PESTALOZZI PROGRAMME Guidelines for training activities 2014 Document prepared by the Secretariat October 2013 1
PESTALOZZI PROGRAMME Guidelines for the preparation of training activities 2014 Introduction The Pestalozzi Programme adopts an approach to training and development which reflects a number of central convictions. The principles and values of the Council of Europe, its standards, frameworks and guidelines in education are at its core and can be subsumed under the heading Education for sustainable democratic societies. They are the basic ingredients of the training programme. These guidelines are a result of the discussions in the plenary meetings of the NLO network, the outcomes of the Ministerial conference in June 2010 and the discussions in the Education Committee since 2007. They are intended to further improve the quality and impact of the training organised within the Pestalozzi Programme of the Council of Europe while taking account of the material resources available. It is important that he added-value - of participation in the programme brings to the learning experience and to continuous teacher development, and eventually to the classrooms in our member states - is clearly visible and identifiable to education professionals and decision-makers in Europe. The meeting of the Standing Conference of European Ministers of Education (June 2010, Slovenia) offered an opportunity to highlight the importance of education professionals for societal development - and the necessity to support their continuous development - in particular in the areas of concern covered by the Council of Europe. The Ministers adopted a specific Resolution on teacher development in the framework of the Pestalozzi Programme. They committed themselves to strengthening the programme on the national level (NLO, etc.) and asked the Council of Europe to equip the programme with the necessary resources so that it can fulfill its role to support ALL education professionals in Europe to promote the values and principles of human rights, democracy and respect for diversity in their daily practice. A well organised training programme on the international level has a great potential for direct and indirect impact on the education professionals and on the learners in the member states and can support them in their practice. Such a potential for impact also calls for the obligation to ensure the high quality of all the activities. 2
The objectives of the Pestalozzi Programme 1) Strategic objectives. The aim and purpose of a Council of Europe training programme for education professionals contributing to deep security can be described as follows: a) to promote the values and principles of Council of Europe in the practice of education and to support member states in the move from education policy to education practice in line with these values and principles b) to train education professionals to become multipliers for Council of Europe values and principles focusing on the development of the necessary transversal attitudes, skills and knowledge for sustainable democratic societies - as individuals and as professionals - and an appropriate and effective pedagogy, to initiate, follow-up and monitor a cascading process on the national levels and to network education professionals - a key profession across Europe - into a community of practice around the principles and values of the CoE 2) Operational objectives a) Organise and support training activities in different format and through different channels (training courses, one-off training events, etraining, etc.) b) Maintain and develop an online surrounding for collaborative work c) Offer training and teaching resources developed in and through its training activities in user-friendly formats d) Publish outcomes of its work of interest to the wider community of practitioners through its publication series e) Maintain a growing community of practice around a Europe-wide network of trainers trained through the programme f) Organise development work within its network and community of practice on key issues for practitioners (core components, transversal attitudes, skills and knowledge, observable behaviour, tools evaluation and appreciation of learning progress, etc.) g) Maintain a network of national liaison officers in the 50 signatory states of the European Cultural Convention 3
Training formats 3) The Pestalozzi Programme organises training activities in various formats and seeks to provide a coherent offer of training to the education professionals in Europe and beyond. a) Train the trainer courses. European Modules for trainer training and their five phases of work over last between 12-18 months with two face-toface meetings (module A and module B); the modules are organised by the Secretariat, and supported by a particular signatory state for the organisation of each module B. During the time before, between and after the modules, participants work together with the facilitators on the online working platform of the Pestalozzi Programme. (1) The costs for module A are fully covered by the Programme. For modules B the Programme covers the costs for travel of the participants and the costs for the team. The host country covers accommodation, meals, venue and facilities and interpretation equipment. The costs for interpreters can be covered either by the Programme of by the host country b) One-off training events. Training activities of a duration of 3-8 days: i) The Pestalozzi Programme Summer School: The Summer School is coorganised with the Academy