Schools for the 21 st Century Analysis of Public Consultation June 28 Strategy & Evaluation Services
TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary i 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Background to the consultation 1 2. The Consultation questions 2 2.1 Consultation questions 2 2.2 Consultation methodology 2 3. Undertaking the Analysis 4 3.1 Summary of analysis steps 4 3.2 Development of a coding sheet and analysis framework 4 3.3 Translation 5 3.4 Analysis 5 3.5 Limitations of consultation approach 5 4. Profile of Respondents 7 4.1 Analysis by country 7 4.2 Analysis by type of respondent 8 4.3 Analysis by language 9 4.4 Analysis by size of response 9 4.5 Non exploitable responses 1 5 Analysis of Themes Introduction 12 5.1 Analysis by group 12 5.2 Overall level of response by Theme 13 6. Analysis of Theme 1 - Key Competences 14 6.1 Key issues under theme 1 14 6.2 Summary of responses 14 6.3 Statistical analysis of responses for theme 1 15 6.4 Analysis by issue and type of respondent 15 6.5 Analysis by category of respondents 22 7. Analysis of Theme 2 - Lifelong Learning 25.
7.1 Key issues under theme 2 25 7.2 Summary of responses 25 7.3 Statistical analysis of responses for theme 2 26 7.4 Analysis by issue and type of respondent 26 7.5 Analysis by category of respondents 31 8. Analysis of Theme 3 Economy 34 8.1 Key issues under theme 3 34 8.2 Summary of responses 34 8.3 Statistical analysis of responses for theme 3 34 8.4 Analysis by issue and type of respondent 35 8.5 Analysis by category of respondents 39 9. Analysis of Theme 4 Equity 42 9.1 Key issues under theme 4 42 9.2 Summary of responses 42 9.3 Statistical analysis of responses for theme 4 43 9.4 Analysis by issue and type of respondent 44 9.5 Analysis by category of respondents 51 1. Analysis of Theme 5 Inclusion 55 1.1 Key issues under theme 5 55 1.2 Summary of responses 55 1.3 Statistical analysis of responses for theme 5 56 1.4 Analysis by issue and type of respondent 57 1.5 Analysis by category of respondents 63 11. Analysis of Theme 6 Citizenship 67 11.1 Key issues under theme 6 67 11.2 Summary of responses 67 11.3 Statistical analysis of responses for theme 6 68 11.4 Analysis by issue and type of respondent 68 11.5 Analysis by category of respondents 74.
12. Analysis of Theme 7 Teachers 77 12.1 Key issues under theme 7 77 12.2 Summary of responses 77 12.3 Statistical analysis of responses for theme 7 78 12.4 Analysis by issue and type of respondent 79 12.5 Analysis by category of respondents 83 13 Analysis of Theme 8 School Communities 87 13.1 Key issues under theme 8 87 13.2 Summary of responses 87 13.3 Statistical analysis of responses for theme 8 88 13.4 Analysis by issue and type of respondent 89 13.5 Analysis by category of respondents 92 APPENDICES A Coding sheet 96 B Detailed statistical analysis 15.
Summary 1. Introduction This report summarises the responses to the public consultation launched through the Commission staff working paper Schools for the 21st Century 1. The consultation was open for five months until 15 th December 27. Respondents to the consultation were invited to: (1) Identify what actions they would favour within their national contexts to ensure that schools deliver the quality of education needed in the 21st century; and (2) Identify those aspects of school education on which cooperation at European Union level could help to support Member States in the modernization of their systems. The public consultation focused on a series of different issues and questions, which in most cases had already been the subject of discussions at EU-level, as well as on issues arising predominantly in national debates. These key issues were formulated into eight main themes for the consultation. The themes, and a summary of comments, are shown below. 2. Who responded to the consultation? 482 valid responses were received, coming from all Member States of the European Union (plus Norway), though their geographical spread was very uneven. In relation to the type of respondents, schools and teachers accounted for 36.9% of all the responses, while 27.4% came from individual students. Other individuals (11.6%) and national organisations (11.4%) were also active in the consultation. Public authorities (ministries of education of the Member States, but also local and regional authorities) accounted for 7.3% of the answers, and European level associations for 5% of them. Respondents often provided narrative responses, frequently covering several of the consultation questions jointly. As a result, many responses diverged from the specific consultation questions. Therefore, whilst the consultation approach had the virtue of not constraining respondents in their responses, some degree of subjectivity is involved in the analysis. Every effort has been made, however, to ensure that this report contains an account of the consultation results that is as objective as possible. 1 SEC(27)19 i.
