brosura ensi_tools for esd schools_engleza.pdf

8/15/2019 brosura ENSI_tools for ESD schools_engleza.pdf

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Reflective Methods

for School Partnershipson Education

for Sustainable

DevelopmentTools forESD-Schools

Tools for

ESD-Schools


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R e f l e c t i v e M e t h o d s

f o r S ch o o l Par t n er sh ip so n Ed u ca t i o n f o r

S u s t a i n a b l e D e v e l o p m e n t

Tools for

ESD-Schools


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2 3

Impr int:

Tools for ESD-SchoolsRef lect ive Metho ds for School Partnerships on Educat ion for Sustainable Development.

September 200 5

ISBN 3-85031 -064-7

Authors:Mariona Espinet , Michela M ayer, Franz Rauch,Johannes Tschapka

School advisor:Mart in Scheuch

Publisher:Austrian Federal Minist ry for Educat ion, the Arts and CultureDept.V/11c Environmental Educat ion Af fairsMinori tenplatz 5,A-1014 Vienna / AustriaE-mai l :gu enther.pfaf fenwimm [email protected]

Funded:By the European Commission through the EU COMENIUS 3 Netw ork100530-CP1-2002-1-AT-COMENIUS-C3,“ School Development through Environmental Educat ion” (SEED)

The COMENIUS contact seminars and themat ic workshops have b een supported by the respect iveNat ional Agencies of Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, France,Germany, Greece, Hungary, I taly ,L i thuania, t he Netherlands, Poland,Romania,Spain, Sweden,and t he Uni t ed K ingdom,as w el las by the Educat ional Authori t ies of Austria,Hungary, I taly, Norway, and Sweden.

In col laborat ion:with the internat ional netwo rk “Environment and School Ini t iat ives” (ENSI)www.ensi.org

Photo: Johannes Tschapka / Austria

Design: rei terergraf ik / AustriaPrint : radin ger-print / Austria

No copyright restric t ions as long as an appro priate referenceof this original material is inc luded.

Table of Contents

Int roduct ion 4

Phase 1 approaching… 7

a joint partnership through finding project partner schools, decidingon a project topic and considering a development goal.

Phase 2 planning… 15

a range of project activities and writing a work plan that includes school visits,planning m eetings and project products such as booklets, CD-Rom or a w ebsiteto provide m aterial and experience.

Phase 3 act ing… 24

taking part in on e's own school activities, visiting partner schools and creatingnew mat erial by collecting photos, methods and experiments whi chcontain new knowledge about learning and teaching.

Phase 4 ref lect ing… 32

on the actions taken through creative ways that permit teachers to shareand learn from each other and to explore their specific new interestsand teaching innovations.

Phase 5 report ing… 40

on the variety of activities undertaken during the three-year internationalproject to p romote t he lessons learned as viable alternative approachesto professional teaching.

Acknow ledgem ent s 47

COM ENIUS school partnerships 48

SEED Net w ork 50

Tools for ESD Schools can also be downloaded from

www.seed-eu.net


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Such two -year projects in schools face several phases. These somet im es run

chronologically, one after another. Other times the phases are mixed up or the general

idea is revised, and the cycle begins again.

These cycles have characteristic features because the school partnerships are carried out

by people directly concerned with social situations that they want to improve.The

COMENIUS school partnerships start wit h practical questions that ar ise from everyday

wo rk in the field of education. Such educational know ledge can only be constructedthrough an individual process by teachers who give value and meaning to experience

and communication.This context- linked knowledge is meaningful because it is useful

and can be applied in actual classroom situations. Instead of just being part of a

programm e, 'objective,' or detached from reality, this kind of knowledge involves value

ju dg em ent s, exp ect at io ns an d al l th at w hi ch m ake s a n exp eri en ce im po rt an t an d

meaningfu l .

The five chapters of the booklet follow the cycle above and offer a repertoire of simple

method s and strategies to research and develop practical know ledge on how t o, for

example, do an analys is, keep a d iary, conduct in terviews,observe, report, and m ake use

of simpl e questionnaires.

