Addressing controversial issues like gender, armed conflict, and climate change in education can be challenging due to strong emotions and differing opinions. However, these topics offer significant learning opportunities. Our project aims to equip teachers with the confidence and resources to tackle these issues in the classroom, recognizing that while many educators are keen to discuss such matters, concerns about conflicts, policies, and classroom dynamics often lead to avoidance, especially among the less experienced.
Our strategy includes developing resources for both digital and traditional means to facilitate engaging discussions and self-reflection on controversial topics. The goal is to improve secondary education teachers' ability to handle these issues, promoting an educational environment that embraces diverse viewpoints. We aim to achieve a confident teaching workforce skilled in managing difficult conversations, provide adaptable tools for discussing controversial topics, and cultivate a classroom culture emphasizing democratic education and critical thinking.
The project's overarching goal is to equip teachers with the necessary skills to navigate controversial discussions, promoting personal growth and mutual understanding in the educational setting, and focus on enhancing citizenship education opportunities for all students.
Our commitment is to provide teachers with the skills and tools to turn challenging discussions into opportunities for student growth, understanding, and resilience, contributing to the education of informed, empathetic citizens prepared to navigate the complexities of the world.
OUR ACTIVITIES
Research and Design
This work package targets enhancing teachers' approach to controversial issues through four objectives: gathering data via focus groups to inform VR scenario creation, developing a teacher's protocol as a guide for handling these topics, introducing formative assessment methods for student debates on controversial issues, and promoting teacher self-reflection on biases.
Development of VR Toolkit
The work package incorporates VR to enhance classroom debates on controversial issues by: 1) Creating VR storyboards from WP2 feedback for lesson planning, featuring ethical dilemmas. 2) Refining a VR scenario based on 360 video feedback for better engagement. 3) Developing four diverse VR scenarios, using pilot insights, for Learning Management Systems and offline viewing. This strategy seeks to foster immersive learning experiences on complex topics.
Teachers' Professional Development Program
This work package aims to improve teachers' handling of controversial topics through two main objectives: 1) Enhancing teachers' confidence in teaching these subjects, aligning with the project's goal to boost teacher competence. 2) Equipping teachers with instructional toolboxes, such as VR, based on insights from the design, research, and development of the VR toolkit. It focuses on developing detailed lesson plans with diverse resources to support teachers, especially those struggling with these issues. Key efforts involve incorporating VR into lessons, tailoring strategies to specific classroom needs, and encouraging reflection on teaching biases.
Design of Digital Learning Platform
This work package focuses on launching an open-source eLearning platform to boost teacher professional development and provide digital toolboxes for teaching controversial topics. It will offer project details, development programs, and collaboration tools, as well as VR scenarios and multimedia objects for online and offline learning. It will also introduce a thorough professional development program using these resources to enhance teaching on sensitive issues. This effort aims to equip educators with flexible, accessible tools within a single eLearning environment, improving educational methods.
THE PARTNERSHIP
The partnership consists of two HE institutions (Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Belgium and Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands), one education-oriented applied research organization (National Training Center, Bulgaria), one digital learning developer (Delft Digital Learning, Portugal) and one large school group (Albeda, Netherlands). KdG and EUR participate with their teacher training and research departments, NTCenter provides niche expertise and methodology, and DDL brings in a concentration of experience in designing and developing digital training and resources. Albeda’s schools give the partnership direct exposure to the SCH sector and provide valuable insights into current SCH teaching practices, and pilot testing grounds.
For more information about participating organisations follow the links to their institutional websites.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for the