MUSE. Multigrade School Education. Guide of Good Practice

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1 MUSE Multigrade School Education Guide of Good Practice 1

2 Editors: Costas Tsolakidis Alina Constantinidi Sofoklis Sotiriou Michail Orfanakis Artwork: Vassilis Tzanoglos Evaggelos Anastasiou The MUSE project is co-financed by European Commission within the framework of thesocrates programme, action COMENIUS 2.1 Contract Number: CP GR-COMENIUS-C21/ Copyright 2005 by Ellinogermaniki Agogi All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of any part of this work without the written permission of the copyright owner is unlaw-ful. Request for permission or further information should be addressed to Ellinogermaniki Agogi, Athens,Greece. Printed by EPINOIA S.A. 2 ISBN No

3 MUSE Multigrade School Education Guide of Good Practice 3

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5 Contents For the teacher Introduction Chapter 1: Initial Concepts Definition and general characteristics of multigrade schools What is Multigrade Education? How MUSE project corresponds to Multigrade Education needs? Teacher s Needs Analysis Chapter 2: Presentation of MUSE Project Project s Description Aims and Objectives of the project Educational and Teaching Approach The target group and the expected impact Project s Outcomes Project s partners

6 Chapter 3: Tools and Technology of MUSE project ODL, Tools and Technology Information Technology in Multigrade schools Conventional ICT applications included to the computer Educational Software Connection to the Internet and Communication Programs Conclusions Chapter 4: The training programme Introduction Style, Scope, method Training curriculum Duration and Teaching Hours of the training program Target of training Cycles Chapter 5: Evaluation of MUSE project Teacher s engagement with the new model of in-service training Teacher ability to implement cross curricula teaching plans Teacher attitude to the new model of pedagogy Summative evaluation Tables of evaluation annexes Chapter 6: MUSE project Web Site: Get the most out of it ICT Modules Methodological Modules Teacher s training lesson plan Cross Curricula applications Annex I: Comparative analysis in the countries participating in the MUSE project Annex II: Commentary of the MUSE DVD

7 For the teacher Any decision taken in the field of education or teaching is based, albeit implicitly, in a body of theoretical knowledge mixed with philosophical, psycho-pedagogical or sociological principles. In this case multigradel schools are analysed from these three viewpoints given the global conception remains implicit. The last few years have produced important changes, both of a qualitative type (democratization of teaching, new ways of making relationships...) and quantitative (increasing the period of compulsory schooling, full education...), in the guidelines and schooling methods of the child population that try to meet social needs with educational material. Currently in schools students who have special educational needs are integrated with students from different ethnic backgrounds with different cultures, culturally deprived... a situation in which new formulae have to be investigated. Teachers have to face different levels of development, motivation, ability, interest and different learning rates; but they have to do it in a way that is substantially different to the way things have been tackled before. To all of this we have to add the enormous technological changes that have been taking place and the place occupied by social communication media that compete with schools in the transmission of information and culture. How have schools responded and how are they responding to all these changes? In a brief analysis we can identify the following as the traditional responses: grouping by age; uniform curriculum; individual attention (undertaken by support teachers and specialists) for those students with difficulties, etc. The adoption of a multigrade approach is a response by schools that are trying to deal with this enriching reality satisfactorily. But perhaps it is not as easy as it seems. Giving an education adapted to the aptitudes and abilities of the students was previously spoken about in the General Educational Law, but neither channels nor flexible structures were set up or are being set up to achieve this. We return to highlighting the importance of adapting basic education to the needs of each student, and in addition of making the timescale for getting through the curriculum more flexible, but the rigidity of educational structures has been maintained which has 7

8 lead to limited practical cases in Europe. Because of this, from experience we believe that in order to carry out these practices not only does the curriculum need to be modified but also a complete reform of the organisational structure of schools needs to be undertaken. The approach and implementation of the MUSE project was governed by the above mentioned ideas and this book summarises the two years systematic work that has been done in the field of multigrade education in three different countries. The aim of this book, the MUSE guide of good practice, is to support anyone interested in the MUSE project and its activities, mainly multigrade teachers, to effectively use the MUSE project approach in their teaching practices. The document consists of six main chapters which include all the necessary information for the project s philosophy and implementation. The first chapter is presenting the main characteristics of the multigrade teaching in Europe and describing the concepts that led to the design and implementation of a project such as MUSE. The second chapter presents the MUSE project with further details. It provides information concerning the project s objectives, its approach the expected impact to the multigrade teachers and it presents the outcomes of MUSE. The third chapter describes the tools and the technology that was utilised for the implementation of the project while in chapter four there is a detailed presentation of the training programme and its philosophy. The fifth chapter presents the evaluation methodology of the project and includes summative aspects of the evaluation of the project. Chapter six includes a short presentation of the website of the project focusing on the training section and its contents. The MUSE guide of good practice closes with two annexes that provide additional complement information concerning the project. Annex I gives an overview of the comparative analysis on multigrade education that was conducted within the framework of needs analysis research of the project. Finally Annex II includes the commentary of the MUSE case study DVD which accompanies this book. The DVD includes video presentations of the schools that participated in the MUSE project and presents main characteristics of multigrade education in Greece, Spain and Finland. 8

9 Introduction Some researchers note that multigrade type of organisation in teaching has its pros and cons. Firstly, we will highlight some of the negatives that have been identified by teachers working in this way: Having students of two different age-groups means that the teachers have to try to cover two areas of the curriculum. There is a wide range of student abilities. Evaluation should be different given the different ages and levels of maturity. Parents are not convinced about multigrade schools. Younger students feel inferior to older ones. There are planning difficulties. Teachers could leave the school or refuse to use this type of organisation. But on the other hand this type of school has a number of positive aspects: Increase in knowledge because of the influence of older students on younger ones. Students help each other. Younger students learn maturity from the older ones. Older students have the opportunity to refresh their knowledge. It is a professional challenge for the teachers. Considerations for the future As result of some experiences in Europe, there are some points to bear in mind if this type of organisation is not to be a disaster: Review the structure, organisation and content of the National Curriculum. Establish teams that condense the curricula so that they can be adapted. 9

10 Develop curricular schemes that take multi-level organisation into account. Include teaching practice in multi-level classes for trainee teachers. Organise courses for teachers to introduce them to this way of working. Lastly, we would like to highlight that it is not sufficient to remove traditional grouping in order to produce significant changes in the school. It is necessary to take on board different concepts re the teaching and learning process; diversity, organisation, the curriculum concepts which are necessary to bring about gradual change that will produce new systems and definitions of schooling. INCLUSION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN MULTIGRADE SCHOOLS The educational use of new information and communication technologies and the organisational model of rural schools essentially formed by the Grouped Rural Schools system mutually reinforce their effects and complement each other to the point that they seem to have been made for each other. The negative effects of institutional isolation, a characteristic of multigrade schools, are largely seen to be removed by the increase in communication and participation that are brought about, in real time, by , on line connections and related tools, like chats. These are particularly useful for contact between teachers and work groups to share experiences and knowledge, hold coordination meetings or even virtual staff meetings. in the 21st century within a society based on knowledge. Reinforce local identity in a global world Emphasize in European cooperation Put Multigrade Schools at the head of the innovation process in teaching material applying new technologies Help teachers in their work, allowing them to reduce dead time (time during one grade is inactive audience, since teacher addresses his teaching to an other grade) thanks to the use of technology as a teaching method. Communication.- MUSE project required connection with the internet for all partners schools Infrastructure.- MUSE project required computing equipment to be present in schools and specific software that were selected. Training.- In order to implement the Programme well and achieve the main objective of integrating rural schools in the Information Society, technical and methodological training for the teachers involved was fundamental if they were going to be able to develop their own educational material and cross curricula applications effectively. The creation and use of communication channels between students of the same grouped rural school are seen to be stimulated by the possibility of reinforcing this contact on a virtual basis. In general, communication processes, between students and teachers, via the use of new technologies (in an educational environment that is traditionally slow in adopting new ideas) are seen to be stimulated in a spectacular way because they are united in a compatible, pre-existing institutional and organisational system (the multi-level system) that gives them all the meaning necessary to increase motivation and the individual energy required for dealing with the new circumstances. Muse project among others aimed to: 10 Facilitate the consolidation of a model of sustainable growth in rural areas via the training of students and teachers in the use of the tools that run the economy

11 CHAPTER 1: Initial Concepts Multigrade schools can be at the cutting edge of innovation in teaching 11

12 1.1 Definition and general characteristics of multigrade schools Traditionally, multigrade 1 schools are defined as those with an organisational structure set up to deal with students of varying ages. However, in the current legal framework in Europe, multilevel education should be defined as that which takes a global overview and adapts its work according to different educational levels. Multigrade schools do not only have students of different ages or levels in the same classroom, it goes much further than a simple idea of spatial organisation. The need to put students together because of low student numbers is the excuse for creating a new concept of education in the classroom. This type of school implicitly brings with it a way of working and forming relationships, of organising and designing the curriculum, some peculiarities that make it different from the rest. The majority of these schools in Europe are in rural areas where the low levels of population mean these schools have to face the problem of a range of student ages and low student numbers which means that they can only have one class. However, this type of organisation has, in many cases, solved the problem of isolation and lack of resources which have traditionally existed in rural education. On the other hand, flexible grouping in order to deal with the question of diversity is another reason for the emergence of these schools. Using an organisational and curricular strategy to attempt to adapt teaching to different learning rates, needs, interests and individual characteristics of the students creates the need to create a curriculum and an organisational structure that serves all students. Some English authors call these mixed age classes. In order to carry out our educational project, it is essential to make the organisation of students, teachers and the curriculum more flexible. This will not be possible if we do not introduce new teaching approaches and take on a series of personal responsibilities. Flexible organisation of students: in contrast to the rigidity and the inflexibility of traditional grouping a new organisational structure is proposed that is based on different methods of organisation that those previously described. Flexibility in the organisation of students refers to different ways of grouping them, both in the individual classroom and across the classes within one educational cycle. Our organisational model, in contrast to the traditional grouping, is not based on a single, fixed, stable type of group but on five different types that can be combined according to the time and situation and that we will develop later. A student does not have to always be in the same group but can change from group to group according to the amount of knowledge gained, his/her learning pace, interests and personal preferences. Flexible grouping constitutes an organisational and curricular strategy to attempt to adapt teaching to different learning paces, needs, interests and individual characteristics of the students avoiding, on the one hand, poor acquisition of basic concepts and early educational failure and, on the other hand, the holding back of the best students who have to work within a rigid and egalitarian structure. It is necessary to programme the teaching so that each student can advance according to their ability and learning pace. Flexible organisation of teachers: With this type of school we have to forget the idea of a teacher per year-group and often think in terms of complete cycles. This requires the development of systematic, cooperative teamwork by teachers if we desire the learning process of the students to be real, coherent and adapted to their characteristics. This change in the system of working brings with it a change in the activities carried out by teachers and the addition of new ones: placement of students into groups in accordance with the results of the initial evaluation; creation of a timetable for the cycle ; production of student materials, teamwork, the maintenance of an investigative attitude etc The multigrade class structure is known by various names in different countries; these include composite or combination classes, double classes, split classes, mixed-age classes, vertically grouped classes, multiple classes, family classes or multilevel classes. You may find more than one terms in this document that always refer to the same class type of multigrade schools.

