgrowthroughapplication,effortandexperience”(Dweck,20065).Dweckdescribesthefixedmindsetas“astatewhereyoubelievethatyourqualitiesarecarvedinstone”(ibid)whicharguablyinhibitspeoplefromtakingrisksorventuringoutoftheircomfortzoneastheyonlykeepdoingwhattheyknowhowtodo.Researchshowthatgrowthmindset(Dweck&Snyder6)perseveranceandgrit(Duckworth,2016)arepredictorsofsuccessnotonlyineducationbutinone’sprofessionallife”(Duckworth,p347).Hence,the“non-cognitivecharactertraitofgrit,isacriticalindicatorofsuccessandlong-termgoalachievementandstudentswithagrowthmindsetaresignificantlygrittierthanstudentswithafixedmindset”(Duckworth,p.180).Fixedmind-setsofeducatorsandstudentsEducatorsandstudentsstartedtheinterventionwithfixedmind-sets;theydidnotbelievethattheywereabletoengagesuccessfullyintheinterventionanddoubtedtheircapacitiesandabilitiestolearnhowtousethetechnologyinteachingorlearning.Infact,manystudentsthoughtthattheywereunabletodoanythingandexpressedthisatthebeginningoftheirexperience.Althoughtechnologywasperceivedbyeducatorsasamotivatingtooltheyfounditchallengingbecauseoftheirlackofpriorknowledgeandcapacities.Theyconsideredtheyoungergenerationofcontractualteachersmorepronetolearninghowtousetechnologywhilecadreteachers,usuallyclosetotheretirementage,beinglessinclinedtoadoptingandusingnewtechnologies.Inaddition,therewasasentimentofdisempowermentwhichwasexpressedearlyoninthepre-interventionfocusgroupsacrossstakeholders.Actually,thecrisisdrainedschools,increasingtheloadofadministrativeworkinanextremelytop-downbureaucraticsystemwhichrequiredadditionalpaperworkforanythingandeverythingthatneedstobedoneatschool.Acrossthedata,educators,mentionedfeelingoverwhelmedbyclassroomviolence,thelanguagebarrierandthevariousdifferentlevelsintheirclasseswhichslowedeveryonedown.Furthermore,studentslackedself-esteemandconfidenceanddidnotbelievedtheycouldlearnhowtousethetechnology.ThosechallengesdepicttheoverallfixedmindsetofeducatorsandstudentsandtheoverwhelmingsituationinwhichtheDLIinterventiontookplace.

5https://ed.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/manual/dweck-walton-cohen-2014.pdf6https://www.strategy-business.com/article/ac000477Duckworth,A.L.,Peterson,C.,Matthews,M.D.,&Kelly,D.R.(2007).Grit:Perseveranceandpassionforlong-termgoals.JournalofPersonalityandSocialPsychology,92(6),1087–1101.https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087

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TheImpactoftheInterventionFortheintervention,theteamusedthecontentdevelopedfortheproject,selectedtheadequatetechnologicalequipmentresourceswhichwerecoupledwithapedagogicallearningprocess.Teachersreceivedthepedagogicaldigitalresourcesdevelopedfortheprojectintheformsofguidesandtutorialswithongoingsupportandtheirpedagogicaluseisexplainedinthenextgoal.Inadditiontotheequipmentprovided,IEAincorporatedavarietyofelectronictoolsalongsideseveralsoftwarepackagessuchasWhatsAppthatseemlikefixturestotheexistingmobilephonecultureusedbyteachersandstudents.Thefindingsinthissectioncontributetodeepenourunderstandingoftherelevanceofinterventionwhichhadatransformativeimpactonteachersandstudentsfarbeyondthetools.Educatorsreportedatransformativedimensionintheirpracticesandwaysofthinkingwithmotivationtoteachandlearn,strengthenedcapacitiesandatransformationofculturearoundtheproject,moresocialcohesion,commitmentofstudentstolearning,moreautonomyandself-regulatedwork,gritandself-confidence.Keyinsightsfromthecasestudiesbelowareusedinthesub-sequentsection.CaseStudy1:TheSmartGlassesfortheVisuallyImpairedLevel:SecondarySchool,Region:BekaaShafic,theprincipaloftheschoolintheBekaa,hadfirstnotshowngreatenthusiasmtoparticipateintheprogramduetonegativepastexperiencewithICT-basedinitiatives.HefollowedcarefullytheprogressoftheteamatschoolwhoworkedonasmartglassesprojectcreatedforAlia,a12yearsoldgirlwhosquintsandhasaseverelyimpairedvision.ShenowplaysatschoolwithoutbeingridiculedbyherclassmatesanddoesnotbumpintothingsorpeopleanymorebecauseherSmartGlassesinformherhowclosesheisgettingtothem;soshestopsattherightdistanceandlooksasnormalaseverychildaroundher!TheSmartGlassesfortheVisuallyImpairedhavebeendesignedandbuiltbytwoLebanesegirls,Mariam(Alia’ssister)andManal,andtheirSyrianrefugeeclassmates,Akram,Mahmoud,andKamal,whoarestudentsofGrades10and11inapublicschool,intheBekaa,Lebanon.Akramdideverythingtobeexpelledwiththeintentiontoworkandhelphisfatherfinancially.Hisparentsweredivorced,hewasfailinghissubjectsandhisteachersweredesperateaskingtheprincipaltodosomethingaboutit.ShadidescribedAkramasathugwhowasseverallyill-behavedbeyondanyone’simagination.Ratherthanexpellinghimandlettinghimgoastraythroughdangerouspaths,heassignedhimtotheDLICoder-Makerproject.Akrambecamethedrivingforceoftheproject’steamwhodistributedtheresearchtasksamongthemselvesoncetheyhadidentifiedtheresearchquestion.InadditiontocaringaboutAlia’scondition,theteamwasconcernedthatmechanismofthesmartglassesmighthaveanegativeimpactonherbrain.Asaresult,theyconductedextensiveresearchwithsupportfromtheirtechnologyteacherMohammadwhosoughtsupportfromtheScienceteacher.Theteamdiscussedtheirplansandambitionsduringworkingsessionsandadjustedtheirgoalstobemorerealisticandachievable.Todesign,code,andwiretheglasses,theyoftenstayedatschoolintheafternoontill6pmandsometimescontinuedtheirresearchandtestsinthehomeofAyshaandhersisterMariamwheretheywerereceivedbytheirparents.Withthehelpoftheteam,Akramstartedstudyingbetterandhisgradesimproved,particularlyinSciences(from20outof60inphysics,heearned56almostthreetimesbetter).Hewasmotivatedtolearnwhichpuzzledhisfatherwhovisitedtheschooltounderstandthetransformationinbehaviourandachievement.Hewantedtoknowwhathissonwasdoingandthankedtheprincipalandteacher.Duringtheinterview,Akramarticulatedaclearmissionstatementfortheteam’sprojectsayingwithemotioninhisvoice,“Iwillonlystopwhennooneiscalledblind.”Hementionedfeeling“happinessinside”whenhesawtheimpactonAliaandherjoytobeabletomovearoundindependently.