of Bad Wildbad and offers full 8 days of training to education professionals from across Europe. The 60-70 participants will have the opportunity to choose their own learning curriculum of about 60 hours from an offer of common activities (obligatory) and a range of thematic training courses in different languages. Before, during and and after the Summer School participants work together with the facilitators on the online working platform of the Pestalozzi Programme. (1) All costs for participants are covered by the Programme and by the Academy of Bad Wildbad ii) European Workshops: training activities organised in cooperation with the NLOs of a particular country. These workshops can be organised as single oneoff events in one country or in tandem with another European Workshop in another country thus offering a longer period of training to a group of participants. They shall also make use of the on the online working platform of the Pestalozzi Programme so that all participants in the Pestalozzi Programme can continue to exchange and discuss when the training is over and benefit from the Community of Practice of the programme. (1) The travel costs for the international participants are covered by the Programme as well as the costs for a trainer to support the training and to reinforce the links between the community of Practice and the participants. All other costs are covered by the host iii) National dissemination and training events. 1-3 day events organised in a country to disseminate information on the Pestalozzi Programme of the Council of Europe and/ or to train a group of national teachers and/ or multipliers on a particular theme in relation with the priorities of the Council of Europe in education. 4
(1) The Programme can send and cover the costs of 1-2 trainers per event and provide relevant documentation. All other costs are covered nationally. iv) Targeted cooperation. Training courses or training activities organised on demand in cooperation with specific partners targeting a particular country or region and covered by funds external to the Programme. c) etraining courses. Under development since 2010. Expected benefit: increased effect and impact through the use of different channels and formats, in particular through the support of national cascading. 5
Themes 4) The training events of the Pestalozzi Programme shall focus on the major concerns of the Council of Europe in education. This includes the basic pillars democracy, human rights and rule of law as well as their more detailed and concrete aspects as dealt with in the diverse Council of Europe projects. A continuous concern is an appropriate and effective methodology (holistic: hand, head, heart; interactive, learning by doing, cooperative learning, etc.). a) A list of possible themes and target groups as well as a list of the major transversal competences for democratic societies can be found in appendix 1. b) As a general rule, topics shall be selected which are best dealt with in the framework of the Council of Europe 5) Training activities shall have a clear thematic focus and address clearly defined target groups. A training workshop of 3-4 days duration cannot cover all the key aspects of a theme or topic. While it must be embedded in the wider context of the topic, training activities should focus on specific aspects (or on a particular recommendation, instrument, tool, etc.) and be targeted at the needs of a specific target group. Expected benefit: more effective training; a clear profile/ identity of the Pestalozzi Programme; increased attractiveness and coherence; enhanced specificity and impact of the Council of Europe message for the practice of education Methodology 6) Training, in order to be effective, needs to activate and build on the expertise and experience of the trainees. It needs to be interactive, learner-centred, and be an opportunity to learn by doing, and where possible, to work together over time to collaboratively find fit solutions for diverse contexts. As a rule of thumb a ratio 7:3 should be followed: 3 parts of direct input and 7 parts of interactive learning by doing. 7) The competences education professionals need to develop are varied and their development needs to be balanced. Training needs to cover the development of sensitivity and awareness, knowledge and understanding, individual practice and societal practice. 8) The programme wants to create learning spaces for education professionals which includes challenging ideas and practices, experiencing new practices and reflecting on experiences and practices 6
9) The medium is the message. The training needs to be organised and delivered in a way which is coherent with the content of the training and the competences we wish to develop. 10) Trainees shall become multipliers of the gained expertise. For this to be effective, aspects of cascading and dissemination must be built into the training itself. 11) The promotion of intercultural understanding is a central concern of each training activity, whatever its specific theme. 12) The training activities shall help to create networks of education professionals across the continent. Expected benefit: more effective training; reinforcement of the hallmark of the Pestalozzi Programme; lasting effect and increased impact; better mutual understanding; increased attractiveness Target groups, participants and their profile 13) The activities of the Pestalozzi Programme target education professionals. This term refers to all actors involved in in the practice of education. It includes pre-service and in-service training, formal and non-formal education: teachers, school heads, teacher trainers, school administrators, parents and community representatives, school psychologists, people with an educational role from other sectors of society working in pre-primary to primary, lower and upper secondary, vocational education, adult education, and all other people from the non-formal educational sector. 