13 Types In order to create a multilevel structure, teachers work with a cycle rather than an individual year-group and student groupings can be defined as being of five types: real multilevel grouping, grouping according to age, flexible grouping according to tasks, flexible grouping with open classrooms and flexible grouping according to needs. a) Real multilevel grouping. The basic objective of this type of grouping, characteristic of schools not organised by age-group, is respect for the individuality of the student. Schools that are not organised by age-group aim to put into practice the theory of continuous progress of the student. Given than the differences between children are great -and this is not likely to change very much- school organisation must try to facilitate the constant, educational development of each student. In order to place students in the various levels, an initial evaluation is carried out that allows us to discover the real situation of each student at the start of the school year. Continuous evaluation helps us to make changes in the composition of the groups. a) A student can change from one level to another at any moment during the course and as many times as necessary. What can also happen, and in fact does, is that students can be found in different levels for different subjects. In the case that the student has to stay an extra year in a cycle, the general rule is that they continue in the next level up from that which they finished the year in, so content is not repeated. b) Traditional Grouping by Age. This is carried out according to age and students are distributed alphabetically. The stability of the group is respected throughout their time in the cycle. This leads us to think that the tutor group should not disappear given the psychological need of students of this age to keep a stable frame of reference. Four tutorial groups are established (A and B, for the students of the first year of the cycle; C and D for those students who have been in the cycle for two years or three in the case of repeaters. c) Flexible Grouping According to Tasks. This affects all the students of the cycle depending on the activity that is going to be carried out (social activities, introductory sessions for teaching units in medium-sized or big groups, etc.). d) Flexible Grouping in Open Classes. The objective of this type of organisation is to allow students to exercise choice (exercising freedom of choice is essential for living in a democracy) which, in our opinion, increases their motivation and encourages personal autonomy. All the students in the cycle are involved in the tutorials A & B and C & D but in an independent way and on different days and at different times. The groups are heterogeneous (there are students of different abilities, but with a common interest in the activity being undertaken at the given time) and of variable composition within the same session. Each student has the opportunity to choose the classroom (Reading Room or Writing Room) they want to go to, being able to change to another during the session, trying, if this is the case, not to interrupt the work of their schoolmates. With regard to groupings within the classroom, individual work is alternated with pair work and group work. The students choose the type of work and the classmates they want to work with. e) Flexible Grouping according to needs. This starts from the idea that the time taken for learning need not be identical for everyone and this is therefore a way of breaking the rigidity and uniformity of schooling schedules. The objective of this is to allow students different amounts of time to gain the knowledge and develop the abilities for this particular cycle according to their personal needs. When we talk about needs we are not referring exclusively to the cognitive dimension of school learning but also to personal and social development. A positive relationship with oneself and with others is the most valuable lesson that can be learnt for our life in society. With regard to the organisation of students in the classroom, individual work is alternated with group work (whether it be to carry out work together or develop help networks between equals) and with work in heterogeneous groups that can undertake a cooperative activity or the same activity with variable levels of difficulty. The tutor decides at each moment what is most appropriate. The five types of grouping should be used simultaneously in order to deal with students individually and in groups that match their learning pace and particular characteristics. At the same time, they can work on socialisation and cooperative education in tutor groups and workshops where students of different levels and different tutor groups work together and share their experiences - a mutually enriching experience. Within the multilevel structure each teacher can take responsibility for a tutor group, a level (different each year), a workshop, a needs group and a group of open classrooms, which will allow him/her to understand the organisational structure, the peculiarities of each level, to globalise the curriculum and simplify, as far as possible, the timetable for the cycle. 13

14 Curricular Plan With respect to the curricular plan, we have to highlight that the introduction of the term diversity in education is due to, above all, a socio-political purpose, which is derived from the adoption of a comprehensive model. A comprehensive curriculum does not mean uniform teaching, a standardised programme, the same timetable, the same methods, the same content and the same materials for everyone; comprehensiveness has to be combined with diversity, offering flexible and open curricula that consider individual differences in learning as something dynamic and continually evolving. It is, therefore, essential to adapt teaching to the characteristics of the students, never limiting the acquisition of new concepts, and, at the same time, not forcing anybody to try to learn more quickly than they are able to. Taking this on board, it is essential to make the curriculum as flexible as possible, as it must be coherent with the new organisational structure that is going to be imposed, as well as with other elements such as the timetable, the use of space, the assignment of the teachers to the groups, evaluation or how children move from one level to another. the global process of teaching and learning, understanding that it is important to consider the concept of diversity as the basis of evaluation (different abilities and learning pace of each student, different motivation for studying, existence of children with special educational needs within a heterogeneous group, etc). The multilevel structure implicitly implies that students do not have to repeat in the traditional way, as each student is in the appropriate level and, if they are not, they move to a lower or a higher level depending on the case. The educational programmes that are used in this type of school are usually interdisciplinary and cyclical therefore starting from the interests of the students. The objectives are defined according to the abilities that the students are expected to develop. From that point, general, not specific, objectives for the whole cycle and for each subject area are set. The content is based on interest and each year it is different depending on the depth of the subject and any advances in it. The activities are varied, motivating and adapted to the different abilities and learning paces. Some are individual; others are for small groups (4-6 student) or medium-sized groups; and others, like film shows, excursions, etc., are in large groups. Various activities and suggestions for pieces of work come together in the same space and time. They are open suggestions and can be taken forward in different ways. The methodology is active, trying to start from the experiences of students in the immediate environment and using materials that they find and use in everyday life. 14 The teaching materials are very varied. They do not usually use a textbook on an individual basis, as textbooks organised in levels are not available on the market. The evaluation is individual and continuous, integrated in

15 1.2 What is Multigrade Education? Multigrade teaching occurs within a graded system of education when a single class contains two or more student grade levels. It is contrasted with the usual pattern of classroom organization in graded systems where a single classroom contains students of only one grade level. In many graded systems, age and grade are congruent, so a grade level is also equivalent to a particular age group of students. There are three important reasons why multigrade teaching may occur in both developed and developing countries a. First, multigrading is often associated with small schools in remote and sparsely populated areas. In such schools, there may be only one, two or three teachers, yet they offer a complete cycle of primary education b. Multigrade teaching is also common in larger urban and suburban schools. In some countries, it is a response to uneven student enrolment. For example, a school with a two and a half grade entry may have to combine two grade levels to make up class sizes. c. Third, multigrade teaching may be a deliberate response to educational problems. In developed countries, this is linked to the multi-age perspective. Mixed age classes, it is argued, stimulate children s social development and encourage greater classroom cooperation A link is sometimes made between the problems facing the multigrade classroom teacher and those confronting the monograde teacher First, curriculum reform is one way in which multigrade teaching can be made more effective Second, monograde teachers in many countries need to reduce their dependence on chalk and talk and to increase the range of instructional strategies that they commonly use. Some of these strategies are those promoted in the multigrade context. infrastructure that applies for them. Multigrade and single teacher schools are a necessity mainly due to specific geographic configuration. There are many mountainous regions and a large number of small islands with sparse population that can not afford a conventional school. In the past, historical reasons had forced the population to live in areas of difficult access, scattered in a great number of small and isolated villages that were located either deeply in the mainland, or in small islands. Even though nowadays, there is a change in the demographic dispersion, due to urbanisation, there is still a significant percentage of the population that lives in regions with the above described characteristics. This creates the need for the operation of schools in small villages, even with a very small number of students and even when the conditions do not provide the ideal educational environment. Sustaining a large number of multigrade schools is a difficult task. The problems that arise can be epitomized in two categories, financial and educational. On the one hand, the state has to provide the necessary economic means in order to keep schools fully equipped and in an acceptable operational condition. On the other hand, there must be adaptations in the curriculum; in order to fit in the way teaching is conducted in multigrade schools. These adaptations lead to the justified belief that the quality of the provided education is inferior, compared to the quality of education in the rest of the schools. The usual situation is that multigrade schools are ignored, or assumed to be non-problematic, or problematic with non-resolvable problems, or unimportant, or marginal. Bibliography on schooling in developed and developing countries implicitly assumes that schools are monograde. Rarely one finds specialized programmes and implementation methodologies referring to such schools and also rare is research on this issue. The University Departments of Education, which are institutions that deal with the development of educational models, methodologies and approaches, concentrate, almost exclusively, in monograde schools. National school curricula do not refer separately to multigrade schools. Third, the way in which monograde teachers manage their classes should in some cases become more like the facilitator role suggested in the multigrade class. Multi grade schools are an exception of the traditional system of the Primary Education: there is a different policy and 15

16 How MUSE corresponds to Multigrade Education needs? Objectives and aims of Muse project emerged directly from Teacher s need analysis: Lack of special training programs for teachers in multigrade schools. Faculties of Primary Education in general do not provide special courses on multigrade school. Freshly appointed teachers in multi grade schools rarely get some nationally organized seminars on this special type of school. Yet, multigrade school is a very common reality through the world. Muse developed a training program aiming to fill in that peculiar and intense gap. Lack of effective implementation methodology of educational curricula in multigrade schools. In most countries, national educational curricula are designed to meet the requirements of each grade independently and this is based on the fact that educators usually deal each time with a specific target group of pupils that is homogeneous with respect to age and educational level. This situation does not apply in isolated schools where teachers have to deal with several target groups and have to implement several different curricula at a time. The rule is that these teachers have no theoretical background on how to teach in multigrade schools since in most of the curricula of the Departments of Education no such a subject is taught. On the other hand, multigrade schools are a fair percentage of the total number of schools. For such situations the development of specialized educational methodologies are required to modify this multi-oriented teaching scheme in a successful and efficient learning process. Lack of methodological approach concerning the use of new technologies to assist teaching in multigrade schools. The effective use of ICT could really act as a qualitative upgrade to the multigrade teaching. Teachers in most of the cases are not trained to use ICT. Furthermore, training programmes, where available, see the introduction of ICT as a goal by itself, while the focus of the training should lie on the exploration of multimedia, the Internet and special software that could improve the teaching and learning process. For this reason specialized methodological approaches for the use if ICT in multigrade teaching are required. Lack of continuous training and support for teachers. Teachers in multigrade schools do not have the chance to participate in educational training seminars and courses available to teachers working elsewhere. The introduction of ICT and the application of Open and Distance training schemes could support the teachers at the place where they work. Lack of communication between multigrade schools and outside educational community. The above-mentioned conditions of specificities and oddities limit effective communication among rural schools and thus enhance further their isolation. The use of Internet, videoconferencing and other communicating tools are ideal and offering unique capabilities for overcoming these obstacles. As a response to the above mentioned crucial needs, Muse s objectives mainly were to: Develop and disseminate methods for combating educational exclusion and school failure, promoting the integration of pupils with special educational needs, and promoting equality of opportunity in all its aspects Promote the use of information and communication technology in school education and in the training of the staff working in this sector of education Encourage innovation in pedagogical methods and materials Promote trans-national cooperation and exchanges between schools and teacher training establishments. More specifically, and as it was described in details in the interim report, Muse s aims were in topics: To develop an in-service specialised training programme for teachers in multigrade schools. To enhance professional skills of multigrade schoolteachers and develop their abilities to design didactic plans according to the needs of the specific school environment. To develop a model that will allow for the continuous training and support of the multigrade schoolteachers To conduct an intervention study in multigrade classrooms across Europe: The project was implemented in multigrade school environments in Greece, Finland, Spain and United Kingdom. To make recommendations on multigrade teaching policy and practice. To enhance communication among remote multigrade school teaching environment and outside educational community.