Summary 3. Comments by respondents 3.1 Key competences for all How can schools be organised in such a way as to provide all students with the full range of key competences? There was consensus among all groups of respondents that school curricula and teaching methodologies need to enable students to develop their own learning competences in a more flexible learning environment. In general, there was strong support for the reinforcement of transversal competences at schools. Many responses stressed the need for schools to develop independence and autonomy among pupils, as well as responsibility for their own learning. The development of creativity and intercultural skills by schools was also strongly supported. On the practical ways to transmit the key competences, the responses put forward a variety of proposals, which mostly emphasised the importance of active teaching methodologies and of a cross-curricular approach to supplement subject-based learning, and which sets aside time and space for students and teachers in order better to address complex issues. 3.2 Lifelong learning How can schools equip young people with the competences and motivation to make learning a lifelong activity? It is widely accepted that one of the key tasks of our school systems is to prepare students for future participation in lifelong learning. While answers to the previous question focused very much on the acquisition of the necessary competences for that purpose, most of the answers to question 2 focused on fostering positive attitudes towards and motivation for learning. There was a clear emphasis on the need to motivate young people to learn and to involve them in the learning process. Student motivation, responsibility and autonomy, together with a learner-oriented approach, were seen as the main preconditions for the development of successful lifelong learning strategies. The ways proposed to achieve these goals were again diverse depending on the group of respondents. While students showed relatively high interest and support for student autonomy and learner oriented approaches, many schools and national level organisations stressed the need for teachers to be able to work autonomously in order to develop the pedagogic strategies that work best for them. ii.
Summary 3.3 The Economy How can school systems contribute to supporting long-term sustainable economic growth in Europe? Overall, this was the question that showed the lowest degree of response, with most answers coming from national authorities and European level organisations. This fact, and the fact that many respondents took issue with what they perceived as an excessive economic focus of the consultation document, is in itself interesting: it suggests some discontinuity between the world of the school and the world of the economy. The respondents, however, also emphasised the value of cooperation between business and schools, which could be enhanced through the development of exchanges. Better career guidance and the development of labour market competences by schools were also identified as areas for improvement. These competences, however, were not necessarily understood as narrow technical skills, but rather as broad competences social competences, learning to learn, teamwork, etc which should make students more employable in the future. 3.4 Equity How can school systems best respond to the need to promote equity, to respond to cultural diversity and to reduce early school leaving? The high level of interest in this question could be interpreted as a result in itself there is a broad consensus that what happens in schools is important for equity in our societies. The strong support for measures for students with some form of disadvantage is indeed one of the main conclusions of the consultation. In general terms, there was wide support for the concept of schools that accommodate students of different backgrounds, and responses by authorities and associations showed a significant interest in the development of comprehensive policy frameworks in this respect, e.g. anti-discrimination or reinforcement of the mix of students. The provision of out-of-school placements, mentors or second-chance schools were also often mentioned as ways to tackle early school leaving. More and better early learning opportunities, on the other hand, were perceived as one of the most effective ways to improve the equity of the overall system by many respondents from European and national associations, as well as public authorities. iii.
Summary 3.5 Inclusion If schools are to respond to each pupil's individual learning needs, what can be done as regards curricula, school organisation and the roles of teachers? More flexibility in the curriculum, allowing for it to be tailored to the individual pupil's specific needs, and more support from teachers or ancillary staff who should increasingly act as 'coaches' or 'mentors' were some of the key topics raised under this question. There was also considerable interest in identifying gifted pupils and making special provision for them, though strategies were not precisely defined. Moving away from a purely age-based curriculum to one more closely linked to the development of intellectual abilities was supported by some educational organisations. Assessment was raised as a further element that needs to be reconsidered in the light of the need to respond to individual learning needs. 3.6 Citizenship How can school communities help to prepare young people to be responsible citizens, in line with fundamental values such as peace and tolerance of diversity? The presence of some form of citizenship education in the curriculum was supported by most respondents who answered on this point, but the ways put forward to implement it, either as a separate subject or as a cross-curricular theme, were diverse. There was a strong interest in fostering commitment to democracy through the school experience itself, e.g. by ensuring that children feel respected as individuals and involved in school decisions, for instance through school councils, or by mixing pupils in heterogeneous groups and carrying out team work or exchange of experiences between them. Tackling bullying, violence and intolerance at schools as well as finding better ways to open up schools, as institutions, to their local communities, were also perceived as relevant for developing better citizenship. 3.7 Teachers How can school staff be trained and supported to meet the challenges they face? A significant agreement at all levels emerged in relation to the need to rethink current models of initial teacher education in order to link theory and practice more effectively. It is seen as essential that those who enter the profession are supported in developing a iv.
