The Project

Within this project funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme, 8 partner organisations from 5 European countries (Slovenia, Romania, Italy, Spain and Germany) work together for 24 months (3/2021-2/2023). The aim of our project is to:

1. better teachers self-efficacy regarding their digital skillset
2. better usage of digital tools by students through teachers’ growth mindset methods
3. better the acceptance of digital tools within parents
4. broaden the support for a growth mindset at schools
5. design a practical growth mindset model for digital teaching
   
   NEEDS
   
   The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is forcing schools across Europe to engage in digital teaching. There has been barely any time to prepare teachers, students and parents for this
   major transformation. The sudden shift from teaching in-person to virtual lessons is met with reservations, of which some are caused by external problems (poor digital infrastructure), some can be attributed to the lack of skills (organisation of digital teaching, engagement of students in a digital environment) and some are inner, psychological barriers (fear of the unknown, lack of self-confidence).
   A recent survey of the Robert-Bosch-Stiftung among German teachers has shown that 2/3 of them say they had to switch to digital teaching mostly unprepared. Besides a lack of
   equipment, they name their own deficits in the usage of digital teaching tools as the main problem. According to another study (Wübben-Stiftung 2019), nearly 50% of German
   teachers regard the use of digital tools in their teaching as suboptimal. The forced transformation to digital schooling has done nothing to ease these reservations.
   Our Erasmus+ project will deal with these skill-based and psychological barriers. We are convinced that we can significantly improve the effectiveness of digital teaching if we skillfully address above mentioned obstacles. We will use the growth mindset as the primary paradigm for developing new digital skills and a positive attitude towards digital teaching. A combination of inspiring digital tools, interactive training, work with parents, and holistic support in the development of school projects will engage teachers and motivate their students.
   This will change teachers’ beliefs about digital teaching, unlock new teaching skills, engage parents and inspire students through a supportive learning environment.
   The transition to digital education will continue regardless of the length of the current pandemic: our modern economies and societies are changing very rapidly in what has become known as the “digital transformation”. Many jobs and professions are already affected by these profound changes; others will soon follow. The development of a growth mindset throughout the educational triangle is essential for the employability of current and future generations of students in all levels of education.
   
   TARGET GROUPS
   
   Teachers at the upper – secondary level in partner countries are the main target group of our project. Because digital transformation does not only affect teachers, we also target
   students and their parents (three parts of the so-called “educational triangle”).
   With dissemination events, we will reach European teachers from the primary to the tertiary level that are active in digital teaching. The project will have the highest impact on teachers and their students. Other beneficiaries are students’ parents and trainers/consultants that work with teachers’ skills. The fourth intellectual package might be especially interesting for policymakers, as it is developing an evidence-based model for digital learning according to the growth mindset principles.

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