After workshops for VET teachers in Poland

The last week (15.09-19.09) was very busy for the Polish team of evet2edu project as we were doing series of 4 workshops for teachers from VET schools. The workshops were co-organised with KOWEZiu. In total we trained 20 teachers who represent various fields (mechatronics, engineening, economy, architecture, logictic, etc.). We offered 3 learning paths:

  • Active online learning
  • Online group work
  • Recording professional development through evidence of competences and qualification online.

After research on user requirements (WP1) and course piloting (WP4) we were aware of issues that are the most critical elements for VET teachers: collaboration, practice, and competences. The workshops were designed in reference to evet2edu e-course and based on its key elements: the concept of e-tivities, social learning and evidence-based learning.

We had in mind the blended context as VET teachers meet with learners at schools on regular basis. Therefore, the challenge for us was to prepare the workshop in such a form that would be the most usefull for our audience. During workshops we worked with active methods. The focus was put on designing engaging and authentic activities enhanced by ICT. We tried to stress that an online activity can be a small exercise which is possible to be accopplished by mixing face-to-face learning and online tools. Such approach we offered in Active online learning and Online group work. In both workshops we based on Gilly Salmon’s concept of e-tivity.

Teachers in small groups were brainstorming and disussing ideas for an activity enhanced by ICT. After that they worked out the idea in more details to finish the session with final outcome – designed activity. Groups exchanged their work and we discussed it all together collecting feedback on a flipchart.

In each group teachers developed their learning designs for students from VET schools, for instance activities required group work: a public park/playground planning, SWOT analysis of productional process; and individual activities: preparation of menu for vegetarian; developing mindmap with 7 new wonders of the world.

During the third path Recording professional development through evidence of competences and qualification online teachers were asked to identify their competences and map them with evidence. They produced digital evidence and built a draft of their e-portfolio.

We also proposed simple online tools that support individual learners’ work and collaboration among students. Padlet occured to be the most favourable tool in each workshops’ group.

It is very simple online board, easy to set up (without reqistering and logging into). As a consequence of its simplicity, Padlet is very flexible technology and can be used in every kind of activity that we can imagine. For instance, we used it to organise information around the workshops (schedule, agenda, deadlines, futher steps, links to reference materials, etc). Our teachers from Active online learning and Online group work wrote Padlet into their learning designs as learning environments where their students were expected to work/colaborate.

What is more Padlet was also used during the third workshop path Recording professional development through evidence of competences and qualification online where teachers built their e-portfolio and were amazed by its easiness and a range of possibilities in the same time.

We also decided to provide videoconference for teachers to give them a chance to experience this form of online activity. We met two times to talk about their projects and show them tool for online meeting.

From evaluation we know that all 3 workshops were ranked as very effective and engaging. We hope that Polish VET teachers have gained basic designing skills and knowledge where to dig deeper in the field of technology-enhanced learning.

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