Summary deeper understanding of the historical, social and cultural contexts within which they work. Teacher education also needs to present teaching as a problem-solving or researchin-action activity during which teaching methods and strategies, formal or informal, are examined in relation to the children's learning and their process. Classroom management strategies were raised as another issue, which needs to be better addressed by initial teacher education. Another focus was the need to improve the in-service training of teachers in terms of quality and recognition of such training, and in terms of resources, where many teachers feel that they do not have enough free time outside teaching in order to support their professional development. Improved recognition of teaching as a profession was also important for many respondents, including, for some countries, the issue of increasing teachers' pay. 3.8 School communities How can school communities best receive the leadership and motivation they need to succeed? How can they be empowered to develop in response to changing needs and demands? The creation of inclusive learning communities in which everyone staff, students, parents is involved and valued for their input is seen as key to the success of schools as organisations. In general, it is felt that school autonomy and the development of less hierarchical structures can reinforce this involvement. While many authorities and associations are in favour of increasing the monitoring and evaluation of schools, many teacher respondents from various countries refer to the perceived unhelpfulness of current inspectoral systems. Current trends towards a more advisory role for school inspectors are welcomed. v.
Introduction 1 1.1 Background to the consultation This report summarises the responses to the public consultation launched through the Commission staff working paper Schools for the 21st Century 2. Respondents to the consultation were invited to: (1) Identify what actions they would favour within their national contexts to ensure that schools deliver the quality of education needed in the 21st century; and (2) Identify those aspects of school education on which cooperation at European Union level could help to support Member States in the modernization of their systems. Respondents were asked to structure their responses according to the eight themes contained in the working paper, and summarised in the next section of this report. The consultation was launched in July 27. Initially, responses were requested by 15 th October 27. Subsequently, the closing date was extended to 15 th December 27. The results of the public consultation have been one of the sources of the Commission's Communication "Improving Competences for the 21 st Century: an Agenda for European Cooperation on Schools" 3, together with international evidence and the Commission's previous work on this subject. 2 SEC(27)19 3 COM(28)425 1.
The consultation questions 2 2.1 Consultation questions The public consultation focused on a series of different issues and questions, which in most cases had already been the subject of discussions at EU-level, as well as on issues arising predominantly in national debates. These key issues were formulated into eight main themes for the consultation, which are summarised below. Questions asked in the consultation 1. Key competences for all: How can schools be organised in such a way as to provide all pupils with the full range of key competences? 2. Preparing Europeans for Lifelong Learning: How can schools equip young people with the competences and motivation to make learning a lifelong activity? 3. Contributing to sustainable economic growth: How can school systems contribute to supporting long-term sustainable economic growth in Europe? 4. Responding to challenges on our societies: How can school systems best respond to the need to promote equity, to respond to cultural diversity and to reduce early school leaving? 5. A school for all: If schools are to respond to each pupil's individual learning needs, what can be done as regards curricula, school organisation and the roles of teachers? 6. Preparing young Europeans for active citizenship: How can school communities help to prepare young people to be responsible citizens, in line with fundamental values such as peace and tolerance of diversity? 7. Teachers key agents for change: How can school staff be trained and supported to meet the challenges they face? 8. Helping school communities to develop: How can school communities best receive the leadership and motivation they need to succeed? How can they be empowered to develop in response to changing needs and demands? 2.2 Consultation methodology The main characteristics of the consultation were as follows: 2.
The consultation questions 2 The consultation was carried out through the Internet. Respondents were asked to email a response of up to four sheets of A4 in 12 point. Respondents were free to choose the format of their answers. Respondents were asked to name themselves, and say why they were interested in the subject (e.g. parent, pupil, teacher ). Responses could be made in any official EU language. Respondents were asked to group their responses under the eight themes shown above, but were able to respond to each theme as they wished. As a result, most respondents provided a narrative section under each theme to which they responded. The narrative covered a diverse range of points so that there was little consistency in the nature of the responses. 3.
Undertaking the Analysis 3 This section of the report outlines the approach taken to the analysis. 3.1 Summary of analysis steps The analysis of the consultation included the following main steps: July 27 Consultation begins. First outline of analysis approach developed. September to October 27 Preliminary analysis carried out, based on collating typical comments by respondents together with summary statistics. November 27 to December 27 Development of detailed coding sheet to make it possible to carry out a more detailed statistical analysis. January 28 Testing of detailed coding sheet on sample of 6 responses. February 28 Finalisation of coding sheet.. Coding of the majority of remaining responses. First draft analysis based on 357 responses. March 28 Finalisation of coding. Correcting encoded data for sample responses. Modifications to and finalisation of report on the basis of 482 responses, 76 of which were non-exploitable, giving a total of 46 exploitable responses 3.2 Development of a coding sheet/analysis framework The analysis of the questionnaire was based on the use of a coding sheet to categorise responses to the eight open ended questions. The final coding sheet is shown in Appendix A. The coding sheet identified 6 to 1 topics that were the most frequent responses to each of the eight consultation questions. It also contained basic information about the respondent (eg country, name etc). For each topic, the coding sheet made it possible to record whether the respondent supported the issue in question, was against the issue, or did not respond. A draft coding sheet was developed using an analysis of a limited sample of those responses received to October 27, and the content of the initial consultation document. The draft coding sheet was tested on 6 replies and modified accordingly. In addition, a range of sub-topics was added to some questions to gather more detailed feedback from respondents. An example is proposals made by respondents for specific transversal and subject competences under Theme 1. The analysis team subsequently encoded the open questions. 4.