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Akram’svisionistocontinueworkingontheprojecttohelpvisuallyimpairedpeopletohaveasnormalalifeaspossibleandnotbelabelledassuch.Heknowshewouldliketofocusonvisionandtechnologyinhisfuturestudies.Today,eachteammemberknowswhattheywanttostudy:Akramwantstospecialiseineyevision,KamalwantstobeanEngineer,MahmoudwantstostudyComputerScienceandMariamwantstodoMarketing.

Figure13:SmartGlassesTeam:fromrightMariam,Aysha,Mahmoud,Akram,andManal.

Duringthisfirststage,theglassesareequippedwithaRaspberryPicomputer,anultrasonicsensor,andamotorthatvibratesatdifferentintensitieswhenanobstacleisinfrontofAliaat3,1.5,and0.5m.Inthesecondstagetheywillinstallalightersensor,a3Dcameratoidentifythingsaroundher,andelectroniccomponentstocommunicatebetterwiththebrain.Inaddition,theteamparticipatedinthe2ndLebanonRaspberryPiCompetitionandwonthefirstprizeintheSecondarySchoolcategory.TheywererecognizedontheschoolFacebookpageandteacherswerestartledatthechange.Theresultswerebeyondtheirexpectations,theyhadwonthestudentsandtherewasmorecohesionatschool,evenattractingtheinterestofparentswhohadtheirchildrenregisteredinprivateschools.

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CaseStudy2:DetectorofTwoPersonsinSchoolToiletsLevel:IntermediarySchool,Region:MountLebanon

AmirateachesmathandsciencesinMiddleSchoolandRandateachessocialsciencesandmathinelementaryschoolinapublicschoolinMountLebanon.TheyarebothcadreteachersandjoinedtheDLIprojectinthefirstroundofworkshopsanddevelopedaprojectwiththeirstudentstopreventsexualharassmentinschooltoilets.Thesecondyear,theyeachintegratedtheprojectintheirclassesandAmirataughtanadditionalhouroftechnologytograde7.Theirprincipalwasverysupportiveandfollowedtheprojectclosely.

Thefirstyear,theirstudentscame-upwiththeideaofpreventingsexualharassmentinschooltoiletsbecauseonetendstothinkoftheproblemafteritoccurs,sotheythoughtoffindingwaystopreventthingslikethatfromhappeningratherthanlamentwhenitistoolate.Teachersexplained:“ifsuchanacthappensinatoilet,noonewillknowaboutit,andevenifanyoneknows,itwillbetoolate.So,hereistheCoder-Makertothinkaboutasatooltosolvethatproblem.(Teacher,Coder-MakerReflectivereport)

Theideaappearedtobeextremelychallenging,buttheyfeltexcitedbytheencouragementoftheirpeers,teachersandprincipalsduringtheworkshopsandworkingsessions.Itstimulatedthemtremendously.Thequestiontheyaskedthemselveswas:Howmighttechnologybeusedtodetecttwopersonsinthetoilet?Thesevenparticipatingstudents,fourSyriansandthreeLebanese,metregularlyeverydaywiththeirteachersatthebreakbutalsoonSaturdays.Theyallhadamazingenergyandcommitmenttotheproject.TheylearntPythonprogrammingandworkedonsomedesignchallengeswiththeirteacher.

Earlyonintheproject,oneoftheSyrianstudentsinvitedafriendofhis:“Joinus,Iamsureyouwilllovewhatwearedoing”.Indeed,hejoinedtheteamandtheymetregularlydespitethefactthattwooftheSyrianstudentswereworkingduringtheweekendsandsomeevenings.

Thedifficultpartoftheprojectwastodesignasolution.Theysketchedandimaginedvariousdesignsastheyexploredallsortsofsensorsthinkingthatalthoughacameramightdetectpeopleinthebathroom,itisnotpossibletouseone.Sowhattypeofsensorsmightdetecttwopersonsinatoilet?

TheycontactedaprofessorofroboticsengineeringinSweden.Hesaidthatthisprojectwastoocomplexforgrade8and9studentsbecauseitrequireddeeperknowledgeandhigherskills.Theytookitasachallengeandkeptworking,visitedseveralelectronicstoresinLebanonandexploredtheCoder-MakerDigitalLearningInnovationskit.

ThesupporttheygotduringvisitsoftheCoder-Makerteam,discussionsandworkingsessionshelpedtheminmanyways,particularlywhentheyfeltdiscouragedafterresearchingandtestingalltypesofsensors.Theylaterrealizedthattheyhadtothinkdifferentlyandthattheprojectwasnotjustaboutthesensors.Theystartedbysketchingtheirprototypeanddiscussedtheirdrawingandhypothesisduringworkingsessionswithtrainersandvolunteers.Ideaswentbackandforth,theproblemseemedverycomplicatedandtheystartedtofeeldesperateagain.Itisthroughinvestigatingdifferenthypothesiswhichtheyanalysedandevaluatedwiththeirsketchesthatthescenariosstartedtomakesenseandtheyfoundthesolution.Theybuiltamock-upofthetoiletstoscalewithadooropeningtotheoutsideandnotreachingthefloororceiling.Theycodedtheirsolutionsandgottwofigurinesandtestedallsortsofscenarios,wheretoputthem,whatandhowtheymightdetectsomeonecominginorthemovementoftheperson(s).

Thesolutionrevealeditselftobemuchsimplerthananticipatedandtheywereabletosolveitwithonlytwoultrasonicsensors.Astheprojectcametocompletion,grade9studentspresentedand

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passedtheBrevetNationalexamsandwenttoadifferentSecondaryschoolwhereoneoftheirteacherswantedtodoaprojectaroundracingcars.Mahmoud,said,“whatpurposeistheretoinvestmytimeonsuchaproject,howisithelpingothers?…Iprefertocomehereandcontinueworkingontheprojectandbuildarealprototype”.Allstudentsstillcometotheiroldschooltoworkontheprojectinordertodevelopafullprototype.ThisisdonewithsupportfromIEAandFMB.

Figure14:SexualHarassmentPreventionProjectTeamexplainingtheprojecttoIDRCProgramDirector

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CaseStudy3:SmartTunnelSecondarySchool,Region:Beirut

LeilateachesScienceandistechnologysavvy,aMicrosoftInnovativeTeacherFellow,MicrosoftInnovativeTeacherExpert,BritishCouncilValidatedTrainerandBritishCouncilSchoolAmbassador.ShehaswonseveralawardsandjoinedCoder-Makerinthesecondroundofteachertrainingafterseeinghowherstudentslearnedinahackathon.SheworkedwithagroupthathadrefugeesfromSyria(n=2)andSudan(n=1)workingonaprojectwithtwoLebanesestudents.Theywereofmixedabilities,somewereill-behavedstudents,didnotknowtheirowninterestsorhowtoexpressthemselves.

