Presentation by Patricia Wastiau. Presentazione di Patricia Wastiau, Consigliere principale per studi e ricerche di EUN, in occasione del Convegno internazionale "Migliorare la scuola" (Napoli 14-15 Maggio), organizzato dall'Indire.

1. European Schoolnet
Transforming education in Europe
INDIRE International Conference ‘Improve the school’, Napoli, 14-15 May 2015
School improvement, innovation and technology:
a European point of view
Patricia Wastiau
Principal Adviser for Research and Studies

2. • the network of 30 Ministries of Education, aiming
at bringing innovation in teaching and learning.
Members: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy (Chair),
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and UK
• governing bodies composed by the Ministries of
Education who are full members of the network.
• a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1997,
based in Brussels, counting about 60 staff.
ABOUT EUROPEAN SCHOOLNET
Connect with us:
www.europeanschoolnet.org

3. STRATEGIC AREAS
Collecting, brokering
and producing
evidence from research
in the area of
innovation supported
by ICT in education on
which to base public
policy and practice
Supporting schools
and teachers in their
teaching practices
(networking,
professional
development
programs, etc.)
European Schoolnet activities encompass three strategic areas:
K
N
O
W
L
E
D
G
E
T
E
A
M
Developing and
sustaining a network of
schools engaged in
innovative teaching and
learning approaches
Design research
(Baumgartner, E. & al. (2003); Schön D. (1983). The
Reflexive practitioner)

4. PRESENTATION PLAN
Innovation and technology:
• a perspective for school improvement
• the e-capacity model
• the lack of inspiring practice and role models
• the need for an active learning eco-system
An example for inspiration:
• The Future Classroom Lab - FCL
Concluding remarks about school improvement

5. INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
Schools as strategic organisations in a context of greater autonomy and responsibility
for their future
The key question: What are the conditions supporting the integration of innovation and
technology at school level?
Two theoretical perspectives:
• The system perspective: education as a complex system where changes affecting one area of the
system impact all other areas (technology impacts on pedagogical strategies, assessment, teacher
training, spatial organisation, school budget, etc.) (Weick, 1976; Chapman & Austen, 2002)
• The individual user perspective: the innovation dissemination theory (Fullan, M. (2001))
Adoption of an innovation is shaped by its characteristics:
o Clarity
o Observation
o Complexity
o Comparative advantage
o Trials
o Cost

6. THE E-CAPACITY MODEL
School capacity to transform a large-scale reform into an accountable learner-oriented
teaching paractice = competence of a school to implement educational innovations or
to bring about effective change (Malen & King Rice, 2004)
e-capacity of a school = the collective competence of a school to implement technology
in a way that is a lever for instructional change , i.e. creating and optimazing sustainable
school level and teacher level conditions to foster effective change through technology
(Vanderlinden & van Braak, 2010)

7. THE E-CAPACITY MODEL
Vanderlinden & van
Braak, 2010

8. Educational change:
What it means to be learner-centric?
Why the use of problem-, project- or
inquiry-based education strategies
are important in formal learning?
How educational professional
development, technology and space
can be effective tools to support the
educational change ?
THE LACK OF INSPIRING PRACTICES AND ROLE MODELS
The need to operationalise, test with
practitioners and implement
pluridisciplinary approaches
Design thinking: methods and approaches
used by architects and urban planners
Rowe, P. (1987). Design Thinking

9. • Students with different
experiences and
expectations
• Students being fully aware
of the global economy and
competition
• Educators embracing a
more active and engaging
style of instruction,
exploring more varied
educational strategies
(lecture mode, group set-
ups; individual work, etc.)
THE NEED FOR AN ACTIVE LEARNING ECO-SYSTEM WITHIN SCHOOL
• For every space in the
school to be an active
learning space
• learning spaces where
everyone can see and
interact with others,
incorporate synchronious
and a synchronious
methods, allow educators to
move among teams to
provide real-time feedback,
assessment, direction and
support to students

10. Brain and cognitive sciences findings:
• Learning spaces to be designed to support the ways the brain work to enhance
learning
• Environment may be a barrier to behavioral change
• Learning environment to be designed to support different teaching mode and fluid
transition between them
• Research suggests that multi-sensory approach to teaching and learning has been
shown to increase engagement, promote deeper participation, support students
achievements
Different subjects and teaching methods require different classroom features
THE NEED FOR AN ACTIVE LEARNING ECO-SYSTEM WITHIN SCHOOL

11. PEDAGOGY
SPACE TECHNOLOGY
THE NEED FOR AN ACTIVE LEARNING ECO-SYSTEM WITHIN SCHOOL

12. THE EUROPEAN SCHOOLNET’S FUTURE CLASSROOM LAB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxYC9lYeGN4

13. • practical hands-on approach for teachers, school heads and policy-makers respectively
• helping the teacher in the classroom through a series of activities
• sharing ideas and approaches gained from colleagues
• opportunities to rethink own practices through peer-learning, and practical examples
and activities
• familiarising with different technology which practitioners might not be able to test
elsewhere
THE EUROPEAN SCHOOLNET’S FUTURE CLASSROOM LAB

14. A systemic and integrated solution:
• Impact on teacher (and school head) role and practice
• Impact on the whole school organisation
• Cultural change starting
Several Future Classroom Labs created in some countries (Norway, The Netherlands,
etc.)
EUN networking Future Classroom Labs country nodes
THE EUROPEAN SCHOOLNET’S FUTURE CLASSROOM LAB

15. CONCLUDING REMARKS
School improvement as a strategy for educational change (enhancing students’ outcomes
and strenghthening the school capacity for managing change)
Harris, A. (2002) approach’s about school improvement:
• Schools have the capacity to improve themselves
• Schools improvement involves cultural change
• Conditions for change at school and classroom level
• School improvement is associated with capacity building for change
The schools’ capacity to transform a large scale reform into an accountable learner oriented
teaching practice: the need to conceptualise and operationalise it
The usefulness of the design-thinking and design-research approaches
The need for a monitoring system really supporting improvement

16. Dylan Wiliam – What’s wrong with the feedback metaphor
Slide taken from the presentation of Janet Looney, Director of European Institute of Education and Social
Policy (EIESP), at European Schoolnet on 14 April 2015

17. Many thanks for your attention
Patricia.Wastiau@eun.org