Undertaking the Analysis 3 3.3 Translation The multilingual and multicultural character of the public consultation constituted a major challenge during the analysis phase, at the same time that it was an intrinsic added value of the consultation exercise. Twenty different languages were used by respondents. The analysis team was able to process directly from the source language those responses written in English, Italian, German, French, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish, Finnish, Danish and Norwegian, although comments and quotations in this report have been translated into English. For the remaining languages, it was necessary first to translate the contributions into a language known by the analysis team. 3.4 Analysis The following approach was used for the control and analysis of responses: Responses were received electronically and were acknowledged by the Commission services. They were then passed on to the external analysis team who allocated a response identification number by country. The analysis team also identified responses that would need to be translated. The response control sheet provided an initial analysis of responses by country and type of respondent, as well as showing the questions answered where appropriate. The CSES response control sheet was kept in line with the Commission s records. Responses were then coded into a questionnaire by the analysis system. The output of this system enabled analyses and cross tabulations to be carried out by theme and by question within each theme. A statistical summary was prepared of responses by key issues under each of the eight themes with analyses carried out by type of respondent. A collection of free text comments of particular interest for potential inclusion in the final report was also prepared. 3.5 Limitations of consultation approach Respondents often provided narrative responses, frequently covering several of the consultation questions jointly. As a result, many responses diverged from the specific consultation questions. This is understandable since the potential answers to most of the issues raised in the consultation might often relate also to other issues (e.g. teacher training, and references to teachers in general are recurrent when answering to the other 5.
Undertaking the Analysis 3 questions). Therefore, it is necessary to underline that while the consultation approach had the virtue of not constraining respondents in their responses, some degree of subjectivity is involved in the analysis. Every effort has been made, however, to ensure that this report contains an account of the consultation results that is as objective as possible. The consultation covered all EU Member States but the response rate was very uneven. Half the responses came from two Member States (Italy and Slovenia). It is possible to analyse responses by type of respondent, but any meaningful country-based analysis would require a wider response across Member States. 6.
Profile of Respondents 4 This section summarises the overall profile of the respondents that replied to the public consultation. In total, 482 responses were received by the deadline of 15 th December 27 from a host of different types of respondents. Unfortunately, some of the responses did not address the consultation questions at all or could not be analysed for other reasons. In this section, we first provide details of all responses and then a profile of the respondents. Information is provided also on the non-exploitable responses, and the reasons for them to fall into this category. 4.1 Analysis by country Among the 482 contributions received, we find responses from all the 27 Member States of the European Union, plus Norway. The number of responses received from each countries was, however, very uneven. Five countries provided nearly three-quarters of the total response, 358 replies. The detailed numbers are shown in the table below. Country Number of % of all responses responses France 22 5 Germany 4 8 Italy 132 27 Slovenia 113 23 United Kingdom 28 6 European level 23 5 Total 358 74% Italy alone was the source of more than a quarter of all responses. Overall, there was a pronounced tendency for 'older' EU Member States to participate more actively in the consultation than the 'new' Member States, i.e. those who acceded to the EU in 24 or 27. The most notable exception to this rule was Slovenia, which with 113 responses was the second major contributor to the consultation. A number of pan-european organisations, mostly based in Brussels, also responded to the public consultation. Countries providing more than 1 responses included Austria (11), the Netherlands (14) and Sweden (12). Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Poland and Slovakia all contributed with between 5 and 1 responses. In total, these countries contributed with 16% of the total number of responses (78 responses). The remaining 13 Member States, plus Norway, submitted less than five responses each. These 14 countries provided a total of 48 responses or 1% of the total response. A detailed analysis of the number of responses by Member State, and by type of respondent is provided in Appendix B. 7.