Studentsdecidedtoworkonroadsafetybecauseofthelargenumberofcaraccidentsthatoccurinfrontoftheschool’sgate.Theydecidedtocreateasmarthumpanddivedintotheprojectdesign,developmentandcoding.Throughdiscussionswithtrainersinworkingsessionsandconsultationswithcommunitymemberstheyrealisedthattheprojectwasnotviable.Leilathoughttheywouldgive-upanddiscusseditwiththem.Theyreflectedontheprocessandexplainedhowtheymademistakes,jumpedintoconclusionandrushedtostartcoding,tobuildandtofinishtheproject.Theyhaddoneverylittleresearchanddevelopedanidea“intheirheads”whichtheythoughtwouldwork.Theydecidedtostartagainontherighttrackandinvestigatedotherissues.Theydecidedtoworkontheproblemofcongestionsinthetunnelnexttotheirschoolandtocreateasystemthatwouldwarnpeopleofcongestionstoavoidthatroad;therewerealsoadditionalfeaturestohelphealthybreathinginthetunnelduringcongestions.Theyplanned,researchedindepth,hypothesisedandcompletedtheirprojectconsultingexpertsandcheckingwithcommunitymembers.Intheinterviews,herstudentswerefocusedandexplainedhowthisprojecthelpedthemtothinkcritically,solveproblems,reflectandunderstandconcepts,notonlycodeorcreateandLeilawaspuzzledhowstudentsdevelopedsuchcriticalandreflectivethinking,whichwassodifficulttoachieveinotherprojects.

Figure15:SmartTunnelTeamsharingtheirDLIprojectatEdEx2018

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CaseStudy4:ProtectOurEnvironmentLevel:ElementarySchool,Region:Shouf

Malakisa14-year-oldSyrianstudentandRimaisa10-year-oldLebanesestudent.MalakandRimawerepartoftheDLICoder-MakergroupthatwereusingtechnologytolearnEnglishandgaindigitalskills.Malaklivesnexttotheschoolandusedtowatchwithenvyallstudentsgointoitwhileshewasdoingherhome’schores.Shewaitedpatientlytobeadmitted,whichwasparticularlychallengingbecauseshehadmissedthreeyearsofschoolwhenshefirstarrivedtoLebanonfromSyria.Shealsohadnofriends.Duringthefirstinterview,shepracticallysaidveryfewwordsandspokewithaverysoftvoice.

MalakandRima’saimwastocreateaplayusingScratchandinvolvetheschoolcommunity,parentsandstudentstoraiseawarenessabouttheenvironment.Ontheirwaytoschool,theytookpicturesoftheirenvironmentwhichtheydownloadedontheirRPistationsanddiscussedwithteachers.Theybuilttheirvocabularywhichmatchedthethemeoftheenvironment.Towritetheirstory,theydrewastoryboardonpaper,learnedhowtosearchtheInternet,usedthewordstheyhadlearnedandstartedmakingshortsentenceswhichtheycheckedwiththeirteachers.TheykeptusingGoogletotranslateandpracticenewwordsandsentencesandslowlytheyfoundthemselvesateasewiththelanguage.ThestoryboardwassentbackandforthtotheDLItrainersfirstasastorywithwords,thenthewordsweredrawnintoScratchblockswiththecommandsnexttothem.Theirsecondstepwastoinvitetheirpeersinplayingandcreatingtheirowngamesaboutenvironmentalissues.

Inthepostinterviewschoolvisit,Malak,thereservedSyrianstudentwhousedtospeakwithsuchalowvoice,youcouldhardlyhearher,wasteaching5studentshowtouseScratch.WhenaskedwhattheyusedScratchfor,shesaidwithanassertivevoice:“tocreateaplay…abouttheenvironment”.ShewasactuallyteachingagroupofSyriansfromtheafternoonclasshowtouseScratchandcreatetheirownstories.Shewasassertiveandhadabigsmileonherface.AccordingtoMalak,theprojectwasverybeneficial,notonlybecausetheygainedtechnologicalskills,butbecausetheprocesshelpedhertolearnEnglishandhavefriends.Shefoundlearningfunandenjoyable.Malak’steachersmentionedtheradicalandrapidchangethattheyhadnoticed;herteachersknewherfortwoyears;notonlyshehadgainedself-confidenceandengagedwithothers(shewasconstantlyalone)butdoingwellatschool.

Figure16:ProtectingOurEnvironmentTeamwritingtheirstory

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Keyfindingsfromthecasesandthedatashowgrowthmind-sets,amotivationtoteachandlearn,enhanceteachers’practices,enhancedlearningoutcomes,schoolcultureandmoresocialcohesion.Thoseareexplainedbelow:MotivationtoTeachandLearnFroma lackofmotivationand interest,participantsshowedadeepmotivationtoteachandlearn.StudentslikeAkramwhowasathugshowedaprofoundtransformationevenbeyondthemotivationtolearn.Studentsalsomentionedthatabetterunderstandingofconceptsandmeaningmaking“weunderstandSciencesbetter,particularlyPhysics”. Motivationwasalsoreportedbyteachers inallfourcases,Mahmoudforexamplesaid,“Iammotivatedtoteach, Ihavestarteddreamingagain”.Motivation to teach and learnwas evident across thedata, particularly duringobservations as allteamsshowedaveryhighmotivationandcommitmenttotheirprojects, inteachersandstudents’reflectionsandanswerstoquestions.Therewasunanimousagreement(100%)thattheprojectwasmotivatingforeveryone.

Teachers’PracticesAlthoughteacherscamefromdifferentbackgrounds,allofthemmentionedtheyhadbenefitedandgrownprofessionally.Evidenceofthisappearsinteachers’reflection,post-interventionfocusgroupandinterviewsandthefourcasestudies.Amira,forexample,statedshefelt“bornagain”andLeilastatedshefelt“new”.Thefourteachersmentionedthattheywereabletonurtureskillsthattheywerenotabletoinstilinotherinitiatives.Supportingevidencetowardsthisismentionedbyteachersin the four case studies, and include critical, creative, and reflective thinking and solving real-lifeproblemsbutalsoadditionalonessuchascomputationalthinkingwhichareskillsthataregenerallydifficulttoinstilandevenmoresoinsuchafragilecontext.Allteachersmentionedgettingtoknowtheirstudentsbetter,howtheythinkandlearn.Evidenceofthisisdescribedbyeducatorsinhownewconversationswereinitiatedaroundstudents’projectsandthus enhanced communication and healthy relationships between all stakeholders (students-students, teachers-students, teachers-students-principal, students-principal, students-parents)includingcommunicationbetweenstudentsandteachers.Asaresultoftheintervention,teacherswere able in a relatively short while, only six days of trainingwith ongoing support andworkingsessions,toadoptanopen-endedproblem-orientedtechnology-enhancedapproachandsucceededtoguidetheirstudentstocreateinnovativeprojectssurmountingincrediblechallengesinahighlyrigidand bureaucratic school system. In addition, although anecdotal, there is evidence of improvedachievementswithstudentssuchasAkramwithgradesalmostthreetimeshigher.