14) However, any specific training activity should as much as possible attempt to focus on a clearly defined, narrower target group in order to better adapt the training to the specific needs and context of the selected group. 15) Selected participants should be willing to engage fully with the process of collaborative work and intercultural dialogue which is a hallmark of a Pestalozzi training activity. 16) Participants to all the different training activities need to be committed to the training activity they sign up for, which includes the active participation during the activity, but also the preparation for the activity and the follow-up (reporting, dissemination, cascading). 17) Education professionals in the first 10-15 years of their professional career shall be a privileged target group to enhance the dissemination and cascading effect over time. 7
Expected benefit: more effective training; dissemination of training results to a wider target audience within the education and training sector; increased impact and lasting effect Balance and numbers of participants 18) Pestalozzi training activities should seek a just balance between national and international participants where applicable. A good ratio facilitates concrete experiences of intercultural understanding and real international and sustainable networking. 19) Training workshops are most effective when the overall number doesn t exceed 40. Ideally, the balance between national and international participants should be of 50%:50% (or higher in favour of international participation). The Programme can cover travel expenses for up to 15 international participants. Expected benefit: stronger European and international dimension; increased networking opportunities; stronger multiperspective and intercultural approach Trainers 20) Trainers should have a good knowledge of the subject and of the work of the Council of Europe in this subject area. They should also have experience as trainers and share the methodological approach promoted by the Pestalozzi Programme. 21) The training courses and events organised by the Secretariat will normally be facilitated by a team of no more than three trainers for up to 40 participants. This limitation has proven to be beneficial for the dynamics of the work. The Secretariat has adopted a public Call for Trainers disseminated through its networks (network of trainers, network of NLO, partners). The teams are selected from amidst the respondents and, as a rule, the composition will include members of the Pestalozzi Network of Trainers and newcomers. 22) Training activities organised in the signatory states shall use whenever possible the trainers previously trained in the framework of the Pestalozzi Programme. To further support the event, the Council of Europe will cover the costs (travel, subsistence and fee) of one expert trainer per European Workshop, selected by the Secretariat of the Pestalozzi Programme from its Network of Trainers. A detailed description of the tasks of this expert trainer will be made available. 23) The Pestalozzi Programme has developed a generic list of tasks for trainers and coordinators of training activities. NLOs are invited to use and/or adapt this list for the training activities they organise (see appendix II). 8
Expected benefit: Greater consistency and efficiency between the objectives of the Council of Europe in education (norms, standards, guidelines ) and the organised training activities; greater synergy between the different activities proposed by the Pestalozzi Programme; improved documentation of output and outcomes; increased dissemination potential and impact Working languages 24) NLOs are invited to also offer training activities in other languages than English and French. Expected benefit: increased linguistic diversity; greater and more diversified outreach Documentation 25) The Council of Europe and in particular the Education Department produce a large range of material (standards, guidelines, tools, etc.) of great benefit to education professionals. This is particularly true for the training materials developed in the Pestalozzi module series for trainer training. 26) The use of these materials in the framework of the training activities is strongly advocated, be it as pre-reading material, course material or as examples of practice to be further developed and/or adapted. 27) NLOs are encouraged to support translation of the existing resources into the languages of their country. 28) The documents, outcomes and results of any training activity need to be collected and documented so that the Secretariat can use them for further dissemination online or through other channels. The preparation of this documentation in view of further use and online publication should be one of the main tasks of the team of trainers of any training event organised within the Pestalozzi Programme. Expected benefit: more effective training; better use of existing expertise; enhanced link to Council of Europe projects and work results; increased dissemination potential; increased networking within the training activities of the programme Information, communication and collaboration 9