Profile of Respondents 4 The total number of responses to the consultation is therefore skewed towards a small number of Member States. The very high response level in Italy and Slovenia should be seen in the context of a particular promotion of the public consultation having been carried out there. In Slovenia, 11 students from one high school responded, but unfortunately, a number of these responses did not contain sufficient details for analysis. In Italy, the Ministry of Education had encouraged regional school authorities to participate with the effect that a large number of schools, teachers, student groups and initial students participated (corresponding to around 12 responses of the total of 132 Italian replies). 4.2 Analysis by type of respondent A division of the total 482 responses into seven main respondent categories shows the following distribution 4. Type of organisation Number of responses % of responses 35 7.3 European organisations 23 4.8 National level organisations 55 11.4 Schools and educational organisations and teachers 178 36.9 56 11.6 132 27.4 Others 3.6 Total 482 1% 39% of the total responses (188 responses) are from individuals or students, heavily influenced by the large response from Italy and Slovenia. Of the 178 schools responding, 12 are from Italy so the analysis of responses coming from schools is biased towards their views. Half of the 9 responses from public authorities and national level organisations came from four Member States: the UK (17, including 14 from Scotland), Germany (14), Italy (7) and Sweden (7). In the case of 12 countries, mostly new Member States, no authorities responded to the consultation (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Spain). 23 responses were categorised as coming from European organisations. 4 A fuller definition of the types of respondents is shown in the next section of this report 8.
Profile of Respondents 4 4.3 Analysis by language The consultation document was available in all the official languages of the European Union and responses were received in 2 of them. The principal languages of response were: Language Number of responses % English 24 42.3% Italian 117 24.3% German 49 1.2% Total 37 76.8% With 24 responses or 42.3%, English was by far the most used language for the consultation. This result was strongly influenced by the fact that all the 11 Slovenian school students wrote their contributions in English. Given the large contingent of Italian respondents, about a quarter of responses were in Italian. German came in third place with 49 responses. Other languages used for more than 1% of responses were French (27), Portuguese (2), Dutch (19), Polish (8), Bulgarian (6), and Swedish (6). 4.4 Analysis by size of response In the invitation from the Commission to respond to the consultation, one of the requirements was that respondent contributions should maximum contain four A4-pages. This was far from respected and many responses consisted of significantly more pages, even in some cases around 15 to 2 pages. The table below shows the distribution of responses by the number of pages: No. of Page numbers responses 1 171 2 73 3 73 4 83 5 to 1 68 over 1 14 Total 482 9.
Profile of Respondents 4 4.5 Non-exploitable responses Following further analysis, 76 responses out of the total of 482 responses were categorised as non-exploitable. This corresponds to 15.8% of all responses. An analysis by country of non-exploitable responses is as follows: Country Non-exploitable responses Slovenia 46 Italy 16 Germany 7 France 5 United Kingdom 4 Pan-European 1 Austria 1 Hungary 1 Poland 1 Total 76 62 of the 76 non-exploitable responses are from either Slovenia or Italy and mainly include students and individuals. In both cases, respondents were encouraged by others (IT Ministry of Education, teachers within a school) to respond to the public consultation and sometimes were not able to do so in an in-depth manner. In many cases, responses only contained a paragraph or two. The table below shows that the types of respondents whose contributions were deemed non-exploitable were mainly students (5 mostly corresponding to the 46 unusable Slovenian responses), schools (8) and some individuals and teachers (11). Type of respondent Non-exploitable responses 5 Educational establishments 8 Teachers 5 Individual 6 Organisations 4 Public 2 Other 1 Total 76 There were a number of different reasons for coders to decide that a response could not 1.
Profile of Respondents 4 be used, mostly to do with the fact that the contribution was not related to any of the points raised by the consultation. Forty responses fell into this category, mainly from Slovenian students. Another reason for disqualifying a response was that it was too brief or superficial to be of use this applied in seven cases. Four contributions consisted of either academic papers or speeches - related to education but not to the consultation exercise as such. Amongst the other category there were incomprehensible responses, proposals to carry out work and, in three cases, exactly the same response had been sent in by different respondents. Reasons for non-exploitable answers No relevant points 4 Too brief/superficial 7 Academic paper/speech unrelated to consultation 4 Unable to read 6 Other reasons 19 Total 76 11.
Analysis of Themes Introduction 5 This section of the report introduces the statistical analysis, which forms the main part of the report. 5.1 Analysis by group After preliminary analysis, it was decided to divide the respondents into six main categories plus a category Others. The main categories included the following groups: Category of respondent European organisations National level organisations Schools and educational organisations and teachers Others Types of respondent Ministries, Regional/Local, Councils/Agencies European level organisations All categories of organisations (except EU), national interest organisations and social partners, and other organisations All categories of educational establishments including higher education plus teachers including individual teachers Individual students and student groupings All other individual responses Respondents not covered by any of the above categories The numbers of respondents in each group were as follows: Category of respondent Number of responses % of responses 35 7.3 European organisations 24 5. National level organisations 55 11.4 Schools and educational organisations and teachers 178 36.9 56 11.6 132 27.4 Others 2.4 Total 482 1% Responses were analysed overall and also for each group, to show the different views of each group as far as possible. In the sections covering each question separately, a series of radar charts show the percentage of responses from each group which raised positively a particular subject. 5.2 Overall level of responses by theme The analysis is divided into separate chapters, which consider each of the eight consultation questions described earlier. The level of response to each of the questions varied and the maximum and mean number of responses for each question is shown below: 12.