SchoolCultureandSocialCohesionInaddition,educatorsandprincipalsmentionedtransformationaroundtheschoolculturewithmoresocial cohesion, collegiality and collaboration around students’ project, be it between teachers,betweenstudentsorwiththeprincipalswhichmadethebureaucracyaroundprojectworkseemlessoverbearing.ThiswastransparentinthecasestudieswithteacherssuchasAmira,Randa,LeilaandMahmoudreferringtotheirprincipals’trustandflexibilityasinstrumentaltomitigatethechallengesthey faced, particularly transportation to workshops and working sessions and staying at schooladditionaltimetoworkontheproject.Fromschoolviolence,disruptivebehaviour,or students’ feeling inwardat thestartof theproject,teachersmentionedmore harmony and social cohesion, between teams and at school. Thiswasnoticeable inhowSyriansandLebanesecollaboratedwithouta singledisputehappeningover thespanoftheproject.Thiswasmentionedbyeducatorsinthefourcasestudies.Allteachersmentionedconstructive collaborationbut also social learningwhereby students caredand contributed to thecommunityshowingethicalresponsibilitytowardsthepeopleimpactedbytheirproject.

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CommitmenttoLearningInaclimatewherethereissuchahigh-dropoutrate,students’commitmentwasnoticedacrosstheinterventionandnoticeableinthefourcasestudies.Akramforexamplewantedtodropschooltohelphisfather,buthefeltcommittedtotheteamandtolearning,fromaschoolthugwhichcouldhaveendedinonemoreschooldrop-outhenowseeshisfutureintherealityofScienceandTechnology.Thesameappliestoallstudentswhoarecommittedtolearningtoimprovingtheirfuture.Studentsshowedadeepcommitmenttooneanother,oftenwaitingforthosethathadworkcommitmenttobeabletojoin.Theyexpressedamissiontowardstakingactionforsocialgoodinacontextwheretheyhadtooftenworktosupporttheirparentsandsometimestheirexistencewasatstake.

Self-regulationandAwarenessofLearningTeachersinthefourcasestudies,similarlytoLeila,mentionedashiftingparadigminplanninglearning.Leilaforexample,hasin-depthexperienceinproject-basedlearningpedagogyandisaMicrosoftInnovateTeachersandaBritishCouncilTrainerandAmbassador.Fromplanningaloneandtellingstudentswhattodo,sheshiftedtoincludingthemintheprocessandstudentswereabletoself-regulate,organisethemselvesandberesponsibleforcompletingtheirprojectontime.Whilealmostallteachersmentionedthatstudentswereabletoself-regulate,thefourteachersinthecasestudiesstressedstudents’metacognitiveskillsandtheirabilitytoreflectonwhattheyhadlearning.

TransferableSkillsAsreportedintherubric,studentsgainedtransferableskillssuchastovariousdegreesproblem-solving,criticalthinking,empathy,self-confidence,communication,collaborative,perseveranceandself/groupmanagementskills.Thoseskillswerereportedbyallteachersandwerereflectedthrough-outtheprocessinhowstudentsworkedtogether,organizedtheirwork,connectedwiththecommunityandinvestedthemselvestounderstandandsolvetheproblemtheydecidedtoaddressasateam.Allstudentsshowedself-confidenceandweremoreconsciousofthemselvesandthecommunityaroundthem.Evidenceofthatwasnoticeablewhentheypresentedtheirprojectsandexplainedindetailstheprojectpurposeandfunctionalities.ThiswasmentionedbyprincipalsandteachersandbyofficialsatMEHEduringtheexhibitionofprojects.

Perseverancetosolveproblemswasmostfrequentlymentionedacrossthedataandwasstressedbythefourteacherssayingtheirstudentswereworkingtirelesslytoachievetheirgoalsandtheyhaddiscoveredasideoftheirstudentsthattheyhadneverimagined.Thisisremarkableinanenvironmentwithsuchahighdrop-outrate,givingthemhopetosolveanyfutureproblem.Gritisadistinctcombinationofpassion,resilience,determination,andfocusthatallowsapersontomaintainthedisciplineandoptimismtopersevereintheirgoalseveninthefaceofdiscomfort,rejection,andalackofvisibleprogressforyears,orevendecades,(AngelaDuckworth,2016).Duckworthdefinitionofgritissimilartohowteachersdescribedtheirstudents’passionastheyworkedrelentlesslytoachievetheirgoals.

Students’AchievementsStudents skills and learning were enhanced; they cared more about their subjects and aimed atperformingbetter.Thiswasreportedbymostteachers,andstressedbytheteachersinthefourcasestudies,sayingthattheyare“betterstudents”.Leilamentionedthatherstudentscaredtodowellbecause theydidnotwant todisappoint their teacher; they feltprivileged tobepartof the teamworkingontheprojectandhencetheystudiedmore. Althoughtheaimoftheprojectwasnottoassesstheimpactoftheprojectonstudents’grades,exceptionalstoriessuchasAkramwhowasfailinghissciencesubject(26/60)butpassedthem(56/60)werereportedso it isworthfurtherexploring

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students’achievementinalongitudinalrigorousstudyinordertoascertainthelongtermimpactofsuchanintervention.GrowthMind-SetTeachersandstudentswereabletoseethemselvesasableandcapableofdoingandtakingonatask.Studentsperceivedthemselvesasproblem-solverswiththeabilitytofaceproblemsofthefuture;thiswasevidentindiscussionswithallstudentsparticularlyAkramandMahmoudandwasconsistentinthediscussionswithallstudents.Teachersinthefourcasestudiesmentionedbeingsurprisedbytheirstudents’abilitiesnotonlytolearnbutmostlytoproblem-solve,reflectonwhatwasworkingornotandadjusttheirprojecttoreachasolution.Theymentionedthingslike“discovering”theirstudentsbutalso“trusting”theirabilitiesandperceivinganaspectoftheirstudentswhichtheycouldn’thaveperceivedbefore.Teachers’mind-setsandperceptionofrefugeelearnerschanged,seeingapositiveimpactonthemwhentheycollaborated;afterthepresentationattheMinistryofEducationforexample,Amirastatedforexampleinherreflection,“whosaidthatSyrianrefugeescan’tlearnwithLebanese”orateacherintheSouthsayingtherewasmoreacceptanceofothersinthegroup.