From 20 02- 2005 COMENIUS school partnerships that were facilit ated by SEED w ere

conducted through t hematic w orkshops in Reichenau (Austr ia), Szeged (Hungary),

Frascati ( Italy), Kassel (Germany), Barcelona (Spain) and Palermo (Italy). By facilitating

school partnerships we were int erested in supporti ng professional school developm ent.

SEED brought in academic researchers who had experience w ith Actio n Research so that

the latter would provide support in the innovation process by assisting in the

Int rodu ction

This booklet is intended t o serve as a guide for teachers involved in school

partnerships and school netw orks that are considering the use of exchange and

dialogue amongst schools for school development through environmental

education..

It offers meth ods to investigate classroom issues that m ay pose particular concerns

in regards to running a project on Education for Sustainable Development and

international part nerships. Both areas offer teachers a deeper understanding on t he

tr iangle of teaching subjects, developing mult idisciplinary projects and changing

teaching styles for a more situated learning. On the other hand students gain a wide

range of concrete topics to learn about systemic global relations and to act in their

local community.

A m ain feature of such under t akes is to report t he processes and results. Teachers

can use the booklet to become familiar ised with reflective methods of Action

Research in order to conduct their ow n project and to m entor partner schools. In

addition, the booklet serves as a guide to foster communication amon g the variousproject partners and as a resource to share the f indings and results of the respective

school development processes.

Action Research is seen here as a way to:

1) investigate practical situations with the goal of improving them,

2) construct new knowledge that will be useful for similar future situations

that teachers may encounter, and

3) make use of international exchange so that teachers can distance them selves

from on-the-ground action and reflect on their practices with help from partner

schools.

We therefore w e see a school-to-school exchange in international schoolpartnerships, such as the European COMENIUS school partnerships, as an

opportunit y for self-development in teachers and principals. Participants are invited

to reflect cr itically on their organisational school arrangements and their teaching

practices. COMENIUS school partnerships on school development are also

characterised by making t eachers' know ledge and experience available to other

schools and by inserting in dividual find ings into a professional discussion.4 5

approaching

planning

actingreflecting

implement ing/ repor t ing

Project phases that

have been identified are:


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formulat ion of a development goal, offer methodological tra in ing to col lect data,

and organise exchange and communication between teachers running an

international project to encourage networking.

The book let comp iles lessons learned as w ell as resources from that SEED netwo rk.

SEED provides th e sources, and t he m ethods are also available on t he SEED website:

www.seed-eu.net

6 7

Phase 1 approaching…

. . . a joint partne rship through finding project part ner schools,

deciding on a project topic and considering a developm ent goa l.

A central feature in building knowledge is collaboration within school networks and

partnerships, and compili ng experiences. Teachers and principals wh o participate are

able to cr itique and to contr ibute to each other's developing school projects.

With this booklet we emphasize steps that need to be taken to encourage and

implem ent school development. Schools starting school development through an

international project should note the following five items:

The project should focus on:

• a c learly-stated in terest in improv ing a teaching pract ice

• a school community mandate for act ion over at least two years

• an inte l l igent pro ject w hich can lead to an achievable result

• a school-relevant topic that touches on the interests of pupils and teachers

• prov id ing an in-depth v iew into the school l i fe to the pro ject par tners

Start small, beginning w ith your classroom practice

Many examples from international school projects have shown that a whole school

approach r ight from the start can overburden teachers.An insular concept in which

the development process evolves over time m ight b e a useful alternative. There are,

how ever, many ways to develop as a school and to start. At the beginning th ere

could be a vision or a guiding phil osophy to make a school more sustainable. One

could start with an analysis of the current situation and build on strengths, whi ch


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Worksheet No 1

Change exercise

The follow ing exercise is quite well know n. It rapidly symbolises real change and is

thus wo rth doing. So give it a try yourself or let others in the project o it: Take a

piece of paper and draw nine points as in the figure below.Try to connect these 9

points together, us ing only four l ine segments. Do th is w ithout in ter rupt ion and

without ra ising the penci l f rom the paper : where one l ine ends, another must s tart .

• • •

• • •

• • •

For result see page 52

This short exercise leads us to tw o diff erent kinds of changes.

"Changes 1" are changes with in a g iven framework, that is , with in a set of

implicit or explicit rules which might exist in a school and you may or may not beaware of.