Analysis of Themes Introduction 5 Maximum and mean responses by theme Theme Max Mean Theme 1 Key competences 193 14 Theme 2 - Lifelong Learning 194 126 Theme 3 Economy 76 61 Theme 4 Equity 116 36 Theme 5 Inclusion 173 91 Theme 6 Citizenship 18 65 Theme 7 Teachers 129 84 Theme 8 School Communities 89 52 The maximum number shows the largest number of respondents mentioning a particular issue in a theme. But of course many respondents did not mention all issues and the mean number shows the average number of respondents mentioning each issue. It will be seen that the themes of key competences and lifelong learning attracted significantly more responses than the other themes. There were fewer responses to the themes of school communities and the economy, with only a fifth of respondents dealing with issues under the heading of the economy. 13.
Analysis of Theme 1- Key competences 6 6.1 Key issues under theme 1 Key competences This section analyses the responses to Theme 1 Key competences for all: How can schools be organised in such a way as to provide all pupils with the full range of key competences?. Based on a preliminary analysis of responses, we identified a number of common issues raised under this theme as follows: Adapt the curriculum to provide a better balance between skills, knowledge and attitudes Develop new pedagogical models (inquiry-based learning, interactivity across subjects ) with more focus on learning Provide new learning environments (using ICT, mixing informal and formal learning...) Associate all stakeholders (parents, local community, local business...) Specific subject-based competences Specific transversal competences These issues have formed the basis for the statistical analysis, but many respondents raised other issues. Where these were points that had been identified as key issues for another theme, they were included in the statistics relating to the theme in question, but in some cases additional points of interest were added as free-text comments at the end of the analysis grid, and a number are reflected in the current analysis. 6.2 Summary of responses There seems to be a consensus among all groups of respondents that school curricula and teaching methodologies need to enable students to develop their own learning competences, in a more flexible learning environment. The practical proposals put forward include active teaching methods, a cross-curricular approach to supplement subject-based learning - and creating time and space for students and teachers to acquire deep understandings of complex issues. In this context, many respondents raise issues such as transversal competences such as learning to learn, social and civic competences and student autonomy. Some of these respondents saw current curricula as excessively dominated by a model based on the mere transmission of knowledge from teachers to students. Many respondents saw a need to involve students in the learning process, thus improving student motivation and outcomes. Those pan-european and national educational organisations that responded appear to be 14.
Analysis of Theme 1- Key competences 6 more strongly convinced of the need for change than teachers and school respondents. Most national authorities that responded referred to adapting their education systems to the key competences approach. Teachers often express a desire to achieve changes, but there is no identifiable consensus among them as to appropriate new directions that need to be taken. Relatively few teachers identify ICT in education as a means of transforming learning and relatively few refer to adopting a European dimension in their approach to the curriculum. 6.3 Statistical analysis of responses for theme 1 The chart below shows the number of respondents who raise each of the issues shown above. 1.a Curriculum balance 1.b Focus on learning models 1.c New learning environments 1.d Associate all stakeholders 1.e.1 Subject-based competences 1.e.2 Transversal competences 5 1 15 2 25 6.4 Analysis by issue and type of respondent The charts in this section break down the overall responses into the different key issues and analyse them by type of respondent. They show the percentage of each group of respondents that mention a particular point - for example, they show the proportion of authorities that favour adapting the curriculum thus bringing out the contrast between the views of the various groups. 15.
Analysis of Theme 1- Key competences 6 6.4.1 Curriculum balance The first issue identified is that of curriculum balance, i.e. to adapt the curriculum to provide a better balance between skills, knowledge and attitudes 5. As with many other issues in this theme, there are many references from public authorities and from pan-european associations to the need to adapt the curriculum. 7.8% of European associations (17 associations) and 63.6% of authorities (21 authorities) make this point. There is also a measure of support amongst national organisations and from schools and teachers and individuals. Only students are an exception to this pattern just 17.1% of students refer positively to it. 1.a Curriculum balance 8 6 4 2 6.4.2 New learning models The next issue to be considered is a focus on new learning models - develop new pedagogical models (inquiry-based learning, interactivity across subjects ) with more focus on learning. 5 The Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council on key competences for lifelong learning defines each competences as being composed of skills, knowledge and attitudes. 16.