Students’ConsiderationsofHigherEducationThecareercampheldaspartoftheinterventionunveiledunexpectedareaswithageneralfeelingofdisempowerment; findings revealed that 50% of male students considered higher educationinaccessibleandfinanciallyunreachableandwereconsideringvocationalortechnicalfields.Noneofthemknewtheycouldgetascholarshiporeverconsideredlearningonlineasapossibility.Outthe50%whoconsideredhighereducationtheircareeroptionsweretheclassicparents’choicesincludingjournalism,engineering,teaching,pilotsanddoctors.Furthermore,thecamprevealedthatmostofthestudentslackedknowledgeofselfandwereunabletoexpresstheirowninterests.Basedonthosefindings,andtoremedythelowturn-outofgirlsatthecamp,theDLIteamintegratedthoseelementsby strengthening the component of “self and knowing one’s interest” as part of DLI which wasdiscussedagainwithteachersatthecompletionofprojectstore-capturewheretheirinterestmayleadthem.Inthismanner,careerguidancewasintegratedaspartoftheDLIinterventionthusimpactingamuchlargerportionofstudentsultimatelyleadingtoahigherinfluenceongirls.Acrosstheintervention,studentswhoengagedintheDLIhadaveryclearoptionofwhattheywanttobecomeandwhattheyshouldstudytoreachit.StudentssuchasMahmoudandAkramareexamplesbutthisappliesacrossthedatawithgirlsselectingchoicessuchasmarketing,graphicdesign,photographybutalsoelectricalengineering, computers studies and teaching. Amongst boys themajority selected STEM-relatedcareerchoicesincludingcomputerscience,biomedicalandelectricalengineersandagribusiness.Acomparisonbetweenthefirst18studentsversusthechoicesofallstudentsshowedthatbyengaginginteamsandtakingondifferentresponsibilitiesduringtheproject,studentsweremuchmoreawareof their talents andhadmuch sharperunderstandingand knowledgeof the fieldwhere lied theirinterestsandpassionswithamuchwiderhorizonandadeterminationtopursuetheirdream.

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Analysis

Theresearchfindingsshowadeepimpactonparticipantswithextendedimpactonsocietywhichisconsiderabletakinginconsiderationthechallengesthattheywerefacing,thelackofcapacityandtheirskepticismtoengageeffectivelyatthestartoftheintervention.Theanalysisdiscussestheimpactonteachers,studentsandtheextendedimpactonthewholeschoolandcommunityaroundtheproject.

ImpactonTeachersIndeed,teacherswereabletoengageeffectivelyintheinterventionandtomakelearningmuchmorerelevanttotheirstudentsinaproblem-orientedpedagogy.Furthermore,theygainedskillsandwereabletoengagetheirstudentsinpurposefulandmeaningfulproblemsolving,criticalthinkingandcreativityenhancingtheirmetacognitiveandself-regulationskills,promotingconstructivedialogue,collaborativeandpeerlearning.Thisisremarkableinapost-conflictsituationparticularlyinacontextwherelearningis,toalargeextent,focusedoncontentdeliveryasexplainedbyteachersatthestartoftheintervention.Inaddition,severalteachers,suchasLeila,mentionedthattheinterventionhelpedthemtoaddressthoseskills,someofthosebeingparticularlychallengingtoinfuseinteachingsuchasempathy,metacognitiveandself-regulationskills.Arguably,thiscontributedtostudents’growthonmultipleaxesofsocialandemotionallearningasdescribedinthecasestudies.Indeed,theydevelopedandexpressedempathy,gainedconfidence,self-esteemandarticulatedwithcommitmentthemissionoftheirproject.Again,whilethisisimportanttoallstudents,itisevenmoresointhecaseofrefugeesconsideringtheirpsycho-socialneeds,thehigh-drop-outrateandthelackofmotivationorinterestinlearning.

Furthermore,teacherssuchasLeila,Randa,AmiraandMahmoud,reportedtransformedconversationsaroundlearningandbuildingtruly“authenticrelationships”(Fullan,2005)withstudents,amongststudents,betweenstudentsandparents,betweenteamsandschoolprincipalsbutalsoallaroundtheschoolandinthecommunity.AsexplainedbyFullan(2005),thisshouldnotbeunderminedbecausebuildingrelationshipshasshowntobecrucialwhenengagingstudentsinthelearningprocess.Indeed,effectiveschooling,

"indicatesthattheteacher-studentrelationshipisattheheartofthelearningprocess.Thisisnotsimplyaphilosophicpropositionemergingfromabeliefinequity,butapracticalcontributortoeffectiveschools…andstudentrespondsbestwhentherelationshipwiththeteacherisauthenticthatisbothteacherandstudentseethemselvesaspartnersinthelearningprocess,andthereismutualrespectandacceptanceandreciprocalexpectation"(p:117)}(Fullan,20058)

This“authenticity”asexplainedbyMahmoud’sprincipal,extendedintheschoolaroundtheprojectbutalsointhewidercommunityasmentionedinthefindings.Thisisremarkableconsideringthechallengesthatteachersexpressedbeforestartingsuchasdisengagedlearners,fearfromphysicalpunishment,lackofself-esteemorill-behavedstudents.Furthermore,theoverallmotivationtolearnwasclearlysensedwithstudents’transformationfromdisruptivetowellbehavedlearnerswithagenuineappetiteandcommitmenttolearning.Consideringthesituationanalysiswhichdescribedastyleofteachingpredominantlyfocusedoncontentdeliveryandalackofmotivationtolearn,itissignificantthatsuchresultswerepossiblewithonlysixdaysofprofessionaldevelopmentcoupledbyworkingsessionsandcommunityevents.

8MichaelFullan;FundamentalChange,InternationalHandbookofEducationalChange-Springer(2005)

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Indeed,inarelativelyshorttime,DLIhasenrichededucatorsenablingthemtoprovidepurposefulandauthenticlearningtostudents.Teachersgainedseveralskillsofthemosteffectivelearningstrategies(EEF,SIH9)whicharguablycontributedtomakingthembetterteachersfarbeyondlearninghowtousetechnologyonly.Thus,suchaninterventionbringsamuchdeeperunderstandingofthetransformativepotentialsofdigitallyassistedlearningparticularlyinpostconflictorprotractedsituation.Whatisfantastic,isthatthosegainedskillsaretransferableandteacherscanapplythem,withorwithouttechnology,beyondthisinterventionmakingthisapproachavailabletoalltheirstudents.Withsuchprinciplesanddeepimpactonteachingandlearning,itisworthconsideringDLIinterventionsaspartofin-serviceteacherprofessionaldevelopment.ItItwouldnotonlygiveteachershands-onexperiencebutitwillaccruetheirprofessionalgrowthandskills.