29) The Pestalozzi Programme has developed an online working platform to facilitate exchange of information, communication and collaborative work of all those who are involved in our training activities. 30) The platform shall be the privileged means of exchange and communication for all involved, participants, facilitators, NLOs alike Expected benefit: more effective communication and training; opportunity for collaborative work over time; increased networking 10
APPENDIX 1 Pestalozzi Programme - training activities in 2014 The following lists shall serve as guidelines in the selection of proposals for European workshops and national dissemination and training events to be organised in the framework of the Pestalozzi Programme in 2014. They are by no means exhaustive and proposals on other themes or target groups are welcome. The themes are very general and contain numerous different aspects the proposals could focus on. The number of training activities which will be organised in 2014 will depend on the resources available. Themes for training activities Education for and through prevention of discrimination prevention of violence at school democratic citizenship human rights diversity and mutual understanding responsible use of the media environment the understanding of history prevention of crimes against humanity communication and languages continued learning etc. Methodology and pedagogy Collaborative learning Promoting motivation Task-based, problem-based learning Managing relations (school, teacher, parent, learners, etc.) Teacher roles, recognition and status Etc. Target groups Pre-service teacher trainers In-service teacher trainers Teachers of all subjects on all levels (from pre-primary to higher education) Trainee teachers School heads Representatives of parents Representatives of the local community Representatives of civil society associations Representatives of teacher associations and unions Curriculum and programme developers Textbook authors Etc. Transversal attitudes, skills and knowledge Critical observation from different perspectives Actions based on the respect for human rights and dignity Ability to act democratically and to cooperate Understanding of diversity and the ability to live in diversity Understanding of the past and the present and the ability to project into the future Ability to communicate across all kinds and types of borders Critical, responsible and beneficial/profitable use of the media environment Ability and readiness to continue learning throughout one s life 11
APPENDIX 2 Pestalozzi Programme Teams of facilitators October 2013 12
INTRODUCTION The training activities of the Pestalozzi Programme normally gather between 35-40 participants. A team of 3 facilitators is sufficient to coordinate and run such a training activity. The facilitators provide the necessary documentation in cooperation with the Secretariat, they provide input and stimulation and they run the different plenary and group sessions of the activity. One of the three facilitators takes on the lead role and is responsible for the coordination of the training activity, its preparation, its programme and its implementation as well as the reporting after the event. PROCEDURE/ TIMELINE 1 Call for Trainers Coordinators as well as team members are selected by the Secretariat1 following a Call for Trainers and the submission of the respective form. 2 Preparatory Meeting (three-four months before the activity) The preparatory meetings normally take place at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. All team members MUST participate in this preparatory meeting to ensure effective preparation of the training activity (a shared understanding of the purpose and orientation as well as of the programme; clear understanding of the contribution and role of each facilitator, of the expected outcome, a draft programme, pre-information and documentation to be sent to participants, preparatory tasks for the participants, etc.). 3 Pre-information and documentation The team of facilitators receives available information on the participants from the Secretariat before the training activity. The participants receive information and documentation material together with the invitation letters from the Secretariat. In the case of Modules and for the Pestalozzi Programme Summer School an on-line working platform is set up by the Secretariat so that team and participants can communicate and exchange throughout the duration of the module series. 4 Last minute preparation Meeting of the team on the day before the start of the activity. This meeting is important for last minute preparations, updated information, etc. and it allows for last minute checks and changes (if necessary). 5 Debriefing meeting Meeting of the team and summing up of the results at the end of the activity. It is important that all documents and presentations, handouts, materials and results are collected in electronic format. A debriefing meeting at the end of the activity also allows for a common analysis of the training activity and its results. It should help to draft the respective reports and plan the subsequent phases (in particular with regard to the modules). 6 Reporting/ Output The report should be two-fold a description of the most important issues addressed, and a collection (in electronic format) of input documents/ presentations, handouts and other resources, results of working groups, etc. Part of this report is made available on the web site of the Pestalozzi Programme an analysis of the training activity (its strengths and weaknesses; the reaction and participation of participants; obstacles encountered; proposals and suggestions; etc.). This part is for internal use. 1 This applies at the moment to The Pestalozzi Progamme Summer School as well as to the Modules for Trainer Training. We suggest that the organisers of the European Workshops adapt/ adopt this procedure too. 13