Analysis of Theme 1- Key competences 6 There is a very similar picture here to the previous issue, with a high incidence of positive references from pan- European associations (7.8%, 17 associations) and public authorities (63.6%, 21 authorities), as well as from national organisations (58.5%). There are relatively high instances of interest in this issue from schools and teachers and also from individuals. The small number of students that express an opinion adopt a positive view. Overall, there is quite strong support for the need to develop new models. 1.b Focus on learning models 8 6 4 2 Some respondents have specific suggestions as to the new pedagogical models to be developed. A more detailed analysis is shown in the table below: 1.b Specify which models are proposed: % Combination of theory and practice (passive/active learning) 74 18.2 Inquiry-based learning 98 24.1 Interaction across subjects 96 23.6 Mix of process/product oriented teaching methods 6 14.8 Inclusive models based on mixed ability groups 3 7.4 Diversified/individualised teaching 98 24.1 High degree of pedagogical autonomy for teachers 39 9.6 Other 28 6.9 The percentage figures shown in this table, as with other similar tables, are depressed by those including students who do not provide specific suggestions, so the absolute levels are to be interpreted with caution. In relative terms, three groups of issues are often raised positively inquiry-based learning, interaction across subjects and individualised teaching. Other issues, such as mixed ability groups and autonomy for teachers, are mentioned less frequently. The response of one UK authority typifies the view of many respondents. 17.
Analysis of Theme 1- Key competences 6 A Scottish local authority One needs to break down barriers between traditional subjects and develop links across subject areas and across sectors. 6.4.3 New learning environments The third issue identified dealt with new learning environments (i.e. to provide new learning environments, by using, inter alia, ICT or by mixing informal and formal learning, etc.). of other items: 1.c New learning environments 8 Here, the pattern of views differs from that for the earlier two issues. There is strong support by pan-european associations (62.5%), but only moderate expression of interest by national authorities (24.2% express an interest) and schools and teachers (36%). Some national organisations (41.5%) express a positive view on this issue, and students again largely do not mention it. It is perhaps surprising that the use of ICT is not mentioned by a larger number of respondents. Of those that mention ICT, the following is a typical example, including it alongside a range Portuguese educational establishment Reduce the ambition of the curriculum with more time for students to breathe and for self-learning. Ensure that students work together more and have appropriate facilities for self-learning: libraries, access to ICT, rooms to meet up in, etc. 6.4.4 Associate all stakeholders 6 4 2 The next issue identified was the need to associate all stakeholders, e.g. parents, the local community and local business. 18.
Analysis of Theme 1- Key competences 6 1.d Associate all stakeholders 6 5 4 3 2 1 It is only the pan-european associations that mention this point to any great extent (58.3%). National organisations mention it to a lesser extent (41.5%), as do individuals (37.7%), and only 16.1% of schools and teachers raise the issue. Generally, this issue is less often raised when compared with the others. That is not to say it is unimportant some individual responses dealt with the subject in some depth. For example, in the UK the government department responsible for schools in England refers to the importance of the Local in managing the school and the need to ensure that education is tailored to meet the needs of every child while fully engaging parents. But generally, these points are not raised as extensively as other issues. 6.4.5 Subject-based competences We now consider two issues related to competences, both subject-based and transversal ones. Most respondents (other than students) identify a range of subject-based and transversal competences which they think should be developed. Generally, transversal competences are mentioned more often than subject-based competences, but we consider first subject-based competences. 19.
Analysis of Theme 1- Key competences 6 1.e.1 Subject-based competences 8 6 4 2 Many pan-european associations and a substantial number of public authorities and national organisations refer specifically to the need for schools to promote a particular set of subjectbased competences. Schools and teachers mention this less often. It is reasonable to assume that for many of these respondents the teaching of subject-based competences is taken as a given, rather than an issue which needs to be raised. Examples of individual competences raised by respondents are listed in the table below. Communication in the mother tongue is mentioned by 12.8% of respondents and the need to learn foreign languages by 15.3%. Lower proportions however, mention maths (8.4%) and science (8.1%), perhaps for the reasons mentioned above. Subject-based competences % Communication in mother tongue 52 12.8 Foreign languages 62 15.3 Maths 34 8.4 Science 33 8.1 Technologies 4 9.9 ICT 52 12.8 Music 12 3. Other 21 5.2 6.4.6 Transversal competences The teaching of transversal competences is strongly supported by most respondent groups though there are significant differences. 2.
Analysis of Theme 1- Key competences 6 1.e.2 Transversal competences 1 8 6 4 2 91.7% of pan-european associations express an interest in this, as well as 69.8% of national organisations and 6.6% of public authorities. 54.7% of schools and teachers emphasise the importance of making more provision for specific transversal competences, which indicates a still significant level of interest, though nevertheless a significant division of opinion as to the importance of this issue for instance between the views of schools and teachers and those of pan-european associations. A number of specific transversal competences are identified in the responses. Learning to learn, independence and autonomy and social and civic competences are the most frequently mentioned. The list however also includes responsibility, creativity, cultural awareness and intercultural skills. Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship attracts the least interest. Transversal competences % Learning to learn 132 32.5 Social and civic competences 14 34.5 Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship 59 14.5 Independence/autonomy 128 31.5 Responsibility 94 23.2 Creativity 78 19.2 Cultural awareness and expression 89 21.9 Intercultural skills 79 19.5 Many respondents give examples of transversal competences. For example, a European level organisation said It is welcome that social and civic skills are considered as crucial in the core competencies debate. There are other very similar views among other respondents. 21.