Students’LearningOutcomesDuringtheintervention,studentsasshowninthecasestudies,developedasenseofpurposewhichtheymanifestedthrough-outtheprojectwhichisremarkableconsideringthecontextandtherigorousproblemsolvingindicatorsusedtoassesslearningoutcomes.Mostimportantly,studentsgainedtransferableskillssuchasself-confidence,perseverance,curiosity,ethicalandcreativeproblem-solving,criticalandreflectivethinking,self-regulation,collaborativeteamwork,entrepreneurialandemphaticskillstowardsthewidercommunity.AllthoseindicatorsareindicatorsofqualitylearningasdefinedbyUNESCO(YouthandSkills,2015)andcontributetoenhancinglearning.Asshownintherubric,teachers(64%)consideredtheirstudentswereexemplaryonseveralofthoseindicatorssuchasperseverance,learningfromtheirmistakesandreviewingthesolutionsoftheproblemtheyhadidentified.Whileworkremainstobedonetoimprovestudents’analyticalskills(only22%ofteachersreportedthatthoseskillswereexemplaryand78%asgood)itisarguablethatinthecontextofthisresearchsuchlearningoutcomesareremarkableconsideringthehighdrop-outrateandthegenerallackofinterestinlearning.Students’self-perceptionswerechangedfrombeingdemotivatedandincapabletobeeffectiveproblem-solvers,theyweremoremotivatedtolearn,hopefulandfeltconfidenttofacefuturechallenges;theygainedself-esteemandcontributedmeaningfullytothecommunitywheretheylive.Withthestaggeringdrop-outrateandlackofinterestinlearningreportedbyteachersinthepre-interventionfocusgroupsitisarguablethatDLI’spedagogicalapproachmayincreasestudents’retentionrateandattractthemtolearning.

Socio-CulturalTheinterventionhadasocio-culturalimpactonthecommunityatlarge,parents,SyriansandLebanesewhichchangeddeeplyanchoredframesofmind.Inaculturewherethenormisforchildrentowork,forexample,ittrulyissignificanttheirchildreninvestthemselvesinsuchaprojectandthatstudentsdedicateprecioustimethatcouldgenerateincometodoingsocialgood;evenmoresignificantisthefactthattheparentsoftheseworkingchildrenstillencouragethemtospendtimeontheproject.Inaddition,DLIhasbrokensocio-culturalstereotypesandencouragedSyrianstolearnalongsideLebanesenotonlyatschoolbutafterschooltodevelopaprototypeforameaningfulsocialaction.

Furthermore,teachersandstudents’appreciationofcommunityeventsandworkingsessionwasclearlysensedandmentionedinquestionnairesandinterviews.Itisimportanttonotethatthroughouttheintervention,allsessionsransmoothlyevenwhenupto70participantsjoinedworkingsessionormorethan100studentsparticipatedinsharingevents.Thisisremarkableandreinforcestheimportanceofsociallearningwhichcangrowinthefutureparticularlybetweenparticipants.

9https://education.gov.scot/improvement/Pages/EEF-Toolkit.aspx

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CostEffectivenessandScalabilityDLIwasdesignedwithlowcosttechnologiesandacosteffectivecapacitybuildingprograminviewofscalability.OneofthereasonsforselectingtheRaspberryPi(RPi)isIEA’spreviousexperiencewhichprovedittobesturdyandreinforceditscosteffectiveness.ThebasicconceptbehindtheRPiistomakecomputingasaffordableaspossibleanditisoftenusedasareplacementtoaregularcomputer.Furthermore,itallowsavarietyofusessuchastinkeringandprototypingbutalsothepossibilityofbeingusedlikearegularcomputer.ThecombinationoftoolsselectedintheCMDIKitbringthemostpowerfulresourcesatthelowestpossiblecost.Inadditiontocostefficiency,thesoftwareontheRPiisopensource,hencefreeofchargeforschools.RPirunsonRaspbian,asimplifiedversionofLinuxandispreloadedwithtwoprogramminglanguages,ScratchandPythonwhicharealsoopensource.

OnesolutioncanbetohaveanSDcardperstudentwhichtheycanpluginanyRaspberryPimakingeverychildmobilewiththeirowndataonacard(theaveragecostofanSDcardis$16)andmakingeverychildknowthattheworldisaccessibletothemthroughthischip.

Inaddition,theprofessionalmodelisbasedonfundamentalguidingprinciplesofcostefficiencywithadeliverymodelthatincludesonlysixtrainingdaysandfourworkingsessionsfollowingthe“Learn-As-You-Work”modelwhichspreadslearningovertimetogivespaceforteachersandteamstodigestandapplytheirlearningbeforetheyprogresstomorecomplexconcepts.

Thecombinationoflowcosthardwarecomponents,opensourcesoftware,onlineandin-persontrainingandsupportoffersanaffordablesolutionthatcanbefurthermaximizedandmadescalableiftheprojectwaspartofthedeliveryservicesoftheMinistryofEducationandHigherEducationthuscontributingtothemassiveundertakingtoeducatemillionsofrefugeechildren.Currently,IEAestimatesthenationalscalingofDLIat$2perstudentpermonthover3yearswithcourses,tutorials,applicationsanddesignchallengescreatedfortheDLItobepublishedontheCoder-MakersiteunderaCreativeCommonslicense.ThisiscoupledwithIEA’seffortstodevelop,aspertherecommendationofteachers,asetofprintableCoder-Makercoursesandteacherguidesforwidedissemination.

Insummary,thedigitallearninginnovationsinterventionwascosteffectivewithpotentialforwidescalabilitywhichshouldbedesignedbasedonthelessonslearnedfromthisinterventionpresentedonthenextpage.

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LessonsLearnedDeeperUnderstandingofDLI:SituatedPedagogicalUseofDLIInitself,theinterventionenabledadeeperunderstandingofthepotentialofdigitallyassistedlearninginprotractedsituationsparticularlytomotivatestudentswhichcaninthefuturedecreasedrop-outrates.Asopposedtopurelyinstructionalandtechnologicalsolution(suchasprovidinggamestolearn,howtooratooltoshowandtell),itshowedthatthecombinationofpedagogyandtechnologyinasituatedcontextualandauthenticprocesshadamuchdeeperimpactonrefugeesandhostcommunities.Whilethismaybeimportantforallstudents,itprobablyisevenmoresointhecaseofrefugeesandisaneyeopeneronhowlearningcanbeenhancedwithassisteddigitaltechnologiesratherthanjustbuiltaroundit.Frombeingdisengagedinlearning,demotivatedandhavinglowselfesteem,studentsweredevelopedasenseofpurposeandagencyandwerecommittedtolearning.Fromviolencepreviouslyreportedintheschool,studentscollaboratedharmoniously,pursuedtheirprojectandtookactionforsocialgoodwhichcontributedpositivelytothecommunitywheretheylive,thusgeneratingmoresocialcohesion.

BuildingCapacities:SimpleversusComplexSolutionTherhetoric,inacontextaffectedbyarefugeecrisis,isusuallynegativearoundcomplexsolutionspresentedinsilos.TheargumentisusuallysurroundingavailablecapacitiestodealwiththecomplexityofsuchamodelofSTEAMlearningintheclassroom.Indeed,whileatthestart,educatorsfearedtheirlackofcapacityandknowledge,allofthem,computerandsubjectmatteralike,demonstratedinarelativelyshortperiodoftimetheirabilitytoteachcodingandinfusecomputationalthinkinginprojectswhichenhancedlearningoutcomesandwascoupledwithstudents’significantappetitetolearn.Thelessonlearnedistobuildteacherscapacitiesaroundprincipledandeffectivemodelsthataimtoenhancestudents’learningoutcomes.

