WORKING TOGETHER TO REDUCE EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING

5 COUNTRIES, 2 YEARS, 1 AIM

ERIFO-ENTE DI RICERCA E FORMAZIONE16.06.2015

INTRODUCTION 1- WHO WE ARE

ERIFO is an accredited VET provider, authorized by the Region Lazio (resolution by Lazio Region n. B06642 date 25/09/2012). It is also accredited to the Ministry of Education for the lifelong learning of staff school, for both traditional and distance-learning courses.

ERIFO’s mission is to contribute to the reinforcement of Vocational Education Training system at Local, National and European level to ensure the development of human capital and to respond to the ever-growing needs and demands of the labour market. ERIFO realizes training courses for employed, unemployed and professional adults.

The topics for which ERIFO is accredited are: educational services, social and health services; eco-environmental services; services for the publishing industry; IT services; Event management. ERIFO is especially specialised in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of skills, learning and VET programmes, with an expertise in terms of interfacing between VET, employment and employability, enterprise and cultural Learning.

INTRODUCTION 2- WHO WE ARE

ERIFO has recently obtained the accreditation as “Body providing career guidance, professional counselling and information services” (resolution by Lazio Region n.

G10589 date 23/07/2014 – employment specialist services; resolution by Lazio Region n.G12701 date 09/09/2014 – employment mandatory services), and it is going to operate as provider under the Youth Guarantee Programme during the years 2014-2017.

ERIFO is supporting young people and adults into employment, education and new business creation through apprenticeships and VET as well as through such services as educational guidance, help desk and support for the development of new business ideas.

INTRODUCTION 3- WHO WE ARE

ERIFO is engaged in providing VET courses for employed and unemployed, professionals and teachers, both in classroom environment and at a distance (E-Learning). In addition, ERIFO is currently delivering specific assistance services to the organizations of its own Network, for accessing national and EU funding (especially in VET and business sector). ERIFO and its leading staff have more than 13 years of experience in the lifelong learning sector in Italy and Europe, and an extensive portfolio of project works in relation to quality assurance, evaluation and EU transnational projects (i.e. ex Art. 6, Equal, Erasmus – Grundtvig – Comenius – Leonardo da Vinci and Erasmus +).

Good practice imported 1: Peer Education and Cooperative Learning

ERIFO has used and transferred the methodologies imported from Inschool - “Peer Education and Cooperative Learning”, to training courses for school staff, with the aim to transfer and let the teachers experiment interactive didactic methodologies. This is due to the fact that the actions for the recover of students at risk proved effectiveness if they are closely related to practical experience which make the learners protagonist of their own learning process. From this concept comes the central idea to make the teachers experiment the effectiveness of the Peer Education and Cooperative Learning as learners, so that they can later import this methodology in their didactics and experiment that with their students. Therefore the framework of the import has been a preventive action.

Good practice imported 2: Peer Education and Cooperative Learning

In fact, in the prevention of the scholastic discomfort, the most functioning teaching method seems to be the active learning, as it allows to:

- valorise the learning styles typical of students at risk, by giving a solid foundation to motivation;

- promote the knowledge through the experience and the reflection on the experience ( meta cognition);

- exercise the acquired competences on the ground;

In this perspective the cooperative teaching strategies – such as cooperative learning and peer education – seem to be particularly effective.

How we applied it - 1

The practices have been introduced by ERIFO, both theoretically and practically. The importation was addressed to teachers and trainers coming from all over Europe. During the course where it has been adopted the Peer Education approach they have been realized specific laboratories where each teacher/learner transferred to his peers knowledge, strategies and techniques used in their didactics in order to make the training more attractive. The experience of each teacher has been later analyzed by a group of learners with the Swot methodology ( points of strength/weakness/opportunities/threats) with the purpose to facilitate the adoption by the other members of the group.

How we applied it - 2

Courses realized by ERIFO

1. Building emotional relationships to prevent early school leaving - IT 2013-980004 from 02/01/2014 to 07/01/2014

2. Flipped Classroom in the Lifelong Learning – Supporting trainers and adults’ participation to innovative educational Course IT-2013-978-004 from 06/04/2014 to 12/04/2014

3. Building emotional relationships to prevent early school leaving KA1-2014 from 03/11/2014 to 07/11/2014

4. Building emotional relationships to prevent early school leaving KA1-2014 from 01/12/2014 to 06/12/2014

5. European Projects design, management and funding for Erasmus + Ka1-2014 from 02/02/2015 to 06/02/2015

6. Building emotional relationships to prevent early school leaving KA1-2014 from 04/05/2015 to 08/05/2015

How we applied it - 3

Under Youth Guarantee Program – ERIFO has activated some training courses for the NEET where it has been including the Peer and the Cooperative Learning methodologies in order to prepare the group for an European Mobility:

Intensive Course «INTRODUCTION TO ECVET»: 2015 MAY, 11th, 12th and 13th;

Intensive Course «INTRODUCTION TO ECVET»: 2015 MAY, 25th, 26th and 27th;

How we applied it - 4

The Cooperative Learning has been implemented through the group investigation method; the learners cooperatively worked in small groups in order to examine problems, share experiences and learn. The method teaches them to define problems, find solutions, acquire information and develop competences, the team work allowed the learners to make autonomous choices with regard to tools and topics, as well as to develop the think and the reflection on their own learning processes. Particular attention was paid to the learning environment in order to create a cooperative and pleasant working atmosphere, where it is possible to facilitate positive interaction among learners. The teacher of ERIFO acted as a facilitator of learning. During the Peer Education sessions the students worked mostly in pairs, building cooperative diades, because these diades are more useful and economic in a cooperative project than big groups, which impede the formation of coalitions, originate an overloaded of information and provoke social laziness.

How we evaluated - 1

The courses are evaluated on a double level – with regard to the learning outcomes and with regard to the process. The skill assessment activity supports the outcomes of the training activity. It is addressed to all the students who will complete the course. The skill assessment is made of two different moments: at the start up of the course, it is realized by an individual interview with the tests aimed to an analysis and an evaluation of the pre-existing competences; at the end of the course, it is realized through a second interview aimed at measuring the professional competences acquired during the training.

How we evaluated - 2

The main tools used for monitoring and evaluating the training processes involve:

• Check list of learner observation;

• Sheet of analysis of the class trend;

• Self assessment questionnaire;

• Questionnaire of evaluation of module and teachers;

• Questionnaire of evaluation for the students.

How we evaluated - 3

The tools used for the monitorino and evaluation of training processes are:

Ongoing:

1. checklist of observation of the student

2. sheet of analysis of the trend of the class/logbook

At the end of the course:

1. Questionnaire of customer satisfaction;

2. Questionnaire of evaluation of module and teachers.

Outcome and impact-1

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES Creation of positive relations among learners

Low likelihood for good results with unmotivated or less gifted groups

A higher degree of satisfaction of teachers and learners

Increase of infighting in the group between “the best”elements and “the worst” elements.

Growth of the awareness of roles and tasks

The teacher need more time to “facilitate” the communication.

Mutual respect and team spirit

Risk of dependance from the leader.

NAME OF STUDENT CARMELA AURILIANAME OF SCHOOL/COURSE: ECVET STEP BY STEP Corso realizzato da ERIFO

COUNTRY: ITALY

Outcome and impact-2

HOW HAS THE INSCHOOL PROJECT HELPED YOU? • I attended a course organized by ERIFO on the topic of the ECVET

approach in VET. The course was really interesting because it allowed me to experiment the peer education methodology. The trainer explained that this method has been imported into the ordinary didactics by ERIFO thanks to a transfer of good practices acquired in the framework of the INSCHOOL project. Thanks to this approach each learner, all teachers and trainers, had the possibility to tell his own experience about ECVET and educational design, acquiring opinions and points of view which helped me in think about my modus operandi as a teacher.

NAME OF STUDENT CARMELA AURILIANAME OF SCHOOL/COURSE: ECVET STEP BY STEPBY: ERIFO - ITALY

NAME OF STUDENT CARMELA AURILIANAME OF SCHOOL/COURSE: ECVET STEP BY STEP a ERIFO

COUNTRY: ITALY

Outcome and impact-3

NAME OF STAFF: ISABEL GADNAME OF ORGANISATION: Content Management System BY: ERIFO - ITALY

HOW HAS THE INSCHOOL PROJECT HELPED YOU? I attended a course at ERIFO on the use of CMS for two reasons: to enhance my linguistic knowledge (the course was held in English) and to deepen the knowledge of the CMS system. The course was addressed to young of different European countries. ERIFO organized the classroom with workstations with two students and launched several work-projects to facilitate the Cooperative Learning. This experience enriched me a lot and the possibility to work on a graphic project with a foreign colleague gave me not only technical competences but also intercultural abilities.

NAME OF STUDENT CARMELA AURILIANAME OF SCHOOL/COURSE: ECVET STEP BY STEP a ERIFO

COUNTRY: ITALY

Plans for future development

ERIFO has planned to acquire the Peer Education and the Cooperative Learning as an ordinary didactic practice in the field of all the courses realized for the school staff. Moreover, these approaches have been transferred in the field of the training catalogue realized by the program GARANZIA GIOVANI. In addition to this, ERIFO launched a project of itinerant laboratories aimed at making the schools aware of new didactic methodologies, among them the Peer Education and the Cooperative Learning.