"Changes 2" are changes of actual fram eworks. Being aware of th e existence of

such frameworks in a school's culture allow s you to look not only at solutions, but

also at the construction of the problems. One of the conditions for a meaningful

change in any situation is that t here is a shared representatio n of prob lems.This is

because a quick solution to certain problems could initially save time, but th e

problem might reoccur if it is not discussed and understood enough beforehand.

Intercultural projects are tools for change

School development with sustainability as the orientation and goal requires a

“ Change 2” . To engage ourselves in a Change 2 means to leave the known fo r theunknown, and to f ind new frameworks and new meanings for our behaviours. We

need tools and fr iends to support us if anxiety arises and to help us monitor such

change. International projects, the presence of fr iends and using joint reflective

methods can provide a way to maintain control over the processes while we are

attempting to change contexts and contents.

How can an intercultural project take the best from the cultural differences that are

present bet ween schools from di fferent countr ies? Your intercultural cont ext is your

are already present.Another way to begin could be to start with a project which is

of interest to a group of teachers. If a school development process should arise out

of a single project, transparency and communication are of utm ost importance.

For project planning this means that school development must tie in with existing

conceptions of teaching, school life, and the relationship of the school wit h its

env ironment. Dealing w ith the topic then becomes appeal ing and w or thwhi le from

the interior perspective of a school, as it not only implies new, additional tasks, but

also promises results in actu al solutions t o current problem s.

Besides the learning of facts, rules and principles, a wort hw hile school project

requires a focus on the dynamic qualit ies of the pupils, teachers, head teachers and

other involved persons of the school communit y. Deciding for a project, especially an

internat ional one, means deal ing with complex, real- l i fe, unstructured s i tuat ions

which often raise controversial issues.The active generation of knowledge by pupils

and teachers in the local contexts of action is, therefore, necessary to augm ent a

pro-active shaping of the school environment.Through such interdisciplinary inquiry

and controversial discourse, a group of t eachers can promote a cr itical, reflective

attitude towards given stocks of knowledge.

There is evidence in COMENIUS school partnerships, that school development

processes wh ich are supported by colleagues from other count r ies allow and

encourage: the negotiation of binding rules, the assignment of responsibilities to

pupils, support of team work and social continuity, as well as individual and joint

reflection on the quality of teaching, learning and life in school.

Education f or Change

Not only do projects dealing with Sustainable Development deal with behaviours,

they also look at a vision of the world. Reflections on sustainability issues will

automat ically challenge the assumpt ions of everyday life in classrooms as well as ofthe school culture in wh ich we are often un consciously immersed. The kinds of

changes required by our Risk Society to m ake a real difference do not simp ly lie in

the range of problem solving, but instead demand changes in the conscious and

unconscious rules that frame our behaviours.

8 9


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yourself“ , and take notes (mental and then in your diary) of any differences and

feelings ( if any) of embarrassment or uncertainty.

Such intercultural encounters can show you what implicit frameworks are present

and also raise ideas about p ossible changes. Even emb arrassment and anxiety

can be supporters of change: we cannot be sure about the rules we must follow ,

and this uncertainty is a sign that we are exploring other frameworks and other

rules. So take a good look and good lu ck!

School developm ent m eans change

A new look at frameworks within your school and your teaching practice aligns

wi th a change of the teacher's role as someone wh o transmits knowledge, to

someone who mu st learn to construct significant contexts and ask „ legit imate“

questions within which students can then actively create their own meanings.

Confidence thus shifts from havin g confidence in contents, such as established

rules, data, and methods, to gain ing confidence in processes that a l low us not to

eliminate, but to keep error under control.

Such schools become a focal point for knowledge production that is useful in

their respective neighbourhoods; “ not just a library in wh ich to find pastin formation, but a centre in which the community can come together to debate

and deal with real problems” .

Schools thu s become learning organisations.

new framework and suppor t for Change 2. The attempt to communicate wit h

teachers and pupils of different languages and cultures means that another way to

see the world b ecomes possible. You can explore these differences, and after each

international m eeting or school visit you can come back „ lo oking at your school and

your teaching practice wit h other eyes“ .