Cohesion:ExtendingSTEAMLearningintheCommunityThelessonlearnediswhenlearningispurposeful,meaningfulandrelevanttoallitmayextendinthecommunity,thuscreatingsynergyandcohesioninthewayitcreatesabridgebetweenschoolsandthewidercommunity.DLIstudents’projectsstartedinclassbutextendedoutofclassaroundrelevantandimportantissuestothecommunity,thus,DLIenabledthoseconnectionsandmadelearningexcitingthroughthisstrongsenseofpurposemakingschoolsdigitaltransformationalhubswithtangibleandconcreteresults.Suchextensioninthecommunityreinforcestheimportanceofmakingtheprojectaccessibletolearnersinpost-conflictsituations;participantsnotonlylearnedtogetherbuttheydevelopedasenseofpurposeandlearnedtolivetogetherandtakingactiontowardssocialgood.Intheprotractedpost-conflictcontextandinaculturesoladenwithsocietalproblemsresultingfromlearningandlivingtogether,thisissignificantandisasignofawidersocietalappreciation.

GenderBias:GirlsHaveanAppetiteforSTEMDLI’slessonisthatgirlshaveanappetiteforSTEAMactivitiesdespitethegeneralsocietalassociationofSTEAMfieldswithboys.WiththeincreasingimportanceofSTEAMinthejobsofthefutureandknowingthattherewillbea38%worldwideshortageofSTEAMskillsinthefuturejobmarket10,one

10Source:Manpower-https://go.manpowergroup.com/talent-shortage-2018

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ofthemostimportantlessonlearnedisthatitiscrucialtoaddressthisgapinfutureinterventionsandtoencouragegirlsinSTEAMprogramsinordertohavemoreequitableandinclusivenesslearning.

Volunteers:GrowandStructureVolunteerismTheinterventionreliedonthevolunteerstosupporttrainersintechnicaltraining.Theirinvolvementwasinstrumentaltothesuccessoftheproject.Anunexpectedfindingwhichemergedistherichnesstheexperienceprovidedthevolunteers,helpingthemtogrowpersonally,toenjoygivingtothecommunityandtogainempathy.Asaresult,severalofthemgainedjobsorinternshipandsaidthattheexperiencewithCoder-Makerwasinstrumentalinsecuringtheirjob.Thelessonlearnedistogrowandstructurethevolunteerprogramtosupportanationalgrowth.

Policy:MEHE’sEndorsementToday,thechoiceofinnovativeprojectsruninparalleltolearninginanoccasionalmanner,andthetwoaredisconnectedandnotproperlyaligned.MEHE’sendorsementoftheprojectprovedtobeanimportantfactorinmotivatingandenablingteacherstowalktheextramileandmakeinnovationarealitywithintheclassroom.MEHEconsiderstheprogramasprovidingqualitylearningandithasfurtherexpresseditssupporttotheproject,totakeitatanationallevelandtoanchoritattheMinistry.Hence,thelessonlearnedistoaligninterventionwiththedeliveryservicesofMEHEsothatitcanhavealifepasttheinitialfunding.

EfficiencyandBureaucracyWehavelearnedthatefficiencyisreducedbybureaucracyandresourcescanbeputtomoreproductiveusewithreducedbureaucracyaroundalreadyformallyapprovedprojectsbyMEHE.Ifminordecisions,weredecentralizedwithasystematicwayofreportingactivities,schoolefficiencywouldbemaximized.Asimpleexampleisthelengthyandendlesstimeittakestogetanapprovesignedwhenprojectsscheduleshaveinevitableminorchanges.

Conclusion

TheoverarchingobjectiveofDLIwastousetechnologicalandpedagogicalinnovationstoimprovethequalityandaccessibilityoflearninginandoutsidetheclassroomforSyrianrefugeechildrenandhostcommunitiesinLebanon.Thefindingsshowthattheinterventionhadatransformativeimpactonlearningwithcontributedpositivelytoaddressingthechallengesidentifiedinthecontext.Thedigitallyassistedexperientialinterventionprovidedadeeperunderstandingoftherelevanceandeffectivenessofdigitallearninginnovationsinpostemergencysituation.Themodelshowedtobeaneffectiveandlow-costmodelthathasthepotentialtotransformpedagogyandalongitudinalrigorousresearchwouldhelptoascertaintheresearchevidence.WiththeinterestoftheMinistryofEducationtoscaletheproject,itiscrucialtoincludeastrongercomponenttowardsmoreinclusiveandequitableaccesstoSTEAMlearningparticularlytowardsgirls.

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AppendixList

• AppendixA:Table1:Listofthe21participatingschools• AppendixB:AdditionalSchools• AppendixC:TeacherQuestionnaire• AppendixD:Studentquestionnaire• AppendixE:Students’LearningOutcomes,RubricIndicators

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AppendixA:Table1:Listofthe21participatingschools

Location Number SchoolNamePercentageofRefugees

NumberofStudentsNumberofProject

Participants

Beqaa

1 HaouchAlOumaraPublicHighSchool 21% 217 5

2 BarElias PublicHighSchool 42% 321 5

3 Saadnayel PublicHighSchool 15% 655 5

4 WadiAl ArayishPublicSchool 51% 149 5

5 AlHuda** School 35% 697 5

MountLebanon

6 KfarmattaPublicSchool 61% 59 5

7 BaaklinePublicSchool 66% 289 6

8 AnteliasPublicSchool 29% 334 6

9 SecondJbeilPublicSchool 30% 275 7

10 YahshouhPublicSchool 30% 147 18

11 FaridSalamiPublicSchool-Kfarzebian 109% 343 5

12 HaretSakherPublicSchool 18% 381 5

North 13 SabaZreibPublicHighSchoolforBoys 3% 179 6

Beirut

14 RaficHaririPublicHighSchool-Shoueifat 11% 742 6

15 BeirutAlAliaPublicSchoolforGirls 28% 137 12

16 Jubran AndrawosTueiniPublicHighSchool 10% 282 12

17 FirstBasta PublicHighSchool 33% 214 5

18 ZahiaKaddouraPublicSchool 10% 227 6

South

19 JahiliyaPublicSchool 40% 211 15

20 ShheimPublic HighSchool 18% 280 5

21 Shheim PublicSchool 57% 381 5

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AppendixB:AdditionalSchools

Table2presentsanoverviewoftheadditionalschoolswhichfocusonvulnerableandunderservedLebanesecommunities.