17 To initiate the formation of a European network on the multigrade school education. The partnership aims to initiate a network on the multigrade school education 1.4 Teachers needs Analysis The needs analysis was focused on the determination of the skills required of the multigrade teacher. In order to identify the training needs of teachers of all participating countries, it was asked from the local coordinating institutions to compile a study for the subject, applying well-accepted theoretical principles and appropriate methodological instruments. The main target of these studies were to present the existing situation with respect to multigrade schools, their problems and weaknesses, the needs of schoolteachers and to identify whether these needs are common for the four countries or differ reflecting a specific situation in each country independently. Based on the reports from the studies, these needs were grouped in categories as seen below: General issues Curriculum issues Preparation for multigrade school teaching Methodological and didactical issues Students grouping issues Co-operation with local and educational authorities Working issues Social and cultural issues Training program issues The role of ICT Infrastructure Administration 17

18 Training needs in Finland In Finland 12 teachers from 8 multigrade schools in rural areas in Northern Finland were interviewed by members of the Chydenius Institute. Each school had 2-3 teachers and between 30 and 70 pupils. The level of ICT infrastructure in each school was already high and teachers and pupils were already familiar with using PCs in their work. The challenges of multigrade teaching expressed by these teachers were several. They felt that their work was professionally very demanding and they often felt isolated from other teachers. With the introduction of a new curriculum nationwide these multigrade teachers wanted support to understand it and introduce into their multigraded schools. Teachers felt that one of the greatest pedagogic challenges in the multigraded classroom was the differentiation and individualisation of teaching. While computers were already in use in the classroom teachers wanted to learn more about how they might be used to better support teaching and learning in multigraded classes. Teachers identified the following areas as being important content in the training programme. Cooperation between the pre-school and the first grade of primary schools to identify individual needs of children and ensure a sound start to primary education Social development of the child and the opportunities for teacher intervention Didactical aspects of multigrade education, materials, new ideas and teaching tips Sociological and psychological perspectives on the future of multigrade schools The new curriculum: how to do it and deal with it, especially in multigrade classes The value of multigrade schools The need for a practical and continuing education in this area Training needs in Greece The Analysis of Teachers Needs in Greece was conducted through interviews with multigrade schoolteachers participating in the project SXEDIA and through a MUSE questionnaire survey of 900 multi grade schools. The questionnaire survey revealed that 100 of the 900 schools had been closed. The study also revealed that schoolteachers felt that the curriculum they had to teach is neither differentiated nor adjusted in the needs of multigrade schools. As a result, they face problems with the volume of work and with the distribution of teaching time. They have insufficient time to complete the teaching of the main subjects. This has a negative backwash on the less important subjects to which they devote less time or they don t teach at all. The main teaching methods employed are collaborative learning and silent assignments. They feel that they need good examples of implementing this method, in real and not ideal conditions. To a large extent, in order to carry out the needs for silent assignments, it is necessary to prepare worksheets at home. They consider that this work puts extra pressure in their already full timetable. Teachers were asked their opinion about priority content for a training course for multigrade teachers. The priority areas and frequency of response were: Teaching materials and their use (65%). Methods for reorganizing the curriculum, so that it is suitable for the needs of multigrade schools (63%). Information technology and its applications (56%). Teaching methodology, and dealing with administrative work(50%), and Classroom arrangement in multigrade schools (48.5 A full version of the extensive analysis is available in the report submitted to the MUSE project by the University of the Aegean. Training needs in Spain The report from the MUSE Spanish team referred to a number of challenges faced by students and teachers. Although these do not point to specific content areas they highlight concerns that could be addressed within a training programme. They include: 18 Physical and cultural isolation of students and teachers: The need for Homogeneity between centres. The need for a more positive evaluation of work of

19 teachers by local communities activities as possible. Unification of Methodological Criteria in classes Introduction of cross-curricular or transverse subjects including academic content values, personal development etc. Lack of resources Grouping of children of various levels Physically and psychologically demanding work for the teacher Poor physical structure of buildings and deficiencies in equipment Temporary nature of the staff, due to high level of mobility that makes continuity in the work with students and the development of a Curricular Plan impossible Teachers are not prepared for rural schools: University teacher training courses do not deal with multilevel schools Difficulty in completing the official curriculum and the need for flexible approach to educational inspection The need for continuous professional development and in particular for new teachers. Difficulty in team work in grouped rural schools Little diffusion of innovative practice and methodological advances Information and communication technology is limited and of poor quality 19

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21 CHAPTER 2: Presentation of MUSE Project Due to the socio-economic peculiarities and the lack of adequate school infrastructure and personnel, multigrade schools still remain at the education s world cut off.. 21

22 2.1 The project s description The MUSE project aimed at developing an in service training programme that is designed to meet the needs of multigrade schoolteachers in order to improve their educational performance in the multigrade school environment. The training is based on methodological approaches of multigrade teaching and on the use of ICT applications so as to provide: An in-service training programme for teachers of multigrade schools. The use of the Internet in order to develop a platform for training, collaboration, networking and exchanging of ideas between teachers, students and trainers. The proposed approach is expected to enhance professional skills of multigrade schoolteachers as well as develop their abilities to design and evaluate didactic plans. The MUSE project provided multigrade schoolteachers continuous training and support, enhancing communication among remote multigrade school teaching environment and outside educational community. The duration of the project was two years (October September 2004). 2.2 Aims and objectives MUSE was aiming at the development of a new model of teachers training that assists teaching in multigrade schools. The project was based on a close cooperation between pedagogical experts, trainers, policy makers and teachers. In detail, the aims of the MUSE project, were: The development of a specialised in-service training programme for teachers in multigrade schools. Within the framework of the project a specially designed training programme was developed in order to meet the needs of the teachers. The program included training on the methodological approaches applying to the multigrade school environment. In addition the training programme focused on the familiarization of teachers with the use of ICT as an assisting tool for multigrade teaching. The training was delivered to the teachers through ODL techniques. The enhancement professional skills of multigrade schoolteachers and the development of abilities to design didactic plans according to the needs of the specific school environment. The training programme included extended presentations of case studies and examples of good practice on how teachers have to face the particularities of the multigrade school environment. The teachers participating in the project was trained in designing and implementing cross-curricula applications, projects and activities. The development of a model that allows continuous training and support of the multigrade schoolteachers. The project developed a platform for continuous interaction between teachers and trainers. The conduction of an intervention study on multigrade teaching across Europe: The project was implemented in multigrade school environments in Greece, Finland, Spain and United Kingdom. Through systematic ethnographic research the partnership studied the attitudes of teachers with different cultures towards the application of the proposed approach as well as the attitudes between teachers themselves coming from the same country. 22 To make recommendations on multigrade teaching policy and practice. The project intends to raise awareness of policy makers, pedagogical experts, educational authorities, problems and the needs of multigrade teaching.

23 The enhancement of communication between the remote multigrade school teaching environment and outside educational community. The aim of the project was to create a virtual educational society where teachers to be able to communicate with the academic community and become familiarized with the idea of international cooperation and networking. The formation of a European network on the multigrade school education. The partnership aieds at initiating a network on the multigrade school education. Within the framework of the project a virtual educational community (teachers, researchers, policy makers) was formed in order to exchange experiences, proposals and ideas for the qualitative improvement of the multigrade education. 2.3 Educational and teaching approaches The development of the MUSE training programme was based on the adoption of a teacher centred approach. The implementation of the training program included extended cycles of school centred work. Teachers were continuously giving feedback to the academic team about their experiences gained in the classroom. This not only increased the motivation of the teachers, and gave weight to their practical experiences, but also provided the necessary crosslinks between theory and practice. Upon suggestions of the teachers, the academic team performed the necessary adjustments to the didactical approach. The school trials were not meant for evaluation purposes only, but involved both teachers and students offering them the chance to provide feedback to the project and its pedagogical aspects. The partnership believed that teachers could gain important professional skills and come to view their involvement in this procedure as a craft that requires dedication and precision but simultaneously encourages creativity, humour, and personal expression. 23

24 2.4 The target group and the expected impact The target group of the MUSE project are the teachers of the participating multigrade schools. Through the dissemination strategy of the project s results and outcomes, this group will eventually not only be addressed within the participating institutions, but also to the wider educational community. The multigrade primary school teachers taking part in the implementation of the training programme profited several different ways: They participated in the development of the specialized courses and the course material and thus acquired skills in conceptualising, planning and evaluating their didactical approaches and methodology. They gained knowledge, skills and experiences in the use of educational technology in the classroom, and provided interesting classroom experiences for their students. They gained intercultural awareness through cooperation with partners from different European countries, adding a new dimension to their teaching. They had an opportunity to look beyond their everyday practical problems get fresh input of ideas. 2.5 The project s outcomes The main output of the project was an innovative training programme for the teachers in multigrade schools. The general framework of the programme is composed by three parts and it is based on the teachers needs analysis that performed the first months of the project s run: Methodological approaches for multigrade teaching (theory and praxis): The first part of the programme presents the main aspects that are considered essential for multigrade teaching: classroom management and discipline, instructional organisation, curriculum, evaluation, instructional delivery and grouping, self directed learning, planning and peer tutoring. There are several teaching strategies for multigrade school environments (e.g. work card or workbook method, staggered start, differentiated direct teaching). Introduction to the use of ICT (theory and praxis): This part includes the basic introduction to the use of the ICT. During this part of the training programme, a series of examples of good practice for the usage of the Internet and multimedia applications in the classroom will be presented to teachers. Teachers were asked to introduce a selected sample to their classrooms according to specific lesson plans and evaluate them. Furthermore teachers were asked to prepare their lesson plans in different cases. Cross-curricula applications and projects (praxis): The third part of the training curriculum concerns the training of the teachers to become able to design their own cross curricula applications (based mainly on the use of ICT tools) and projects to be implemented in classroom. Teachers were trained to design open-ended, divergent learning experience projects accessible to students functioning at different levels, utilizing the capabilities of modern ICT techniques. These long-term projects were implemented as holding activities for the specific study groups ensuring that time spent away form the teacher is spent productively, while the teacher is occupied with a specific group of students trying to implement the official curriculum. 24