OUTLINE OF TASKS Coordinator 1. General issues a. Liaise with the Secretariat of the Pestalozzi Programme b. Coordinate and supervise the work of the team of facilitators before, during and after the training activity c. Make suggestions for the choice of co-facilitators 2. Before the preparatory meeting a. Prepare an agenda for the preparatory meeting b. Prepare a suggestion for the orientation and focus as well as the expected outcome of the training activity c. Prepare an outline of the programme for the training activity d. Prepare suggestions for information and documentation to be sent/handed out to the participants 3. During the preparatory meeting: a. lead the discussion and summarise results regarding i. the orientation, focus and structure of the programme ii. the roles and contributions of each member of the team iii. the pre-information and documentation for the participants iv. the preparatory tasks participants should complete v. the presentation of the results of the training activity and their dissemination vi. the timeline on what is to be done by whom in time for the training activity 4. During the training activity: a. coordinate the running of the training activity in cooperation with the co-facilitators and in consultation with the organisers (plenary sessions, group sessions, etc) including i. The presentation of the programme ii. Input sessions iii. Moderation of plenary sessions and group work iv. Reporting back and summarising v. Collecting the outcomes and drawing conclusions 5. After the training activity a. compile the results of the training activity and draft a report in cooperation with the cofacilitators; this includes i. A brief description of the most important issues addressed (for online publishing) ii. An analysis of the training activity (its strengths and weaknesses; the reaction and participation of participants; obstacles encountered; proposals and suggestions; etc) (internal) iii. the collection (in electronic format) of input documents/ presentations, handouts and other resources, results of working groups, etc (parts for online publishing) b. Submission of the report to the Secretariat within 3 weeks after the end of the training activity 6. Between Modules A and B (for Modules of trainer training) a. coordinate the development and piloting work of the team and the participant work using the online platform b. act as a time keeper reminding the participants and team members of tasks, deadlines, etc c. offer feedback and advice to participants d. coordinate the feedback and reporting of participants and team members and the preparations for the intermediate team meeting e. coordinate the preparations of the programme for Module B f. provide information on the work in a dedicated online forum accessible to all network members on a regular basis 14
Facilitators 1) Before the preparatory meeting a) Support the coordinator in the preparation of the meeting and the training activity through suggestions for i) the orientation and focus as well as the expected outcome of the training activity ii) the programme for the training activity, in particular your specific contribution to it iii) for information and documentation to be sent/handed out to the participants 2) During the preparatory meeting: a) contribute to the discussion of i) the orientation, focus and structure of the programme ii) the roles and contributions of each member of the team iii) the pre-information and documentation for the participants iv) the preparatory tasks participants should complete v) the presentation of the results of the training activity and their dissemination vi) the timeline on what is to be done by whom in time for the training activity 3) During the training activity: a) contribute to the running of the training activity (plenary sessions, group sessions, etc) including i) Input sessions ii) Moderation of plenary sessions and group work iii) Reporting back and summarising iv) Collecting the outcomes and drawing conclusions 4) After the training activity a) Contribute to the compilation of the results of the training activity and the drafting of a general report by preparing a brief report which includes i) your reflection on the most important issues addressed and the strengths and weaknesses; the reaction and participation of participants; obstacles encountered; proposals and suggestions; etc.; of the training activity ii) the collection (in electronic format) of input documents/ presentations, handouts and other resources, results of working groups, for which you were responsible b) Submission of the report to the Secretariat and in copy to the coordinator of the activity within 2 weeks after the end of the training activity 5) Between Modules A and B (for Modules of trainer training) a) contribute to the development and piloting work of the participant work using the online platform b) offer feedback and advice to participants c) contribute to the feedback and reporting of participants and team members and the preparations for the intermediate team meeting d) contribute to the preparations of the programme for Module B 15