Table2:AdditionalSchoolsfundedbyFoundationMounaBustros

LocationSchoolNumber

SchoolName%of

RefugeesNumberofStudents

NumberofProject

Participant

Beqaa1 KhorbitKanafarPublicVocationalSchool 7% 103 5

2 Saintcoeurs-Zahle 20% 304 5

MountLebanon

3 GeorgeFremHighSchool-Jounieh 0% 250* 7

4 HammanaPublicHighSchool 0% 250* 7

5 TechnicalInstituteofBatroun 5%* 150* 5

6 FatherAndewegInstitutefortheDeaf 23% 74 0

7 IhmijPublicHighSchool 5%* 75* 5

8 AmshitPublicHighSchool 0% 150* 0

North 9 ReneMouawadTechnicalSchool 0% 150* 0

Beirut

10 CollegeKhadijaElKobra-Makassed 4% 292 5

11 MakassedAliBinAbiTalebSchool 10%* 250* 5

12 MakassedAliBinAbiTalebHighSchool 5%* 250* 5

13SophiaHagopianCollege-BourdjHammoud

10% 250* 5

14 AksorKassarjianSchool-BourdjHammoud 42% 292 5

SouthandShouf

15 AlWafaaSecondarySchool 2% 609 5

16 ShoufHighCollege 15% 175* 5

17 MaghdoushaTechnicalPublicSchool 0% 165 5

18 DeirAlQamarPublictechnicalschool 10% 88 0

*approximatenumbers

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AppendixC:TeacherQuestionnairePleaseconfirmthatyouareateacher,thesubjectandgradelevelyouteachIama___________;Subject:___________________;GradeLevel:_________andanswerthequestionsbelowtogiveusyourfeedbackabouttheoverallexperience;whenratingisapplicable,ratefrom1to5asfollows:1=Notatall;2=Somehow;3=Generally;4=Mostly;5=Extremely1. Howmanystudentsparticipatedinyourproject?(___boysand___girls)

2. Howdidyouselectthestudents?(Selectallwhatapplies)

1. Iproposedtoeveryoneandaskedwhoisinterestedtojoin2. Iselectedthemostperformingstudents3. IselectedthoseIthinkmightbeinterestedintheproject4. Other,specify:____________________________________________

5. TowhatextentdidyouenjoytheCoder-Makerexperience?Ratefrom1to56. Towhatextentwaseachoneofthefollowingenjoyable?Ratefrom1to5

1. Learningwithotherteachers2. Thecommunityaspect3. Incorporatingsmallchallengesinmyteaching4. Workingwithstudentsonareallifechallenge5. Havingstudentscomeupwiththeirownideasfortheirproject6. Guidingstudentsthroughtheproject7. Learninghowtocodeandmake

8. Isthereanythingthatyoudidnotenjoy?(Yes,No)9. WhatIhavelearnedduringtheworkshopsisrelevanttomyteaching:(Yes,No).Tellusbriefly

why:10. Now,IcanseeclearlyhowthisprojectusingSTEMconnectstootherdisciplinessuchas

HumanitiesandArts.Ratefrom1to5.Tellusbrieflywhy11. Iappreciatetheimportanceofconnectingmorecloselytomystudents’day-to-day

realities.Ratefrom1to5andtellusbrieflywhy12. DoyoufeelconfidentusingScratchorPythoninyourteaching?Ratefrom1to513. DoyoufeelconfidentusingtheRaspberryPiinyourteaching?Ratefrom1to514. HowconfidentareyoutoguideyourstudentsduringeachphaseRatefrom1to5foreachofthe

following;

1. Solvingsmallchallenges2. Workingonareallifechallenge3. Comingupwithanideathatrespondstoacommunityneedfortheirproject4. Researchingtheproblem5. Designingasolution6. Creatingtheproject7. Codingtheproject

8. HowdoyourateyourperformanceasateacherintheCoder-Maker?Ratefrom1to5andtellusbrieflywhy.

9. Whatcouldwedotoimproveyourperformancetoahigherlevel?(Text)10. Whatwouldyouliketolearnmoreof?(Tickwhatisrelevant)

11. TheRaspberryPi12. Python13. Scratch14. Designing

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15. Making16. ConnectingcodingandmakingwithwhatIteach17. Addressingnewchallenges18. Handlingandprogrammingelectronictools

19. WhatwouldyouchangetoimprovetheCoder-Makernextyear?(Text)20. WouldyouliketoparticipateinfutureCoder-Makerworkshops?(Yes,No)

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AppendixD:Studentquestionnaire

Pleaseconfirmthatyouareastudent,yourgradelevel,ageandgenderandanswerthequestionsbelowtogiveusyourfeedbackabouttheoverallexperience;whenratingisapplicable,ratefrom1to5asfollows:1=Notatall;2=Somehow;3=Generally;4=Mostly;5=ExtremelyIama___________Grade:_____Age:_____Gender:________1. TowhatextentdidyouenjoytheCoder-Makerexperience?Ratefrom1to5;NOTatall(1)

andextremely(5)2. Today,towhatextentdidyouenjoythefollowing?Ratefrom1to5;NOTatall(1)and

extremely(5)1. Beingwithfriends(1to5)2. Sharingyourproject(1to5)3. Seeingtheprojectsofotherschools(1to5)4. Receivingacertificate(1to5)

5. Whatmadeitenjoyable?Ratefrom1to5;NOTatall(1)andextremely(5)andtellusbriefly

why:1. Learninginanewway2. Solvingchallenges3. Workinginteams4. Findingareal-lifeproblemtosolve5. Designingasolution6. Makingtheproject7. Codingtheproject

8. Isthereanythingthatyoudidnotenjoy?(Text)9. Whatdidyouuseinyourproject?(Selectwhatisrelevant)

1. Scratch2. Python3. TheRaspberryPiandelectronicstools

4. WouldyouliketoparticipateinCoder-Makerinthefuture?(Yes,No)5. Whatwouldyouchangetoimprovetheprogramnextyear?(Text)

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AppendixE:Students’LearningOutcomes,RubricIndicatorsSelfandCommunity:

1. gaininsightintothemselves2. articulatetheirunderstandingoftheconceptofcommunity

Problem:1. identifyanddefineaproblemthatcanbeaddressed2. developperspectives

Design:

1. sketchorvisuallyrepresentthesolution2. showempathy

Create:

1. implementaninitialprototype2. codeit

Analyzingandinterpretingresults:

1. consistentlyandsystematicallycollectdata2. describedataclearly3. explainandrelatetheresultstotheproblem4. recognizelimitationsandproposealternativeinterpretations5. problemsolveandthinkcritically6. refineplansandcontinuouslyreviewresults7. learnfromerrorstokeepimprovingsolution

Planning:1. managetasks2. identifytools3. documenttheirwork

Teamwork1. collaborativeskills2. communicationskills3. knowledgesharing

Metacognitiveskills1. metacognitiveawarenessandabilitytoreflectonself-knowledge2. useproductivehabitsofmind3. reflectontheexperience