25 Figure 2a: Methodological approaches for multigrade teaching (theory and praxis). The first part of the training programme presented the main aspects that are considered essential for multigrade teaching: classroom management and discipline, instructional organisation, curriculum, evaluation, instructional delivery and grouping, self directed learning, planning and peer tutoring. There are several teaching strategies for multigrade school environments (e.g. work card or workbook method, staggered start, differentiated direct teaching). software tools, development of Web pages and many applications (e.g. Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint). 25

26 Figure 2c: Cross-curricula applications and projects (praxis): The third part of the training curriculum concerns the training of the teachers to become able to design their own cross curricula applications (based mainly on the use of ICT tools) and projects for implementation in classroom. Teachers were trained to design open-ended, divergent learning experience projects accessible to students functioning at different levels, utilizing the capabilities of modern ICT techniques. These long-term projects (as an example the e-tool of the YouRA project is presented) were implemented as holding activities for the specifi c study groups that ensured that time spent away form the teacher is spent productively, while the teacher is occupied with a specifi c group of students trying to implement the offi cial curriculum. 26 The training material is presented on the web and it was delivered to the teachers over the web during the programme s implementation. The lessons, including links to all the reference material, are available in the web site of the project. Additionally the trainees guide and CD-ROM were developed and delivered to the teachers at the beginning of the training programme. The trainees guide and the CD- ROM include the pedagogical approach and specific examples (examples of good practice, projects) concerning the application of ICT in the classroom. Additionally to the training material (curriculum, courses, trainee s guide and CD-ROM) the partnership developed the following material in order to enforce the dissemination strategy, the MUSE web page, the MUSE guide of good practice, Posters and leaflets and the MUSE CD-ROM. The former were produced in order to describe the project, the outcomes and mainly the proposed training methodology. The aim is to support a more effective dissemination of the idea of multigrade school teaching to the academic community.

27 Dissemination Plan Dissemination Activities The partnership has the ability of promoting the project s products and services, outcomes of basic and applied educational research. The MUSE project is taking advantage of all dissemination and communication channels available including regular press releases as the partnership has proven its capability of drawing the press attention. Additionally the following concrete measures for an effective dissemination have been planned: The MUSE web site: The project s web site presents the current status of the project. It is the backbone of the project, a state of the art web page. It includes, the web based training material, links to related sites and libraries, the electronic edition of the user s manual and the trainees bulletin board ( The MUSE project aims to create conditions for the adaptation and transfer of its innovative approach, since it can be easily expanded to a larger network of schools and training centers in other countries. Leaflets were produced and distributed to teachers and educational experts describing the project and the developed training curriculum. Closing Conference Open day Workshop: At the end of the project an open day event was organised in Athens, Greece to draw the attention of the wider public (students, parents, press etc.). Teachers had the opportunity to present their work. In the conference the final results of the evaluation of the training programme were presented. Education policy makers (representatives of the state, the ministry of education, teachers training centres etc.) were invited to attend. The attention of the media was also drawn through press releases. The collaboration intended to disseminate the project results not only to potential appliers of the project, but in simplified form to the wider public as well. Articles in newspapers and magazines of general interest served the intention of dissemination of the project to the wider public. In addition the MUSE consortium organised the teachers workshop in the framework of the 12th Annual EDEN Conference which was held in Rhodes in The conference was introduced to the official programme of the Greek Presidency of the EU. University of Aegean and Ellinogermaniki Agogi were the co-organisers of this conference. The MUSE consortium considered this event as a unique chance to present the MUSE project s idea to the European Academic Community (more that 400 professionals, researchers and teachers involved in the field of Distance Education participated to the conference) and for that reason introduced the teachers workshop in the programme of the conference. CD-ROM/Full hardcopies of the Guide of Good Practice: The CD-ROM and the full hardcopy of the project will be distributed throughout Europe to Ministries of education and culture, Pedagogical institutes, training curriculum developers, SOCRATES National Agencies. Conferences, symposia and paper submission: The outcomes were and will be presented to international conferences, symposia that focus on educational and training issues and submitted to scientific magazines. Teachers training seminars: The participating teachers are expected to act as multipliers in the educators society disseminating the idea of applicability of the proposed pedagogical approach applying ODL and ICT methods. Although this measure may not approach the number of people addressed by conventional dissemination measures, undoubtedly the impact of an active experience is much deeper than the one a paper or a presentation at a conference may have. Teachers that have by themselves experienced the qualitative upgrade the introduction of ODL and ICT can bring to the teaching practice are definitely effective promoters of the idea in the educators society. 27

28 2.6 Partners of MUSE project The partners of the MUSE project were: University of Aegean Ellinogermaniki Agogi Chydenius Institute University of Cadiz University of London Primary school of Salakos Vintturi-Tastula primary school Veikko Vionoja primary school Public Rural School Campiña de Tarifa 28

29 Chapter 3: Tools and Technology of MUSE Project Modern, international trends of pedagogical science and of the educational policy adapt forms of work and school organization and perceptions (multigrade grouping, peer tutoring, total cognitional perceptions etc) that until now were attached as disadvantages of multigrade schools. In the past years, the development in telecommunications has brought into light new forms of work in the classroom that support small and flexible educational units, such as one-grade schools. The multigrade schools have strong advantages that are recognized internationally. Of course there are problems. But what is needed is new perceptions and compound ways to confront them. The age when the practical dentists applied the method tooth ache tooth removal is over. And this is valid in double when it is about the deconstruction of the countryside s cultural entity. 29

30 3.1 ODL, Tools and Technology The introduction of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in any field of social and economic life promises revolutionary changes. These are of specific importance for remote and geographically isolated areas. ICT offers anyone equal accessibility to information, irrespective of the size of the place one lives, the geographical characteristics and the distance from the centre. The introduction of ICT in education contributes to the development of a technological culture in general that it is believed to upgrade education system in general as well as provide valuable knowledge on using modern technologies in real life situations. The development of technological culture within the framework of the multigrade school is considered to be even more important and valuable. The effective use of ICT could act as a qualitative upgrade to the multigrade teaching, support students learning and foster social development of the local community. ICT and ODL play a central role in the project. The implementation of the project was based on the use distant learning techniques and taking full advantage of all capabilities the web offers. The implementation of the training program was organised according to an ODL scheme. Teachers had the chance to apply and test specific activities in their classroom and give feedback from the practical point of view. Teachers presented the difficulties and limitations they are facing during the application in the classroom, as well as the organisational, methodological and technical problems. Trainers and teachers formed in this way a virtual educational society. The training programme, however, wasn t limited to these activities, because an essential part of the project was the continuous communication and exchange of ideas between the teachers, and the experts who suggested the didactical approach, methodology, classroom activities, and the design of the training scheme and the material. The training scheme had the objective to familiarize teachers with the use of ICT assisting their work in the multigrade classroom. ODL cannot be seen as a substitute of the conventional teaching but rather as a distributed learning environment, an add-on that has to justify its implementation in the school curriculum through the qualitative upgrade it offers to everyday school practice. The partnership managed to design, develop, implement and evaluate didactic plans that make use of ICT as a tool in actual classroom environments so as to develop the educators abilities to use the computer in everyday teaching. Teacher Training Programme. Furthermore, the usage of ICT is very important for the dissemination of the project s results and outcomes as the dissemination strategy is mainly based in the use of the new communication channels the ICT offers (web page linked to search engines, CD-ROMs, notifications to teacher s lists, etc.) The introduction of ICT in education contributes to the development of a technological culture in general that it is believed to upgrade education system in general as well as provide valuable knowledge on using modern technologies in real life situations. The development of technological culture within the framework of the multigrade school is considered to be even more important and valuable. The effective use of ICT could act as a qualitative upgrade to the multigrade teaching, support students learning and foster social development of the local community. In the framework of the project, teachers were trained via ODL techniques (video conference, , forum), traditional mail (conventional posting of questionnaire), e-questionnaires in managing multigrade classrooms, in specifying the applicability of the certain curricula, in evaluating the importance of lessons specific educational aims, in organising study groups effectively. In order to train teachers to use homogeneous and heterogeneous grouping and to design cooperative group tasks as well as to be proficient in assessing, evaluating, and recording student progress, qualitative methods were used such as portfolios and anecdotal reports. 30 Upon completion of the project, the full training program and the accompanying material is accessible through the Internet as a fully developed ODL In-Service Multigrade

31 3.2 Information technology in multigrade schools The introduction of ICT in any field of social and economic life promises revolutionary changes. These are of specific importance for small, remote and geographically isolated areas. Provided that some basic infrastructure and a minimum experience are available, ICT offers anyone equal accessibility to information, irrespective of the size of the place one lives, the geographical characteristics and the distance from the centre. Education could not be exception to such a technological development. ICT provides tools that help the school s operation; it is a new instrument that makes teaching more effective and more stimulating; and through some specific applications, such as distance learning, it brings a complete reform to the learning process. Availability of ICT infrastructure in multigrade schools and familiarity of teachers and pupils in the use of computers offer a unique opportunity for improving quality of multigrade teaching methods. Computers, in their role as educational instruments, favour time sharing between different groups of pupils, promote self learning activities and help controlling the degree of teacher- pupil contact. Consequently they offer a means for upgrading parallel session teaching methods and for providing high educational standards. Given the time table requirements, the teaching methodology limitations and the electronic equipment available, there are three major facilities by which ICT may improve efficiency in multigrade schools: Conventional ICT applications included to a standard personal computer system Educational software Internet and communication programs While important for any school, ICT promises an increase in the quality of knowledge acquisition in multigrade schools. Through a proper organization and support, multigrade schools can benefit from ICT, becoming more efficient and competent. In multigrade schools, a teacher can choose to apply one of the following proposed teaching methods: Holding activities Staggered start. According to the former, the teacher starts by teaching pupils of one grade. Meanwhile, the rest of the children are occupied with simple and enjoyable tasks that do not need the teacher s direct involvement. When teaching is completed, the pupils of that grade interchange places with pupils of another grade and the teacher starts teaching the new grade in the same way. According to the latter, the teacher begins by teaching the pupils of one grade, motivating participation in some selflearning activities. Then, while the first group s pupils are busy working in such activities, the teacher begins working with another group. In this way, in one hour, the teacher activates in parallel more than one grade. It should be noted that it helps if the topics taught in parallel to different grades are from the same subject, but this is not necessary. Holding Activities and Staggered Start have many common characteristics and can be considered equally efficient. Due to syllabi restrictions, other techniques, such as Differentiated Direct Teaching, are not applied. 31

