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Robotics-based learning interventions for preventing school failure and Early School Leaving
Start date: Oct 1, 2015, End date: Sep 30, 2017 PROJECT  FINISHED 

The problem of school failure and early school leaving (ESL) challenges European education systems and economies influencing negatively personal, professional, economic and societal growth. Many students failed in school or early school leavers identify the curriculum and teaching practices as discouraging factor towards staying at school. Students claim they are rarely offered with opportunities to develop their creativity, to work on hands-on activities and to learn practical skills useful in their life. During last decade studies assure that educational robotics (ER) can provide learning experiences that promote children’s creative thinking, teamwork, and problem solving skills – the essential skills necessary in the workplace of the 21st century. Coupled with proper learning methodologies such as Constructivism/Constructionism (Piaget, Papert) and project-based learning, ER is emerged as a unique tool that creates an attractive learning environment keeping students interested and motivated with hands-on, fun learning activities. This project RoboESL aims at exploiting the potential of robotics for developing extra-curricular constructivist learning activities in schools that will engage children being at risk of failure or ESL to foster creativity skills, raise self-esteem, motivate their interest in schooling, and finally to encourage them towards staying at school. The consortium consists of 7 partners: secondary schools from countries with ESL rate higher than the European headline target (10%), namely Italy, Greece and Latvia. University of Latvia/Education Dept. will be the main pedagogical partner and will offer its pedagogic expertise, especially in Early School Leaving. Univ. of Padova/Dept. of Information Engineering will contribute its technological expertise in educational robotics. Non-profit educational organisations Edumotiva (Greece) and Scuola di Robotica (Italy) will contribute their expertise in educational robotics and in training/learning design. The project activities include: Designing of curricula with exemplary interdisciplinary robotics projects focused on science, technology and engineering supported by Open Educational Resources. Development of a Curriculum for blended training course for teachers to enable them to implement the robotics-based curricula in classrooms. Realization of on-going robotics projects within extra-curricular activities in the participating schools. Realization of the 3 blended joint staff training courses combining virtual training with short physical mobility. Evaluation of the learning activities and finally validation of their impact on ESL. The partners will organise 3 national conferences in Greece, Italy and Latvia to disseminate the project outputs at national level to academia and school community. The main results and impact envisaged include: Curricula and OER for 10 exemplary interdisciplinary robotics projects freely available for teachers and students (in English and in national languages) A web portal that will support virtual collaboration within and beyond the partnership to establish a community of practice including students, teachers and teacher educators A curriculum for blended (online and face to face) training course for teachers to enhance educational robotics uptake in teaching and learning Validation report on the impact of the robotics projects on the selected students’ achievements and attitudes. A recommendation policy strategy that will be communicated to policy makers and relevant stakeholders. Students are expected to benefit from the suggested RoboESL learning design as they will be encouraged to view the subjects of Science and Technology from a creative, applicable and constructive perspective towards improved school performance and higher involvement in learning and schooling. Coupled with this, students stand to gain from the RoboESL European network and to see beyond the borders of their school or country. It is anticipated that the students will develop their collaborative and communication skills and they will actively interact with the members of the RoboESL community (students, teachers, practitioners, experts in robotics, learning technologists and more). All these will have a longer term positive impact on their future personal and professional development as well as on their positive attitudes towards the EU values. The project network will also allow teachers to collaborate and interact with other teachers to exchange ideas and practices and to address the problem of ESL and school failure from an international perspective. Finally, the schools will be given the opportunity to become part of a European community of schools in which reflection and action upon inter culturally diverse educational issues can take place. We envision impact to flow post project implementation period activating repeatedly the RoboESL interventions offering opportunities for exploitation in more learning environments
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