Worksheet No 2 »Getting to know other international teachers«

Contact seminars

Before schools start internation al co-operation, teachers or head teachers from

different countr ies generally meet in seminars. Such contact seminars happen all

over Europe. Ask your National Agency for a list of contact seminars or look at

http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/static/en/overview/comenius_overview.htm

You and your school can also request a preparatory visit, asking colleagues from

other countr ies to meet at your school and to prepare a joint project. Again, you just

need to contact your National Agency for support.

Before joining a seminar, clar ify which topic you want to choose for a project thatwill last tw o years. The contact seminars are dedicated to specific overall themes,

such as Intercultural Understanding and Peace,Against Violence, Sciences,

Environment, and Health. Experienced schools in their wisdom use current topics

which are shared among most of its stakeholders.

Learning from cultural diffe rences

Arriving at an international seminar like the COMENIUS contact seminar is always

thr i l l ing.Who is everyone,w here do they come from, do they speak in a language I

can speak or maybe just barely understand?

Before you engage in new encounters we invite you to reflect on the following:

Be aware of your behaviour when you meet a person you are acquainted with fromyour culture.Are there differences if the person is a man or a woman? How does it

look like betw een you and your headm aster or your colleagues?

Use the reflection on these behaviours when you greet persons at the beginning of

an international seminar. Converse with p eople from cultures which appear to you

to be very d i f ferent from your cul ture,background or sex. Do not try to „ adapt

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From our poin t of view, a focus on ESD can help a school im prove itself for the

students.A central agenda has to be the construction of new ways of envisioning

our common future,exper ienc ing our p lanet, and par t ic ipat ing in the resolut ion of

societal problems and issues to achieve a lasting qualit y of life for all. The

publication o n Quality Criter ia for ESD-Schools w ith gu idelines to enhance the

quality of Education for Sustainable Development is available in different languages

a t : www.seed -eu .ne t

ESD offers a 'global' , 'systemic' and int er-disciplinary approach because it facilitatesdealing w ith concrete real issues without simplifying them beforehand. ESD is also

seen as an education for citizenship, for cr itical participation and f or taking personal

responsibility in actions and decisions concerning the natural, social, cultural and

economic environment.

It comprises school initiat ives at three levels: at the pedagogical, at the

social/organisational, and at the technical/economic level.

• At the pedagogical level, schools a im at creat ing s t imulat ing and meaningfu l

learning experiences, and involving pupils in sustainable ways of thinking,

acting, and feeling at school, in their families and communities.

• At the soc ia l /organisat ional level, schools a im at bui ld ing and cult ivat ing aculture of communication and decision making, and developing a social climate

wh ich is characterised by mutual recognition and respect.

• At t he technical /economic level, schools a im for an ecological ly sound and

economic use of resources.

Such schools become focal points for knowledge production that is useful in their

respect ive neighbourhoods; “ not just a l ibrary in w hich to f ind past in formation, but

a centre in which the community can come together to debate and deal with real

problems” .

Schools thu s become learning organisations.

Education f or Sustainable Developm ent (ESD) as a useful agent

for school development

Worksheet No 3 »Fostering m otivation in ESD projects«

Motivation to run international projects

The UNESCO document on ESD asserts that schools need innovation processes to

deal wit h the use of more active and dynamic methods in schools. It is thusimportant that int erested teachers are able to transmit to ot her colleagues, students

and community members the motivation to participate.

Ask the teachers of your project to bring a picture from their own school on which

school participants are show n. One after another, explain to the other group

members what m otivation strategies are used to motivate colleagues, the head

teacher, pupils and parents, and w hat seem to be t he successes and the failures in

the motivation strategies you have applied.

Encourage the group to make a poster that shows which motivation strategies work

and which ones do not work. Collect issues, such as the emotio nal dimensions of

motivat ion, and f igure out the most impor tant ones to engage schools in . How can alocal context be important in developing motivation in schools when doing ESD in

international projects?

School qualit y groups

School quality groups support commitment and motivation at school.The tasks of

quality groups are: interpersonal feedback on instruction, joint analysis of data, and

mutual assistance in drawing consequences for the improvement of instructional

quality. Periodical reports to th e steering group on activit ies and consequences also

make up part of a quality group's work.