32 3.3 Conventional ICT applications included to the computer One of the popular activities in primary schools is that the teacher prepares and provides to the pupils specific educational material utilising conventional ICT applications (usually MS Office suite). The material is adapted to each grade s average efficiency standards and most usually contains: Exercises on a subject taught which the pupils are asked to answer This area is subject to further development: The existing database is enriched continuously. Also presentation programs are planned offering techniques that help the pupils to work on their own, to make revisions, to consolidate and finally to better understand a lesson. The need for such presentation programs is essential if one keeps in mind that the teacher in a multigrade school spends a limited time with each subject and cannot give the appropriate attention to each pupil. Moreover such programs promote the individualization of the curriculum, giving motives to the children to learn in their own pace, something that seems vital in the modern teaching methodology. This brings the discussion to the next step. Motivation for learning or practicing on a specific subject (e.g. drawing). While important for any school, such an educational material is highly valuable specifically for multigrade schools. Here this material becomes the basic means that helps occupying pupils of one grade while the teacher is working with another grade. However, it is easily understood that for a teacher of a multigrade school, a well prepared educational material of this kind, is time consuming and tedious and requires multiple effort compared to the effort required by a teacher in a monograde school. The solution was to compile and make electronically available a database containing the relevant work produced by many teachers. These teachers offered willingly their activities written in paper and these became the input for the database. By adopting a simple method for the organization and classification of this material (using criteria such as the instructive unit, the grade and the degree of difficulty) this database became an easily handled instrument that helps the teacher to make the choice that fits each grade s needs. The exercises can be printed photocopied and handed to pupils to work on. Alternatively, it is possible for the pupils to give the answer to the exercises electronically, practicing their skills in Word Processors, electronic drawing or simple calculations in a Spreadsheet. 32 The database, created in this way, and its application for occupying constructively pupils, proved to be a useful educational tool for teachers of multigrade schools. It is simple, easily accessible and requires only basic computer literacy. Since it contains products of teachers work, it is tested in practice and it is adapted to meet the every day educational needs. The teacher can modify and alter anything on each text.

33 3.4 Educational software In multigrade schools, the major problem of occupying some groups of children while the teacher works with one grade, can be confronted partially using commercially available educational software. This proves to be a good solution that can be applied with both teaching methods of multigrade schools. It assumes the existence of a library consisting of carefully selected educational software that covers almost all the subjects taught to an elementary school. In this way, they also learn that the teacher is not the only source of knowledge. An increasing number of educational CDs appear in the market and the relevant library for multigrade schools can be enriched periodically at low cost. It is within the intensions of the University s supporting team to produce specific educational software for multigrade schools. The process of occupying children with educational software is the following: While the teacher is working with one grade, children of other grades are asked to study a specific topic using educational software (usually in the form of CDs). The pupils may be asked either to be ready to answer some questions, or to present a written essay on the topic. The main difference between this application and the one mentioned in previous paragraph is that the educational software usually not only contains more information on a subject (and not only some specific points and questions related to it), but also the presentation framework mentioned above and facilities as marking, timing etc. Through educational software schools can be provided with a set of CDs that cover a wide range of general or specific topics (such as encyclopaedias, language, mathematics, tutorials on the subjects of each grade s curriculum, educational games etc). The CDs are carefully selected on the basis of some criteria among which the most important are: Easiness of usage and navigation Good presentation of the content Close relationship of the contents to the curriculum approved by the Ministry of Education and Pedagogical Institute. The wide variety of the existing educational software in the form of CDs facilitates the creation of a relevant library but imposes the need for the evaluation of the quality of the software Working with educational software, peer tutoring is a frequent phenomenon: pupils with more knowledge and older pupils served as teachers to other pupils within and across differing grade levels, guiding and helping weaker and younger pupils. 33

34 3.5 Connection to the Internet and communication programs It is expected that the Internet will improve quality of knowledge offered to multigrade schools and will lead to a spectacular reduction of isolation. Connection to the Internet and familiarization of teachers and pupils with its uses opens new horizons for learning. Thus: The Internet can provide a practically unlimited amount of information on any topic, substituting other sources of references in many occasions. In the case of the islands provides the only source of reference. A lot of effort was put towards training the teachers to use it. Further, it is a means for implementing distance learning. Distance education, through videoconference, took place repetitively to nearly all schools. It was used to deliver experimental teaching on subjects of the curriculum, for training in the use of software, helping solve simple hardware problems etc. Under certain circumstances such distance learning could be a great part of the answer to the problems of multigrade schools. Finally, the Internet allows communication among schools, thus reducing isolation. The web site is a platform where teachers and students of small schools can exchange ideas, present problems and search for solutions. Teachers were trained and continuously encouraged to communicate with each other, contacting schools in different islands using , e-chat, or videoconference techniques. The web is the area where they searched for support in technical (hardware and software) and administrative problems, and -most important- the area for educational dialogue. Various web sites act as a link between the teacher and the authorities (Ministry of Education, various administration offices and between the teacher and colleagues. It is easy to understand how important this is in the case of multigrade schools where teachers are isolated, many times inexperienced and receive little (if any) support and infrequent supervision. 34 For pupils, the Internet is an area where they can express their ideas and communicate. Communication between pupils from different schools is encouraged through contests and joined projects, thus promoting the development of the feeling that students belong to larger communities. To help towards the above a drawing contest and a composition contest took place last month with many entries from pupils from most schools.

35 3.6 Conclusions Multigrade schools is a reality and a necessity in many developing and developed countries, especially in the remote and isolated areas. Information and communication technologies offer a realistic and practical method of helping the teachers in these schools in many and diverse ways as described above. The results can be very spectacular and not only improve the level of teaching, but also reduce isolation of teachers and pupils. Pupils can learn to cooperate in a more coordinated and pleasant way studying their subjects with the help of the computer or communicating through the Internet. Distance education can be used to train the teachers and lecture the students the same. The Internet applications help the communication between the islands and the rest of the world a much-needed commodity. The infrastructure needed is very simple and easy to get as known (telephone lines are available in every school and a very common personal computer is very cheap). What is difficult is teacher s training in ICT, their conviction to incorporate some of their acquired knowledge in their way of teaching and possibly later the inclusion of such techniques in the curriculum. 35

36 36

37 CHAPTER 4: The training programme In a world of accelerating changes, in-service training for teachers schools can be the most viable solution to keep up with the changes 37

38 Introduction The overall aim of the Multigrade School Education (MUSE) project was the development and evaluation of an innovative training programme for teachers in multigrade schools in Finland, Greece and Spain through open and distance learning (ODL). The innovative training programme has three foci: Methodological approaches to multigrade teaching and practice The use of ICT in the classroom The design of cross curricula applications and projects (based mainly on the use of ICT) At its conception the training programme was considered to be innovative, for, inter alia, the following reasons: It uses ICT to support the professional development of teachers who work in multigrade schools in geographically isolated areas It seeks to involve teachers in the identification of their training needs Its development is intended to be participatory is so far as the teachers are encouraged to reflect on the training content and process and to feed this information to the designers and evaluators of the content and structure It involves partnerships between schools and higher education institutions in each of the three countries It involves partnerships across three countries between teachers and teacher trainers It involves an institution in a fourth country in the formative and summative evaluation of the training programme Although the long-term impact of the training programme is intended to improve the quality of student learning in multigrade classes, the main focus of this evaluation is the assessment of the impact of the training programme on the teachers. 4.2 The evaluation: style, scope and methods Style The evaluation style chosen for evaluation was participatory and user-centred. This implied a qualitative and continuous approach, supplemented with quantitative information where appropriate. The evaluation style chosen by the evaluators was consistent with the pedagogical style chosen by the trainers. While teacher educators worked closely with teachers to jointly develop and implement the training programme, so the evaluators worked alongside the teachers, teacher educators and programme designers to jointly develop and evaluate the programme. A detailed evaluation plan was finalised in September 2003, available on the MUSE website ( muse/). Scope In the original project proposal (dated 2002) it had been suggested that the impact of the in-service training programme would be evaluated by assessing: (i) Teachers engagement with the new model of inservice training (ii) Teachers ability to design and implement cross-curricular teaching plans, projects and activities that are relevant to their specific school environment and use ICT (iii) Teachers attitudes to the new model of multigrade pedagogy. (iv) Students achievement using the new model of multigrade pedagogy in the classroom. However, in the course of the development of the project two additional features were added and one of the above modified. Consistent with the assessment of impact was the need to assess the practices of multigrade teaching in the schools before the training began and to understand the context in which teachers and students were working. This is referred to below as the training context. And consistent with the teacher-centred approach was the need to evaluate the extent to which teachers were involved in the relationship between the needs analysis (WP2) and the initial development of the content of the training programme (first stage of WP3). The modification to the above list (i) (iv) was to item (iv). While the partners agreed that the

39 long term goal of the training programme was the improvement of learning among students in multigrade classes it also became clear that any systematic assessment of this would be impossible within what was already a complex project, implemented by a small number of teachers. Methods The main evaluation methods used to generate evidence to assess each of the above were: (a) The training context: observations, interviews and documentary evidence by evaluators, teacher educators and teachers, following formats and check lists suggested in the Evaluation Plan www: //www3.ellinogerminaki.gr/ep/muse/ (b) Training needs and training content: a self report evaluation by teachers on the likely relevance of proposed training content and suggestions for additional content (c) Teachers engagement with the new model of inservice training: self-report evaluations by teachers (d) Teachers ability to design and implement locallyrelevant cross curricular teaching plans using ICT: observation and self report (e) Teachers attitudes to the new model of multigrade pedagogy: interviews and end of project self report Formats and checklists used to guide the collection of evidence are provided in the Evaluation Plan V4 (Sept 2003) 4.3 Training curriculum The MUSE project aims at the development of an in service training programme designed to meet the specialized educational needs of multigrade schoolteachers. The main goal is to provide continuous support to multigrade teachers in order to improve their educational performance in multigrade school environment. The training was based on the implementation of methodological approach of teaching specifically targeted for multigrade classroom and on the use of ICT applications so as to provide: An in-service training programme for teachers of multigrade schools. The use of the Internet in order to develop a platform for training, collaboration, networking and exchanging of ideas between teachers, students and trainers. The development of the training program was based on the adoption of a teacher centred approach. The implementation of the training program included two cycles of school centred work. Teachers continuously gave feedback to the academic team about their experiences gained in the classroom. This not only increased the motivation of the teachers, and gave weight to their practical experiences, but also provided the necessary cross-links between theory and practice. Upon suggestions of the teachers, the academic team performed the necessary adjustments to the proposed didactical approach. The training curriculum includes three main parts: a) Methodological approaches for multigrade teaching Usually, educational training institutions and pedagogical university departments train teachers to be professionally prepared to handle single grade classrooms with students that have more or less similar educational needs. Attention to multigrade teaching in the majority of the cases is not paid at all despite the fact that a significant percentage of teachers, mostly in the beginning of their career have to deal with multigrade classrooms. This was the main subject of the MUSE project, to assist teacher professionals to be able to work effectively in the multigrade school environment and be trained on teaching in the different ways referring to the multigrade classroom. For children to learn effectively in multigrade environments, teachers need to be well-trained, well-resourced and hold positive attitudes to 39