Analysis of Theme 1- Key competences 6 6.5 Analysis by category of respondents 6.5.1 National, Regional, Local There is a level of general agreement on the need to change the curriculum balance, to focus on new pedagogical models, in particular transversal competences. There are many suggestions relating to providing more autonomy and flexibility, student centred learning building on students natural curiosity and creativity, and different approaches to teaching methods (e.g. project-based learning, interactive learning across subject disciplines, involving the learner more closely in understanding the learning process, allowing scope for pupils to take initiatives in learning). Developing new models of assessment appropriate to a competence-based approach is often also seen as important but measuring key competences also gives rise to problems. National Education Ministry In future, schools will need to ensure that the curriculum contains a good balance between knowledge, skills and attitudes, the three main components of key competences. However, it is essential that the knowledge component is not forgotten - a good theoretical basis is the condition for developing skills and attitudes and reaching excellence, whether in the field of sciences or entrepreneurship. Teaching methods also need to be adapted in a creative way to establish a closer link to the daily life of youth (eg. e-learning, network learning etc). Many answers also identify the need to reinforce transition arrangements at certain key moments in schooling, as, for example, between primary education and the beginning of secondary education. There is a demand in some countries for sharing experiences in these areas across Europe. 6.5.2 Pan-European associations Pan-European level interest groups also express a high level of interest. 21 out of 22 pan- European associations that raise this question mention transversal competences, and high numbers of them also refer to all the other issues identified within this theme. In general, pan-european associations are the group that is the most positive about the need to develop key competences. A number of respondents stress the need to take into account informal education, such as youth work, to individualise academic experience and to establish a balance between the approaches based on input and those based on results or output. It is also seen to be important to develop an architecture for the curricula going beyond the sole organisation of a school day 22.
Analysis of Theme 1- Key competences 6 in relation to the different disciplines should lead to a significant change in the management of the duration and rhythms of schooling. 6.5.3 National organisations National organisations also show a high level of interest in this area, with particular reference to transversal competences (69.8%) and to a focus on new learning models (58.5%). One UK respondent typifies a widely expressed view in relation to the need to link theory and practice. UK national organisation A great deal is actually known about pedagogy, both in the UK and internationally, but the synthesis, communication and implementation of such knowledge is far weaker than it should be. In this respect, there is work to be done by practitioners, researchers, civil-servants and policy-makers working together. There is a widespread belief that lessons should be made more interactive in relation to student participation, and that teaching should address the relationships between the different subjects, so that the connection is clear to students and so that deeper understandings of issues studied can be developed. 6.5.4 Schools/colleges and individual teachers Many respondents from this group perceive a need for progression to a curriculum that focuses on developing competences. Schools and teachers identify the need to improve the curriculum balance between subject-based and transversal competences and also to focus on new models of learning. A majority of respondents in this group stress that, in addition to transferring knowledge, there is a clear need for schools also to concentrate on teaching skills and transversal competences, such as the ability to learn, social and civil competences, initiative and entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and cultural conscience/expression. The need to develop transversal competences was mentioned by 84 schools comprising over 5% of schools responding. Rather than the school providing key competences, it is seen as important that pupils are motivated to acquire these through active stimulation of their curiosity and interest - through participative and active teaching methods rather than passive ones. 6.5.5 Unfortunately, individual students responding to the survey are often unspecific in their suggestions and therefore it is not possible to identify a collective view in this area. That is not to say that individual students did not make valuable points and generally, where students make points they tend to be in line with the responses of the other contributors. 23.
Analysis of Theme 1- Key competences 6 National Union However, easy measurable key competences (such as reading, science and maths skills) risk being overrepresented and prioritised more than expected. [.]. Because of this we find it important to stress that holistic thinking towards key competences is crucial and that education and training must not be simplified to excessive priority of mother tongue, English and maths. Social and civic competences need more attention. School contribution to digital competences is decisive for lifelong learning and to promote equity at our present situation of development. 6.5 6 Some individuals identified specific issues within this theme, for example, the need to develop transversal competences and the need to associate all stakeholders and to develop new learning models. However, the numbers of individuals identifying themes was quite small (the most frequently mentioned 25 individuals identified theme and the least mentioned theme by 18 individuals). 24.