Steering group

The composition of a steering group is the head teacher plus delegates from each

quality group. The task of the steering group is the co-ordination of, and the

exchange between, the quality groups. The steering group supports collection and

analysis of available statistical data and peer reviews from pup ils, parents, teachers,

those leaving school etc. It ut ilises the results of school-focused investigations and

of reports from quality groups for developmental initiatives.12 13


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Worksheet No 4 »Getting an ESD focus for our project«

Finding a starting point - In-depth reflection

1. Think of your ow n practical experience as a teacher:

• Is there any quest ion w hich you have been wanting to invest igate for a

long time already?

• Which of your strengths would you l ike to develop fur ther?

• Are there any aspects of your work that you f ind puzzl ing and that you have

already been reflecting o n?• Are there any s i tuat ions which cause d i f f icu l t ies and which you would l ike to cope

with more effectively?

Let your thoughts flow freely and write down your first spontaneous associations in

the form of catchwo rds (brainstorming). Don't spend more than 6-8 minut es on this!

2. Choose one of the catchwords and w r i te i t in the centre of a b lank sheet. Note

down all the associations that ar ise in relation to this core word as word-chains,

starting from the central concept and displaying your associations in various ( linear

or branched) graphic arrangements.A core word plus w ord-chains is called a'cluster '.

3. Choose a colleague from your school or an international part ner and tell him/her

about your cluster, your associations, questions etc.Your partner should then ask

questions to understand more fully what you mean.This should help you discover

the main focus of your project and your development goal!

14 15

Phase 2 plann ing…

… a range of project activities and writing a w ork plan that includes

school visits, planning m eetings and project products such as

booklet s, CD-Rom or a website to provide mate rial and experience.

Each project needs a clear wo rk plan that outlines who is doing w hat w here, by

wh en and with w hat expected result or product. A COMENIUS school partnership

application, or any other project application for that matter, generally forms the

basis for planning. Such project sheets can be used as a guideline for t he planningphase.

In educational projects like COM ENIUS projects, which are dedicated to t he

exchange of educational practices, we w ant to em phasize some additional aspects.

These projects search for a deeper understanding of educatio nal processes that

might lead to changes in t he daily practice in schools.

Problem Analysis offers planning instruments that can help identify educational

goals in your project:

“ Planning ta lk - p lanning walk” ;

“ SWOT - Analysis”;“Analyt ical Discourse”

Subsequent Data Collection describes two momentums which can facilitate the

project process and support change:

“ Tr iangulat ion”

“ Critical fr iends”


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b) What m ethod ologies do you currently use in your project?

Bring some photos or artefacts from home, material files or educational materials

that represent different activities from your own school projects.You could also take

mater ia l from act iv it ies that d id not w ork and from ones that d id work in order to

feel the tension and dynamic pull of a possible development direction. Exchange

these school stories verbally among the group members with the support of the

materials you bring along. Clarify how well th ese stories are substantiated. How can

you be sure, whi ch data gives evidence to your stories? From t here you could ask

each other to identif y which did actical approach is guiding those school stories.Tryto articulate some sentences, wh ich specify the positive or negative values

underlying the stories told.

c) Which methods of documentation fit with our development goal?

This third step shifts the focus to the future of the project and asks which additional

information you need in order to accompany your project with valid documentation

and to to uch the persons involved in your development goal. Go about this like an

invest igat ion or explorat ion. You w ant in formation. So how can you make the

project accessible and have enough evidence from different poin ts of view ? A

multiple approach to information leads to the question of Triangulation (see below)and the need for a regulatory instrum ent, such as Critical Friendship (also see

below) .

This step can be included in the above step (b), depending on th e stage of your

project and the time available for face-to-face communication.

Worksheet No 6

SWOT - Analysis

By reflecting on the areas of “ Strengths - Weaknesses - Chances - Threats”

(=SWOT), the group becomes aware of the current conditions of the school

institut ion or the classroom situation. Based on the perceived strengths, the furtherdevelopment and progress of a project can be visualized, and this may lead to an

actual improvement of the status quo.

The SWOT analysis follow s tw o m ajor steps.