40 40 multigrade teaching. Multigrade teaching in many views represents a more demanding teaching situation and special attention should be given to it. However, many teachers in multigrade environments are untrained have few, teaching and learning resources; and regard the multigrade classroom as a poor cousin of the better-resourced monograde classroom found in large, urban schools that are staffed by trained teachers. In addition, at the majority of the cases, the multigrade teachers are very young without significant experience, chosen by the state to teach at the specific rural areas. These teachers are left alone without resources and support to handle the demanding multigrade classes. The former has serious negative impact on teachers psychology and attitude towards the multigrade class, and affects in a negative way their teaching performance. The project aimed at providing assistance to teachers in multigrade schools by training them on how to organise their teaching in the complex multigrade classrooms, on how to organise their classroom, utilise school resources and spend teaching time productively by combining educational curricula or implementing specialised teaching strategies. b) Introduction to the use of ICT The MUSE Project was based heavily on ICT, acknowledging that the introduction of ICT promises revolutionary changes in any field of life, but is of specific importance for remote and geographically isolated areas. In this sense, ICT in multigrade schools was expected to offer to teachers and pupils, as well as to other groups or individuals who were involved in the project accessibility to information, no matter the area s size, geographic characteristics and the distance from the centre. In the MUSE project, the introduction of ICT in multigrade schools was based on the following principles: The use of advanced communication channels focusing on providing a high quality continuous training programme to the multigrade schoolteachers. This was based on an innovative methodological approach that includes the use of the Internet in order to develop a platform for training, collaboration, networking and exchanging of ideas between teachers, students and trainers. The use of ICT also focusing on (a) upgrading quality of multigrade teaching, (b) supporting students learning and (c) fostering social development of the local community. Specific emphasis was also given in the development, through ICT, of technological culture that is believed to upgrade the educational system in general, also providing valuable knowledge on using modern technologies in real life situations. The implementation of the proposed project has been done using distant learning techniques and taking full advantage of all capabilities the web offers. A web platform was developed in order to support the teachers training programme. Teachers were able to attend on-line asynchronous and synchronous seminars concerning the implementation of the programme. Training material, contributions of the trainees, questions and answers were constantly uploaded at the project s web platform. In relation to the use of ICT, the MUSE project represented a paradigm of distance education scheme that aimed at utilising the advantages of open and distance learning (ODL) instruments and techniques in order to provide: Quality in service training to multigrade schoolteachers. Professional support to multigrade educators. Support of pupils learning activities Lifelong learning opportunities to the local community The training scheme had the objective to familiarize teachers with the use of ICT assisting their work in the multigrade classroom. ODL cannot be seen as a substitute of the conventional teaching but rather as a distributed learning environment, an add-on that has to justify its implementation in the school curriculum through the qualitative upgrade it offers to everyday school practice. c) Cross-curricula applications and projects. In this part of the training programme the teachers were familiarized with the use of educational software for designing, implementing and evaluating its use in real teaching conditions. In this phase the teachers tried to combine the knowledge gained in the two former training phases and tried to utilise new technologies in order to be more flexible as they try to use multigrade teaching methodologies and practices. Educational software and other relevant material can provide solutions as it is applied as multi curricula, multidisciplinary paradigms of good practice. The important issue that arises now is that the teacher must be able to choose material, design activities and evaluate the usefulness of these paradigms. Teachers in this stage are going were trained to be able to act as facilitators of the pre mentioned concepts and utilise the potential of ICT for good multigrade classroom practice Adoptions of existing educational material as well as the design of first case studies for the classroom implementation were predicted in this stage. The major innovation that MUSE project introduced is that it develops a specialized training program for multigrade primary school teachers using ICT and ODL techniques. The use of these technologically advanced software and

41 communication tools allow both, educator s in-service training and implementation in school to evolve in parallel. In-service training participants influenced the planning of the implementation in school and vice-versa, results from the implementation in school affected the planning of the in-service training. In this way trainees had the opportunity of an on-field experience and on the other hand the development of the pedagogical framework for ICT implementation in school practice was the outcome of the collective work of a much wider group. The training programme was developed by educational and academic institutions specialized in teachers professional training and the same institutions supervised and guided the implementation of the programme in each of the participating multigrade schools. Under such circumstances, the implementation of a project like MUSE may be considered as a multidimensional case for studying the contribution of ODL in professional training and educational schemes. In this sense, the evaluation of the project s results with respect to the effectiveness of ODL could be used in support of implementing open and distance teachers training programmes not only in remote places but in urban areas as well. Software training A cycle B cycle WINDOWS POWER POINT BSCW FRONT PAGE FORUM EXCEL NETMEETING As one can see, in the first phase of training the ict skills provided were mostly focused on e-communication. The tools selected are giving the user the possibility to find, edit, upload and download educational material (BSCW), exchange opinions (FORUM) in both synchronous and asynchronous communication, have video conferrence (NetMeeting). Excel and Windows were also added in the training scheme because of their necessity. In the second cycle, tools were selected because of their possibility to create material Methodological modules A cycle B cycle Classroom org.1 Classroom org. 2 Theoretical overview Potential of ict Organizing the curriculum Function of teacher Ability Grouping Mixed Ability Peer Tutoring Self directed learning Whole class learning First cycle was focused on general theoretical information as well as practical strategies in organizing class and material. Second cycle was focused on pure teaching techniques between which the multigrade teacher can chose A cycle B cycle Evaluation (annexes 4 & 5) Comments Cross Curriculum applications Ict training Methodological and theoretical background Ict implementations Here is a comparison between the two phases of training. One can conclude that second phase was more enriched in practical implementations. Teachers were asked to create ppt presentation, a web site for their school, and make their own cross curriculum applications. 41

42 4.4 Duration and Teaching Hours of the training program GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS A CYCLE Curriculum Of The Training Program Two schools in Finland: Vinturi Tastulan Primary School, Veiko Primary School One school in Spain: Tarifa Primary School Color Code of the training program Preparatory Cource in ICT Training in ICT skills Methodological Approaches Cross Curricula Applications A. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) skills B. Methodological Approaches C. Cross Curriculum applications Diagram of the training program CYCLE A COUNTRY Preparatory A. B. C. Duration of the Training Program / Teaching Hours The duration was calculated by practical considerations: i.e. 4 hours weekly, 8 weeks /term = 32 ~ 30 Training in ICT skills * 12 Methodological Approaches 12 Cross Curriculum applications 6 Teaching Hours Greece Finland Spain Cource in ICT (Optional / Help) As Required Training in ICT skills Methodological Approaches Cross Curricula Applications TOTAL 30 * To make the level of knowledge the trainees as close as possible, some training hours can be added to the beginning (or during) the first period dedicated to ICT skills Cycles of The Training Program There were two cycles a. Mid October to December b. Mid January to March Guidance and help The responcibility for the training of the teachers of the school partners lies with the individual Universities - partners in the countries involved. Therefore: University of the Aegean will help Salakos Primary School University of Cadiz will help Tarifa Primary School Chydenius Institute will help Vinturi - Tastulan Primary School, Veiko Primary School 42 Countries of Application of the program The partner schools are: One school in Greece: Salakos Primary School Working Language The notes, examples and material were written in English. The Institutions helping the schools helped them overcome the language problems

43 B CYCLE Curriculum Of The Training Program A. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) skills B. Methodological Approaches C. Cross Curriculum applications Duration of the Training Program / Teaching Hours The duration was calculated by practical considerations: i.e. 4 hours weekly, 8 weeks /term = 32 ~ 30 Training in ICT skills 12 Methodological Approaches 10 Cross Curriculum applications 8 TOTAL 30 Diagram of the training program CYCLE B COUNTRY A. Teaching Hours Greece Finland Spain Training in ICT skills B. Methodological Approaches C. Cross Curricula Applications INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES SKILLS Curriculum of the Training Program The training in ICT is necessary for the full exploitation of the advantages of the new technology can offer to everyday teaching in class and for the communication a between the partners. There is a substantial difference in the background in ICT of the teachers in the countries involved. This reflects and to the individual schools - partners. A preparatory course in ICT and extra help during the actual course in ICT was considered to be a good idea. Preparatory Course The partners made sure that the schools can easily work with the following items Windows (whatever edition is installed in the schools machines) Word Internet Main Course in ICT The subjects selected for training were NetMeeting Simple videoconference software with capability of sharing an application Forum Use of forum, parameters of program, BSCW (Working space) Excel Useful for presentations and statistics Duration of the Training Program / Teaching Hours Subject Corresponding teaching Hours NetMeeting 3 Forum 2 BSCW (Working space) 2 Excel 3 TOTAL 10 43

44 Methodology Preparatory Cource Main Cource Help 4.5 Target of training Cycles The targets of the Cycle A were to: 1. ICT 1. A set of exercises were given to the partners to do and submit electronically to their respective tutoring institutions. Problems and queries discussions were discussed and solved by , videoconference, and use of forum and telephone communication. 2. Comments and suggestions were submitted by everyone involved and were tabulated, organized and presented by the coordinator to the evaluating team. CYCLE B The subjects selected for Cycle B training are PowerPoint Simple videoconference software with capability of sharing an application Front Page A very simple authoring tool for the production of educational material Application of simple software to education and case studies Duration of the Training Program / Teaching Hours Subject Corresponding teaching Hours Powerpoint 4 Frontpage 3 Aplications & Case Studies 5 TOTAL 12 a. Polish up the ICT skills of the Participant schools b. Even the differences between the schools c. Provide the teachers with Communication tools The partners made sure that the schools can easily work with the following items Windows (whatever edition is installed in the schools machines) Word Internet Main Course in ICT The subjects selected for training are NetMeeting Simple videoconference software with capability of sharing an application Forum Use of forum, parameters of program, BSCW (Working space) Excel Useful for presentations and statistics 2. Multigrade School Applications a. To examine from a theoretical point of view some practices that already are performed by the teachers b. To cooperate and exchange ideas about the multigrade issues 3. Cross Curricula Applications 44 a. To know the use and the benefits of cross curricula applications b. To practice in class some ready made subjects with

45 the necessary alterations for each country c. Options were given to choose the most suited from the presented works (Historical, Environment, Regional problems, Weather Temperature and plants and animals, Pollution, Recycling, Geography, etc) See Site The targets of Cycle B were: 1. ICT Mainly Provide the teachers with Tools that can be used for developing their own educational material The software taught and practiced was: Powerpoint Well known software in the Microsoft Office Suite for simple presentation sin the class Frontpage Easy software for hypertext and multimedia presentations and in web designing 2. Multigrade School Applications a To study further the issues of multigrade teaching 3. Cross Curricula Applications a. Design of a new cross curriculum theme b. Working on a common project (Project Youra) 45

