INNO-TEC-LAB: innovating education through cross-cultural collaboration

This Train the Trainer is full! Registrations are closed. Are you interested in the topic of cross-cultural collaboration and would you like to hear when we offer a similar training? Then register your interest via an email to our Courses Manager Wai Feersma Hoesktra, w.feersmahoekstra@hva.nl

As part of the Erasmus+ consortium INNO-TEC-LAB, Digital Society School is able to offer a free 4 part Train the Trainer for educators, teachers, or trainers that are looking to innovate their own teaching practice and curriculum.

Do you (want to learn how to) work in an interdisciplinary context? Do you feel education is changing and are you curious to what trends, tools, skills and mindsets will impact the near future? Would you like to exchange ideas, new perspectives and learnings with colleagues and professionals active at universities and schools in other parts of Europe? Then this training is for you!

Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for innovation in education through multidimensional factors and categories has become even more important and urgent. Innovation in education has a growing impact on trainers and teachers, both directly and indirectly in relation to the different levels of involvement in the design, development and delivery of programs and courses.

The challenges of our society today are increasingly complex and uncertain, and we need skills such as systems thinking, interdisciplinary teamwork, cross-cultural collaboration and strategic innovation to address them – being citizens, learners or educators.

About this Train-the-Trainer

This INNO-TEC-LAB Train-the-Trainer prepares its learners, in this case teachers and researchers, for the continuing change in the field of education. Through an online platform and a connected cross-cultural  laboratory set-up by the project’s partners located in the Netherlands, Italy, France, Finland and Lithuania, this training aims to enrich and upscale the knowledge, competencies and skills of teachers and trainers that want to innovate their own teaching practice.

You will do this through 4 training units (with each 2 hrs live sessions) where you 

• reflect on how to coach and support students in their future professional steps taking inspiration from current societal trends,
• explore the relevance of different 21st century skills within teaching such as critical thinking, inclusive communication, cross-cultural collaboration and problem-solving.
• experiment with state-of-the-art digital tools and platforms that shape a new way of teaching in these fast changing times.
• put all new acquired learnings to the test in a project where you redesign (part of) your own teaching practice

In-between live sessions, you will have ample opportunity to connect with the different trainers through 1 on 1 mentoring, as well as share your challenges and findings with other educators across Europe via short assignments.

After the training you will be able to:

• Understand and apply the key elements of innovative pedagogical approaches
• Identify which innovative (digital) tools can help you to adapt your curriculum and teaching practice in these increasing digital times in order to stay relevant for your students
• Identify the most appropriate monitoring and evaluation methods and tools for learner (student) and trainer (teacher) progress, including self-evaluation
• Promote learner-centered (student) and cross-cultural learning

 

UNIT 0 – INTRODUCTION // 13 DEC 430-6pm CET, all trainers
In this unit you will get to know the other participants, as well as the trainers of all units. We will introduce you to the learning platform and programme.

UNIT 1 – CIRCULAR COACHING // 10 JAN 3-5PM CET Giovanni Ottonello, Art Director at Istituto Europeo di Design
The first unit focuses on the changing role of the teacher and trainer. We zoom in on topics such as teaching in an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary context, as well as the influence of current and future societal trends on the field of education. How can we make sure to educate students that are real life ready, and stimulate their personal growth as active and responsible citizens?

Questions we will address:

• What is the role of the teacher nowadays, and how can it be implemented or changed?
• How do we move from imparting knowledge, to creating and finding different ways to get in touch with young talents from different cultures?
• How do we make sure our own teaching practice stays relevant and up to date for the student generations of the future?
• How can future trends inspire us  and inform our teaching methodologies?
• How do we approach coaching in an innovative way, and apply new tools and methods to rethink traditional teaching methodologies?
• How can we reflect on our own role as educators and the practice of teaching?

UNIT 2 – NEW TECHNOLOGIES: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES WITHIN EDUCATION // 17 JAN 3-5PM CET
Mariana Pinheiro, Digital Transformation Designer and Anneke van Woerden, Impact Producer at Digital Society School – Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
COVID has accelerated the adoption of digital and online education. This has opened a Pandora’s box of opportunities, challenges, and dilemmas when considering the future of practical, “hands-on,” applied education. Moving into a post-COVID world will mean a new blend of digital and in real life (IRL) interactions. Digital twins (so-called digital  representations of real life objects, people, processes that also interact with the real world) can play a role in bridging the physical and digital worlds. In this module, we will discuss and experience several levels on which digital twins could play a role in practical education: 1) for students/educators, 2) on campus, and 3) within the curriculum. We will also explore the potential of today’s technologies when speculating about  the future of blended education.

Questions we will address:

• What added value can digital twins bring to practical education?
• How can digital twins facilitate what’s missing from many digital interactions such as sense of place, embodiment, or connection?
• How can digital experiences be elevated to create novel but meaningful experiences?
• What parts of experience can be and should be IRL versus virtual?
• What can we learn from experimenting with current technologies including AR/VR solutions?

UNIT 3 – INNOVATION AND 21ST CENTURY SKILLS // 24 JAN 3-5PM CET Sofia Mastrokoukou, Dlearn
The third unit focuses on how to bring added value to your teaching practice by providing new solutions or removing traditional barriers within teaching and learning. We will focus on 21st century skills, what they are, and how they are relevant for you and your students. What are the skills we need to succeed in today’s society? What is the role of empathy in technical careers, and how do you make sure your communication when teaching is inclusive?

Additionally, this module will dive into entrepreneurial skills such as pitching, leadership, how to be comprehensible and adaptable as a professional and learner.

UNIT 4 – Project work // to be finalized by 11 FEB

The project work is there to put your learnings from the previous 3 modules to the test. Prompted by various trigger questions, you are stimulated to take a look at your own teaching practice and methodology, and redesign it according to the new perspectives you have acquired, inspiration you collected, and tools you have tried out.

After this project work, you will be able to independently conduct an interdisciplinary course with students from your institutions. This can either be a new to be developed course, or part of a course or curriculum you are currently teaching.

Interested? Sign up via email before Friday 9 December to receive all information to participate.
See more information on the INNO-TEC-LAB and its partners here.