1) Situational Analysis

Think of your school or of one specific class and its present status, for example, the

services you offer to students, involvement of ot her people interested; the internal

Experienced netw ork schools recommend some central aspects for planning

processes:

• Bui ld a smal l, but motivated group of schools to ensure par tnership maintenance

• Make sure that the tasks wi l l be shared among the par tner schools

• Save energy by efficiently combining project goals wit h your teaching

curr icula.

• Integrate the project into the school profile or your school's development process.

• Ask your colleagues and head teacher for their commitm ent and seek out a

core group of colleagues to support you.• Involve a h ighly-motivated group of s tudents from the school to jo in in on t he

project actively.

• Decide on some pract ica l methods of documentat ion, which you w i l l actually use

(photos, v ideo, d iary, por tfo l io of pupi ls, a.s.o.) .

Problem Analysis

You are interested in shaping your everyday teaching at school th rough int ernational

co-operation.The project group can help you identify the potential of your schoolactually improving.

Worksheet No 5

Planning talk - planning walk

In the planning phase it might help to communicate intensively in pairs - either face

to face or by email - or in contact seminars, to identif y some development goals.

Three major qu estions could lead to a clearer vision of project go als.

What is our problem area?

a) What are we interested in developing?

What do w e want t o f ind out? What do w e want t o change or in f luence?

Select an issue,w hich is import ant enough to be dealt wit h in the context of your

school practice and of the project t opic, such as eco-sustainable school

development. Try to briefly outline the issue in a short situation , whi ch symbolises

your interest ( including your emotional interest) in the subject area of the

problem/question.Ask your companion to formulate the interest in this particular

development in a few vivid sentences.16 17


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For a fair and efficient procedure, adhere closely to the fol lowi ng steps:

1) Presentatio n: (5-10 minutes)

One teacher or a teachers' group of one school presents basic information on the

issue that is to be analysed, wit hout int erruption of the audience.

2) Questions:(approx. 30 m inutes)

The other partners ask questions to gain a comprehensive and consistent imp ression

of the situation . In order to ensure an accurate result, the audience is only allow ed

asking questions, wit hout m aking any cr itical remarks or suggestions (even hidden

ones in any of the questions asked).Three types of questions are suitable:* Ones that ask for a more concrete impression ( i.e. ask you to give an example or

provide more details)

* Ones that ask about underlying t heories (i.e. ask you to give reasons for any

action described)

* Ones that inquire about the expanded system (i.e. ask you to give more

informat ion about people or events who m ay be related to the problem, but have

not been mentioned so far)

3) Sharing: (approx. 5-10 minutes)

All participants, the presenter and the audience may give now comm ents, share

reflections etc. (guidelines for question period do not apply here anymore).An additional goal of this phase is to help each school focus and decide on one

specific development goal to be achieved through a project!

Data Collection

You visit other schools or want to look at your own school from different

perspectives.You observe school activities, you take pictures, and you collect

drawin gs of pupils or t heir essays. These materials are data to help you in your

efforts to improve your teaching.

Worksheet No 8

Triangulation

Triangulation is a more general method for br inging different kinds of evidence into

relationship wit h each other so that t hey can then be compared and contrasted. In

the schools the three points of the tr iangle correspond to the three main

perspectives: teachers, students and observers. The observers can be teachers from18 19

relations with your colleagues, how your daily work is organised/structured; the

public image of your institution and other important aspects about your school.

Which strengths and weaknesses do you see when considering t hese aspects?

2) Future Presumptions:

Think of the environment of your school and imagine future trends, for example, in

educational and social policies, cultural developments, the demographic situation

and technological development.

Which opportunities and threats for your school do you see when considering these

trends?

Take a sheet of paper and fill in a grid such as the one below with your school's

current strengths and weaknesses. Now i magine any future opportunit ies or threats

that might arise.

Strengths Weaknesses

Opportunities Threats

Worksheet No 7

Analytical Discourse

In a partner meeting you can sometimes not imagine the real situation in your

school. The posters generally presented are colourful, and the schools seem qu ite

perfect. Such displays of schools at COMENIUS seminars are great f or encouraging

lively exchange, but m ake it hard to ident ify necessary development go als.

The analytic discourse combines good perform ance as well as deeper insight.