46 46

47 CHAPTER 5: Evaluation of MUSE Project Bringing together educational systems from four countries and integrating them in a single in-service training program is by definition a difficult task. This task is even more difficult when the in service training program refers to one of the most neglected aspects of the educational systems of all countries, multigrade schools 47

48 The evaluation of the MUSE program was performed in three aspects: evaluation of teachers training, evaluation of the students performance and ethnographic evaluation. The research plan for the project s evaluation included both measurements and on-field observation for trainers and trainees. Evaluation questionnaires were made from University of London and divided into two different major categories. Forms which were filled from teachers evaluating training modules, and Forms, from institutions responsible for each school, evaluating organization, datelines, exercises Teachers were asked to record student s opinions and comments evaluating Muse s innovative implementations in class Then a collated version of questionnaires was made and a report with statistical analysis and conclusions was made by University of London. This collated version with all annexes is available within deliverables of Muse Criteria in development of these questionnaires were: Overall evaluation, Tutor support, Administrative arrangements For each module an annex was filled from both teacher and institution. The questionnaire was structured on both qualitative and quantitative parameters and there were scale answers, as well as open commentary answers. 5.1 Teacher engagement with the new model of inservice training Finland Interviews conducted during the MUSE team meeting in Spain in February 2004 and followed up by visits to both schools in Finland in May 2004 confirmed that both schools had a good level of engaged with the new model of in-service training under the supervision of Juha Paasimäki from the Chydennius Institute. Their engagement was also demonstrated by completion of the full set of module evaluation forms by both schools. In Vionoja School the head teacher, Maila Koivumäki, provided exemplary leadership, involving all teachers in her school in the project as well as being in frequent contact with Leena Harju at Vintturi School to provide advice and encouragement who was new to primary teaching. Pekka Lehto at Vintturi school, a very experienced multigrade teacher, was less involved with the project but demonstrated knowledge of the skills and strategies being taught. Greece Observation and discussions with the head teacher, Dimitris Zoros, before the training programme started showed that he was open to using new methodologies and technologies in his teaching and was ready to engage with the materials. His strong engagement with the training programme was subsequently confirmed by completion of the full set of evaluations of each Unit. This teacher was well supported by Alina Konstantinidi and also Kostas Tsoakides at the University of the Aegean in Rhodos. Spain 48 Observation of teaching and interview data collected during a school visit in February 2004 confirmed the engagement of the head teacher, Manuel Quilez Serrano, with this project despite difficulties arising from the lack on an internet connection at the school. He regularly attended the weekly face-to-face meetings with his training supervisor, Raquel Rodriguez, at the University of Cadiz over 80 km away. Engagement was further demonstrated by the completion of a full set of module evaluation forms. Other teachers in the school were only minimally involved in the project through sharing of experiences during staff meetings.

49 Synthesis The four lead teachers (Maila Koivumäki, Leena Harju, Dimitris Zorzos and Manuel Quilez Serrano) demonstrated a high level of engagement with the new model of in-service training. In the case of Vionoja school although the lead was provided by Maila Koivumäki all teachers were involved and able to pick up on the ideas taught in the training programme and Mauri Niemistö attended MUSE team meetings. 5.2Teacher ability to design/implement cross curricula teaching plans Finland The head teacher from Vionoja School, Maila Koivumäki collaborated with the teachers in her school and also with the lead teacher in Vintturi School, Leena Harju, to develop a cross-curriculum project for Easter Materials from the Easter project, sent to the evaluators and observed during the school visits, together with discussions held with the teachers involved, confirmed their ability to design useful and enjoyable cross-curricula projects. Teachers in Vionja School also designed and implemented cross-curriculum projects on recycling, the weather and seasons in Finland. Detailed feedback on this project was provided on the module evaluation form. Maila Koivumäki uses the enquiry-based approach that is now being introduced into the schools in Finland. Teachers in both schools clearly devoted considerable time and energy to the cross-curriculum projects finding them useful and interesting for their pupils: Most of the pupils were very motivated.it was very suitable for non-grade teaching, pupils learned to use different sources of information and to be critical. Extensive feedback was provided by the teachers in their Unit evaluations for cycle A Both Vionoja and Vintturi schools participated in the crosscurricular Youra project during cycle B of the training programme. Despite initial technical difficulties experienced (e.g. if they clicked on Finland, Germany appeared on the screen) both schools persevered. Feedback from the teachers at Vionoja School confirmed that the project was very interesting and diverse and that the students were very motivated: The lesson plan is very fruitful and good. There are many ways to arrange groups. It is very interesting and diverse. Both schools felt rather alone in this project because they were the first to input their data. The teachers felt it would have been useful to have all the project schools doing the tasks at the same time so that the students could learn from those in the other countries. In all these cross-curricular projects teachers and pupils drew on a range of ICT (including the internet and front page) and pupils developed mind maps to help them research the topics. These cross-curricular plans brought together language, environmental studies, music, geography, culture and history. 49

50 Greece Dimitris Zoros designed and implemented a cross-curricular project on Plants and their cycle of life during Cycle A of the training programme. He incorporated ICT into the design together with enquiry-based activities. The cross-curricular plan brought together language, biology, music, geography, culture and history. He felt that the cross-curriculum training programme made a vital contribution to the Project: I would like to state that this phase of the training was achieving MUSE s goals the most. He went on to explain that this had been achieved by bringing together theory with ICT to enable teachers to reduce their isolation and encourage mutual support and co-operation. It is clear from the extensive analysis he provided in the evaluation for this Unit that he developed the work very carefully and thoughtfully and reflected at each step to find the best way to incorporate the ICT and evaluate student performance. In Cycle B of the training programme Dimitris Zoros involved his students in the Youra Project. He was impressed by the way in which information could be shared between countries using the e-com interface that is based on symbols and images so that language was not a barrier to communication: The interface (e-com) is really enhancing and it helps students to combine the tools that are available. He points out, however, the need for teachers to understand how to use the e-tools: The teacher will function as the guide and instructor, so he/she has to be certain about the extent of Youra s possibilities. Spain to perform. In developing his cross-curriculum project he took advantage of mixed-ability grouping and peer tutoring and his goal was for all students to carry out the same activities but with different levels of depth according to their needs and interests. He commented that: This module is a content of great value focused on the importance of taking advantage of the richness provided by diversity in multigrade schools. This school did not participate in the Youra Project during cycle B of the training programme because the school did not have adequate internet connections, another cross-curriculum project was designed and implemented in its place. Synthesis Data from the observations of teaching and learning in action, perusal of the learning materials developed and interviews with teachers and students have shown that this module was especially highly valued. Even the most experienced project teachers found something useful for their teaching in this module and all teachers expressed the view that this approach was useful and relevant for the multigrade teacher. By the end of the training all teachers had designed and implemented at least two cross-curriculum projects using ICT. Despite the technical difficulties with the Youra Project the schools that participated in it found it interesting and enjoyable. Providing that the tools are used by all schools at the same time, the Youra Project can help teachers and students to overcome their feelings of isolation and enable students to share information across national and language boundaries. 50 During Cycle A of the training programme Manolo Serrano designed and implemented a cross-curriculum project for years 7 and 8 on the flora of the sand dunes and on the local anthropomorphic tombs. This project was observed by one of the evaluators over a two-day visit to the school in February From the observations and discussions held it was clear that the project had been well-designed and implemented. It brought together a number of different subjects including language, geography, history, mathematics and art and involved students in using a range of ICT including GPS (global positioning system), digital imaging, front page and word. Most importantly students spent a very high percentage of time on task and were enthusiastic about the work. Good analytical feedback from the teacher was provided on the evaluation for this module. He found the module content of great value because it focused on taking advantage of the richness provided by the diversity in the multigrade classroom. He pointed out, however, that it would be also interesting to publish practical activities which can be used as a resource. They could be a great help for those teachers who do not know how

51 5.3 Teacher attitude to the new model of multigrade pedagogy Finland For the experienced teachers many of the ideas in the training programme were not new. They were already using a variety of curriculum strategies and student groupings and developing whole school cross-curricular projects. Furthermore, they were already using an electronic system similar to BSCW called Peda.net to network with teachers in other schools and for students in their schools to network with year other. However, despite their familiarity with much of the training content these teachers had a positive attitude to the new model of multigrade pedagogy finding that it provided a useful theoretical basis for their own good practice. They also commented that Tips on setting up a technology corner are good and useful. For the less experienced teachers in the project schools the training materials provided a much needed theoretical basis for their practice and opportunities to increase their use of ICT with good support from colleagues and the training supervisor. All teachers learned some new ICT applications and were especially positive about the Youra Project. Teachers pointed out the advantages of using ICT to promote inclusive education: ICT is one good tool for example for special (needs) children. Leena Harju found the module on peer tutoring especially useful: This way of teaching is my favourite. All organised and new ideas I could take about it. I enjoyed it a lot and I take it as a profit. Greece In Salakos School the project provided an opportunity for the lead teacher/head teacher, Dimitris Zorros, to reflect on his established practice and try to deliver the curriculum more flexibly through cross-curricular projects using more ICT. He commented that the module on peer tutoring was especially relevant to teachers wanting to innovate: I think that the activities can be very useful for those teachers starting to use a less traditional methodology with their pupils in the classroom. He was very open and receptive to the new model and from the level of analysis he provided in each of the Unit evaluations it is clear that he had a very positive attitude to the training programme. From the outset he was clearly enthusiastic about using ICT in the classroom seeing its wider benefits:..providing a multigrade teacher with the prowess to use ICT can bridge his/her school with the rest of the educational community, nationally or worldwide. He had already gathered a range of digital learning materials for his students to use. The project enabled him to use ICT more interactively with the students in cross-curricular projects. Spain Manolo Serrano is a very experienced teacher and the head teacher of the school. At the outset of the project he was already very committed to cross-curricular project work as a means of making teaching and learning interesting and relevant for his students. He reported that this module was the one which best fits the multigrade teacher s needs since it puts into practice all the content that we have been working on throughout the project period. He felt it also provided increased opportunities for interaction and learning between students and between teacher and students and was overall the most valuable approach that could be used to teach multigrade classes. He stressed, however, the need to take for any training programme to take into account a range of theoretical perspectives in developing any new pedagogic model to be delivered across national boundaries. He commented: I would have taken account of other theoretical overviews in order to know the way multigrade schools are considered and conceptualised from other different perspectives. In the evaluation feedback he identified the need for further input on the implications of curriculum adaptation for student evaluation in multigrade classes. He said...it is very important to make a deeper study of the curriculum evaluation and its implications in the curriculum reorganisation. Synthesis Overall, teacher attitudes were positive to the new pedagogic model espoused in the training package. They found the theoretical underpinnings provided by the methodological modules informative and learned some new skills in applying the ICT and cross-curricular modules. The teachers in Finland and Spain, however, were much less positive about their lack of participation in developing the new model. The comments from Manolo Serrano in Spain also illustrate the difficulties involved in developing any international model of good practice that can be applied across countries with different philosophical perspectives on the relationship between teacher and learner. 51

