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Author: Chara Pilidou

Cyprus Education Summit 2022: Investing in teachers’ professional learning and wellbeing

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Project News.

These key messages, as well as the existing challenges and perspectives for the Professional Learning of teachers in the Cypriot education system, were the focus of the Cyprus Education Summit 2022, which took place at the University of Nicosia. The conference was organised by the Pedagogical Institute of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, CARDET and the Cyprus Institute of Development, with the participation of experts, academics and researchers in the field of education, as well as teachers.

As stressed by the speakers of the conference, it is extremely important to devote more time, through structured programmes focusing on existing needs, within the school for the effective training of teachers. The conference also highlighted the importance and benefits of interaction between teachers and their active engagement in the dialogue to shape approaches and programmes for their training and support.

At the same time, it became clear that the mental resilience and well-being of teachers should be a key dimension of the School Improvement Plan and the educational system in general, so that teachers are able to effectively manage the challenges of the profession and can respond more effectively to their role. This also requires multidimensional actions and systemic approaches involving teachers, parents and children. Indeed, a central objective should also be to expand the role of schools, which should not only function as places that only provide knowledge, but as institutions that nurture and strengthen the character of children, promoting the well-being of themselves and their teachers. 

The Conference also provided practical tools and educational material that teachers can implement themselves to enhance both their own well-being and the mental resilience and well-being of their students from programmes such as Resilient Preschools, ProW, SWPBS and the School of Happiness.

The Cyprus Education Summit, held annually, aims to explore key aspects of education and training and to highlight important actions and initiatives in the field. To this end, through the proceedings of the conference, the exchange of knowledge, views and experiences between experts, researchers and professionals from the field of education are promoted.

INTERFACE

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Projects & Initiatives.

The increasing influence of robots and algorithms on our labour markets further increases the need for uniquely “human” skills such as empathy and adaptation to change in complex environments.

This is where the Erasmus+ project INTERFACE (“Using agile, interactive learning environments to promote work-based learning in cVET”), funded by the European Union, comes in. On the one hand, the project deals with the improvement of teaching in vocational education and training.

On the other hand, it fosters low-skilled workers and trainees to receive more secure jobs on the labour markets. The main objective of the INTERFACE Project is to support low-skilled workers and trainees, who are affected by job cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as digitalisation.

Crowdsourcing in Education: Enriching teachers’ skills in digital humanities crowdsourcing

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Project News.

Crowdsourcing is an important method to improve the way education is conducted by teachers and received by students, and has been used by educational institutions in many countries with successful effects.

Having that in mind, 6 organisations from Belgium, Greece, Cyprus, Ireland and the Republic of North Macedonia are collaborating in the 2-year Erasmus+ project ENTICING, with the aim to educate and equip teachers with skills and tools on applying Digital Humanities concepts and approaches in their teaching.

The project will blend the benefits of Crowdsourcing with the need to upgrade the levels of digital readiness of secondary school teachers in humanities, by empowering them with competences and tools that will improve the quality of their teaching and at the same time will render them ready to respond quickly in circumstances of crisis.

To this end, the organisations participating in the project will develop an innovative, tailored and co-designed training programme to educate teachers on Digital Humanities Crowdsourcing and support them in improving the quality of their work.
The project activities will involve humanities school teachers in secondary education, ICT school educators and school principals, students at secondary schools, educational institutions, academia and research scholars, formal and non-formal educational providers and trainers, civil society organisations and other key stakeholders, as well as public authorities.

The organisations working together for the project are the University of the Peloponnese (Greece), KMOP Policy Centre (Belgium), Institouto Ekpedeftikis Politikis (Greece), KMOP Skopje (Republic of North Macedonia), CARDET (Cyprus) and Spectrum Research Centre CLG (Ireland).

EMERGE: EMpowERinG civic Engagement and participation

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Projects & Initiatives.

 In Cyprus, civic participation and active citizenship face many challenges, such as institutional barriers or the lack of awareness of citizens of their status. Active citizenship and civic participation are vital for building an equitable and resilient society.

The EMERGE envisions putting forward a comprehensive framework to strengthen civil society and promote civic participation. – Educational resources will be developed to educate and inform citizens on political and social issues and build the capacity of CSOs, Citizens and practitioners. – Citizens will have the opportunity to get in touch with Cypriot CSOs and engage in participatory processes, carry out awareness-raising campaigns to raise citizens’ awareness of the role and contribution of CSOs and encourage their active participation. – Citizens and CSOs will have the chance to network, exchanging experiences and synergies.

The target group of the project is: Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Migrants, CSOs organisations and practitioners from both communities. Change in society can happen through us, and active citizenship can contribute to the realisation of what we can do as citizens, the power we have and the change we can make in this world.

green_league final newsletter

Green League – Sport Alliance for the Environment

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Projects & Initiatives.

 The EU places sport among the top issues of its policy agenda recognising it as an important instrument to increase wellbeing and overcome societal barriers. For instance in the positive impact on health, but also indirectly as an instrument which can contribute to other priority issues such as social inclusion, gender equality, economic growth, and not least the current climate crisis.

The project aim is to enhance the link between sport and the environment through experiential learning, promoting outdoor physical activity as a tool to support environmental awareness, and encouraging sustainable practices in sport.

During the life cycle of the project, one of the goals is to build the capacity of sport professionals at EU level to promote outdoor physical activity as a tool to educate people on environmental matters by involving them in the collaborative development of the Green League Model. Additionally, local sport events inspired by Nature’s Four elements, will be designed and delivered, to actively engage sport clubs, young sport players, and amateur athletes by setting up local Green Leagues combining sport tournaments and environmental action.

DIGI:GO – Supporting the Digital Transformation of Social Economy Organisation

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Projects & Initiatives.

There is a need to have a coordinated response to help educational and social institutions acquire digital skills, which are needed to keep pace with this fast-changing landscape, where is important to cultivate digital citizenship along with a broader set of digital skills that can facilitate participation and support students in maximizing opportunities and minimizing risks in the digital world (Jackman et al, 2021).

The DIGI:GO project aims to support adult educators, VET providers, teachers and other professionals from the social and education field in the incorporation of online tools to enhance teaching and learning; how to use educational technologies to deliver training in a hybrid environment, and how to use the best pedagogical approaches that will prepare them to effectively deliver a tailor-made training programmes with their target-groups.

The project will have the below results

1) The development of a Toolkit of Digital Skills Development

2) The development of an In-Service Training Programme

3) The development of a E-learning Platform

4) The development of a Policy Paper

e-protect Newsletter 9

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Project News.

Are you working with the elderly and would like to help them safely use the internet and keep up with the digitalisation of the different services? We have now launched our e learning platform, where you can register, browse, and find all you need to about internet safety, online commerce, e-payments and data protection.

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EMPOWER Newsletter 4

Written by Chara Pilidou on . Posted in Project News.

The Building Resilience to Address Domestic Violence EMPOWER project partners would like to welcome you to reading our last newsletter. The last six months of the project implementation were full of activities and great accomplishments. Read everything in the latest newsletter.

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