Each partner school should have the chance to present and allow time for questions

and feedback. Someone from with in the group (or an outsider) can moderate the

analytical discourse and determine the t ime frame. He or she is also allowed t o ask

questions.Addi tionally another person should report on the presentation, questions

asked and t he final discussion. This report w ill serve as a basis for further planni ng!


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Critical fr iends are persons to who m there is a relationship of trust, who are

“ fr iends“ , but who at the same t ime are wi l l ing and able to communicate their

perceptions in a differentiated and constructive form ( i.e. who are „ cr itical“ in the

original sense of the term).

To establish cr itical fr iends in p roject teams like COM ENIUS requires negotiation and

clear communication about the conditions and limits of a cr itical fr iend's role.The

partnership might begin with a preliminary conversation in a relaxed atmosphere so

that you can explain your development interest in an actual project.In the following are excerpts from a correspondence between two Italian teachers,

when Isolina asked Arnaldo to be her 'cr itical fr iend':

Isol ina: ”I wou ld l ike you t o be my cr i t ical fr iend in th e fol low ing research

project…”

Arnaldo: “ Before saying yes or no I wou ld l ike t o ask you some questions:

Why me? What do you t hink my role should b e?”

Isolin a: „Well ‚reasoni ng' in early It alian means pr of ou nd commu nicatio n

thro ugh w ords, speaking and ref lecting t ogeth er, only by 'reasoning '

w ith som eone can I see the h orizon of my research, and I can ‚reason' wit h you , because over t hese years you h ave asked t he r igh t questions at

the r ight t ime.“

Arn oldo : „… In any case … I infor m you o f some met hod olo gical

condit ions: I wish to kn ow b eforehand w hat i t is al l about…I wish to take

part in the p lanning p rocess in ord er to have the ro les clear ly defined.”

…

The next step would be to talk over ideas for the various stages of the project and

at w hich points in t ime you w ould l ike your cri t ica l fr iend to contact you, for

example, at a school visit or in a mont hly phone call.

To find a cr itical fr iend for your project t akes the same time as finding real fr iends.

Thus establishing a cr itical fr iend system in COMENIUS project groups should t ake at

least till the end of the first project year to accomplish.At a project meeting you can

arrange pairs and practise how to act as cr itical fr iends.We recommend that you

reflect together on how to incorporate individuals or the group to act as a cr itical

fr iend wit hin the context of your COM ENIUS project, and also that you accept that

some of the partners may decide against being a cr itical fr iend.

other schools; this corresponds wit h the opportuni ty of COMENIUS and other

projects to use partnering school-teachers as observers.

External observer/cr itical fr iend

Teacher/act or 1 in the sit uat ion St udent s/act or 2 in the sit uat ion

The basic principle underlying the idea of tr iangulatio n is that observations and

accounts of a situation are collected from a variety of angles and perspectives, and

then compared and contrasted wi th one another.As a teacher, for example, one can

compare and contrast accounts of teaching acts in the classroom from one's own,

the pupils' and an observer's point of view.

When comparing different accounts, the points where they differ, agree or disagreeshould be noted. In cases of disagreement o ne can check against evidence,h ave

discussions on points of disagreement betw een the various parties involved, and try

to understand the different implicit frameworks and value systems present.

Triangulation also refers to tr iangulat ion of data that is, for example, elicited

through interviews, the submission of writ ten reports and photographs, etc. The

choice of a specific data collecting technique depends on the objective of the

exploration and t he situation in t he school. Every technique has its particular effects

on the data, and care must, therefore, be taken to constantly and carefully check the

data col lect ion. Be aware that nei ther in terviews,nor photos, nor any other data are

fully objective.

Critical f riends

In joint projects you share ideas, plans, feelings, and your impressions wit h teachers

from other schools that are sometimes located far away from yours.You can ask one

of your partners to be a cr itical fr iend of the actions taken during your joint project.

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Developing the role we would like critical friends to hold

Within t he context of the Comenius project groups, writ e down on one poster what

you would like your cr itical fr iend to do.

What tasks would you ask your cr itical fr iend to do?

What rules would you ask your cr itical fr iend to follow?