52 Summative evaluation of the impact of the training programme Teacher perspectives Data from the teacher evaluations of each module provide evidence of a high level of engagement with the training materials and good critical analysis of their usefulness and implementation. The training programme clearly made teachers reflect on their own practice and consider how it might be improved (as well as how the materials might be improved). All teachers reported some positive changes in teaching and learning in their classroom and were supportive of at least some aspects of the new pedagogic model developed. Most teachers found the methodological modules helpful in developing a theoretical framework for their practice although the materials, especially those for Cycle A of the training programme need to include more examples of how teachers can apply the ideas in their teaching. Furthermore, there is a need for different philosophical views to be taken account of and a clear statement to indicate that the ideas presented are not limiting or exhaustive, but indicative and flexible. All teachers developed some new skills in using ICT packages and further developed their skills in designing and implementing cross-curricular projects. The training provided was clearly not exhaustive and further training needs were identified for example in relation to curriculum adaptation and student assessment. The lead teachers involved in the MUSE Project had expected to be able to visit each other s schools and to share their experiences more with the other teachers. Any further programme development should take this on board and seek to facilitate such visits to reduce the professional isolation felt by teachers living and working in remote areas. Teacher Educator perspectives All teacher educators maintained a good level of regular contact with the teachers in the project schools throughout the project period. A record of tutorial support was kept by teachers for each of the modules taught. This annex provided data on the issues covered during support sessions and action to be taken by the partner school and by the partner institute tutor. These data were supplemented in the case of Finland and Spain with interviews with Juha Paasimaaki and Raquel Rodriguez which indicated that these educators had a heavy workload in translating the training materials into their own language for use by the project teachers. They also had to translate the MUSE website into Finnish or Spanish. The data show that teacher educators provided a high level of support and with very few exceptions teachers reported that they always felt supported by their tutor. Furthermore tutors used their own initiative in responding to the needs of their tutees. For example, Juha Paasimäki developed additional material on ICT because his tutees were already familiar with much of the existing training content. Raquel Rodriguez, worked closely with Manolo Serrano to try to adapt the training materials to the philosophical approach to learning that is used in Spanish schools. Evaluator perspectives The lack of participation of teachers in the development of the new pedagogic model should be addressed in any future programming. This could be achieved by having a longer time-frame for materials development to allow for some action research with teachers and writing workshops for the teacher educators. The training project was designed to be user-sensitive and throughout the design of the programme and its implementation teachers have made detailed suggestions on how to make improvements to content and structure. At the end of Cycle A of the training programme the teachers comments were discussed at the team meeting in Cadiz and this led to some modifications of the programme during Cycle B. Many of the points raised about the training materials were brought up again and explored further at the final team meeting in Athens in September. As the minutes of this meeting show, these points included the need for the teachers in the project schools, with ongoing support from their trainers in the partner institutes: to use the software programmes and methodological strategies as often as possible so that they are not forgotten. to keep in touch with their trainers and to encourage other teachers to visit the MUSE website. to disseminate the work of the project through writing articles for local newspapers explaining the aims of the MUSE Project and the results, making a school exhibition with photos and other materials so that their local community will get to know what this project was about to provide prototype educational material for their own classes and send these to their partner institution to be shared using the MUSE website platform

53 and tools such as the virtual library of BSCW. to promote communication between all parties involved to exchange opinions and find solutions to multigrade problems using the Forum, NetMeeting tools on the MUSE website. 5.5 Tables The following tables demonstrate teachers evaluation concerning the modules delivered. Their opinions were recorded via questionnaires. PowerPoint and FrontPage Salakos Tarifa Veikko Vinturi Rate the Very Very Very Very good module good good good Did it fulfill yes yes yes yes its aims Would you recommend it yes yes yes yes Tutor support always frequently always occasionally Administrative arrangements yes yes yes yes These two software programs allow the trained teacher to develop his/ her own presentations in class using either transparencies or hyperlink structured sites. This way, teacher s teaching armory is enriched by multimedia applications. Hardware needed for transparencies to be projected is standard equipment for the vast majority of schools. Necessary software is in both cases (FrontPage and PowerPoint) included in Windows Office Package. So, if teacher exploits web resources, scans images from books and encyclopedias etc, he/ she may develop his/her own original educational material with which he/she may support teaching aims. A lesson may be easily and attractively presented to the class not with the conventional teaching model teacher speaks students listen, but with the multimedia enhanced model teacher develops multimedia material teacher presents the material in class students participate with all their senses. A lesson presentation enhanced by motion, sound, and images is definitely more attractive for students of all ages. The dilemma whether teacher will create the material in transparencies form or in website form, is not a real dilemma. Each form serves different needs. Transparencies are structured in a linear way. Html pages are structured in a multiple branch access way. Transparencies are not interactive. Html pages can be highly interactive. Teacher has to determine what the purpose of the lesson is and how this purpose can be better achieved. 53

54 Cross curriculum applications Salakos Tarifa Veikko Vinturi Rate the module Very good Very good Very good Good Did it fulfill its aims yes yes yes yes Would you yes yes yes yes recommend it Tutor support always always always always Administrative arrangements yes yes yes yes Cross curriculum applications find themselves in the hardcore of Muse s training material. The aim of ict train is not qualify teachers to develop ict based lessons, but develop combined ict lessons. Teacher is encouraged and guided to enrich a subject with parallel approaches of other subjects. This multiple based input helps students to achieve a coherent, spherical concept of information. Teacher can encourage his students to develop, using team work, their own cross curricula applications which they can present to the rest of the class, using either.ppt or.htm archives. Methodological modules Salakos Tarifa Veikko Vinturi Rate the module Very good 4 good 1 poor Very good 3 Good 2 very good Did it fulfill its yes yes yes yes aims Would you yes yes yes yes recommend it Tutor support always always always always Administrative arrangements yes yes yes yes YouraProject Rate the module Salakos Tarifa Veikko Vinturi Very Very 3 Good good good 2 very good Did it fulfill its yes yes yes aims Would you yes yes yes recommend it Tutor support always always occasionally 54 Administrative arrangements yes yes yes

55 CHAPTER 6: MUSE Project Web Site: Get the most out of it 55

56 Here you can see the home page of MUSE project web site. The address for that is: bulletin.htm 6.1. ICT training FORUM Forum is a very practical tool via which you may exchange opinions with people that share the same problems and needs as you. This forum aims to be a communicational means for multigrade education community. Registering in it is simple. The URL of this multigrade school Forum is: In the following URL you may find a tutorial to use this forum, an example of registration and some exercises to check your new skill! bulletin.htm Communication appears to be an intensive need. So, not only asynchronous communication via a forum, but also synchronous communication via videoconference software, promises to facilitate multigrade teacher s life. Here follows NetMeeting s tutorial URL: Your navigation in this site will give you the chance to train yourself in ict, methodological approaches for Multigrade school teaching and development of cross curricula applications. This site, is the main outcome of MUSE project and it aims to develop your professional skills, if you are interested in multigrade school teaching. videocon.htm Training material also includes a virtual library in which you 56

57 may find educational material, download it, add your own and edit it any time etc. So, if each multigrade teacher adds his/ her own material there, shortly the resources will be vastly enriched! The URL for the software that serves this purpose is: You can also find a tutorial of this software, named BSCW BSCWtutorial.doc Transparencies and web pages can make your teaching techniques far more attractive for your students. That is why in MUSE training program the adequate software for this purpose, were also selected. FrontPage and Power- Point do not claim to be the only possible choice, but since they are included in Windows office, they do not need additional installation and extra cost. By learning how to handle them, you may develop your own ICT enhanced way- to present your teaching material. In the following URL you may find the relevant tutorials and exercises: webpage.htm tutorial1.htm Here follows an example of the transparencies exercise sheet: 57

58 Transparency 13 Add navigation buttons from the first to the second transparency and from both to a sound reproduction button 14 Define timing of transparencies change 15 Decide about the effect of automatic change of transparencies 16 See different ways of viewing your transparencies 17 Check your presentation (F5) 1 Open Power Point and let s create the transparency above 2 Insert a table An example of a FrontPage exercise: 3 Insert a graph 4 Insert an image (a clip art or a picture from a file) 5 Insert a with a comment 6 Add a hyperlink 7 Add from Objects an Excel spreadsheet 8 Decide about motion effects for the objects in every cell of your table 9 Add date in the footer of all transparencies 10 Add sound from a file 11 Add a background color in all transparencies Make a second transparency of your own Since most of Multigrade teachers are headmasters of their schools, MUSE material designers thought that Excel would facilitate your tasks a lot. Less administrative bureaucracy means more time to teach. Excel s URL for tutorial and exercise is: muse/data/ict_spread.htm

59 The same template characterizes all modules of ict training in MUSE Web Site, all freely accessible. All the software selected is: A training cycle B training cycle Windows Office Word Excel NetMeeting Forum BSCW FrontPage PowerPoint 6.2 Methodological strategies Training material emphasizes a lot in methodological strategies, developed on most recent pedagogical research on this field. The URL for this material is: Methodological strategies for multigrade school is divided into the following titles: A training cycle Introduction Function and role of multigrade teacher Potential of ict in multigrade teaching Classroom organization Organizing the curriculum Teaching and learning strategies for multigrade classrooms Whole class teaching Ability grouping B training Mixed ability grouping cycle Peer tutoring Self directed learning 59

60 Training modules on the Methodological approaches for multigrade Teaching share a common format as seen in the picture above and each module is structured on theory, examples and implementation ideas. It ends with an evaluation form: 6.3 Teachers training lesson plan & evaluation Lessons Title: Grade: Date: Other grades Present: Subject: Teaching Chapters of the Curriculum: Teaching Targets: Expected Results: Required Time and Teaching Time table (for all grades): (If the class was divided in groups for attending the lesson) Required Time: teaching hour/s A min B min C min D min E min Time devoted to the grade/group under main consideration in minutes Time devoted to other grades/groups present in the classroom in minutes Required Educational Material (books, notes, worksheets etc.): Required Equipment (ICT, lab equipment etc.): Required Software: Use of Internet and Links: Description of the subject to be taught: Prerequisite knowledge of students: Implementation Scenario: 60

61 6.4. Cross Curricula Applications: Third and last axis of training module is presentation of cross curriculum applications, developed both from administrator and teachers-partners. The main idea is that multigrade teacher is now qualified to use the appropriate software to develop his/ her own cross curriculum lessons. Here follows an example, available in the URL: curricula.htm 61