Practising critical friendship

Project group s becoming critical fr iends:

Comenius project groups can be critical fr iends for each other. Build pairs of projectgroups and ask one group of each pair to act as a cr itical fr iend.We recommend

that you sit in front of each project group's poster so that it is easier to remember

things or poi nt at issues. The critical fr iend group asks questions to t he other group,

and vice versa.This activity can also be do ne wi thin t he same Comenius project

group so t hat p artners can practise cr itical fr iendship.

Implem enting t he idea of critical friends in our ESD project

Think of ways in which you can incorporate individuals or the group to act as cr itical

fr iends within the context of your Comenius project group.

The role of a cr itical fr iend can be rather complex. His or her prime task is to provide

suppor t through encouragement, l istening, observ ing in Tr iangulat ion, rev iewing

reports, and the sharing of emerging threats and opportunit ies.

Teachers of COMENIUS 1 projects summarised their experiences of Critical friends as

“ being an act ive l istener, point ing out t he good and w eak points, and respect ing

each other as persons“ .

As a general rule they pointed out the importance of taking time for the necessary

exchange, being loyal and looking at the whole spectrum of a problem. Criticalfr iends should avoid judgement and imposing ideas.They should not interfere or

take decisions, rather they should keep a distance from the situation, and help

analyse and improve the educational tasks.

Worksheet No 9

Critical Friends:We w ould like to e ngage w ith you in a shared

reflection on t he role o f critical friends in ESD projects.

Developing ideas on critical friendshipSharing our understanding of who a cr itical fr iend is:

Write dow n in your personal diary or on a sheet of paper, wh o you think a cr itical

fr iend is.We would like you to engage in a conversation on your ideas of what a

critical fr iend is with the participant sitting next to you.Write on a piece of paper

the answers to the following t wo questions based on your experience, prior

knowledge, intu i t ions and the fo l lowing:

I would like a cr itical fr iend for… …

I feel a cr itical fr iend should not… …

Telling stories about critical friendship

Ask participant teachers to share their own experiences on working with cr iticalfr iends when t hey engage in ESD projects:They will tell th eir personal stories on

critical fr iendship.

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serve as the host's helpers . This is not an i nspection! The visit form s the basis for

further co-operation and possible further visits.

Quality Criteria fo r a good Come nius school visit:

A sample of COMENIUS schools worked out some quality cr iter ia for what they

cal led a “ good” school v isi t .

Related t o cultural differences:

Participating t eachers should be aware th at th e systems are different. The hostingschool should therefore present it s country's culture through art such as singing and

dancing, sharing local meals and giving lot of t ime to in-depth cult ural exchanges.

As you visit a variety of schools in different countr ies, a common goal should be that

everyone ends up gaining a clear vision of one anot her's educational system.

In regards to the suggested and

recommended methodologies and activities:

Before the visit:

The group can achieve a high level of acceptance and satisfaction by jointly

designing the programme of w hat wi ll take place during the visit. Host and guestsmust ensure commun ication about the visit before, during and after the visit. For

good data collection in light of school development, the visitors are asked to

prepare clear questions that are useful for their colleagues and pupils at home, as

well as being helpful for the host school. Don't forget t o inform colleagues and

parent-groups at your school about the idea and purpose of the visit.This is

important in order to deal with any expectations they might have and to avoid any

misunderstandings, for example, that th ese visits might be seen as additional

“ hol idays” . Make i t c lear that school v is its are work!

During the visit:

The host school should involve all the teachers, pupils, as well as parents and thepublic in general (also local and educational authorities). You can also organize

visits to local projects or invite certain local associations in order to get professional

help.

Al low f or p lenty of t ime. Don' t pack too much into t he shor t t ime t ogether. Less is

often more! Schools who have had the experience of doing such COMENIUS visits

Phase 3 acting…

… taking pa rt in one's own school activities, visiting part ner schools

and creating new m aterial by collecting photos, met hods and expe-

riments which contain new knowledge about learning and teaching.

This chapter is mainly dedicated to the use of Data Collection in the action phase of

a school d evelopment process.

School visits are one of the main features in data collection. Especially inCOMENIUS projects, visiting schools in oth er countr ies greatly influences the results

of the school development projects.Taking photographs, looking for t races and

sharing interviews enhance th e efficiency of such travels.

we also describe two additional kinds of documentation that can be used amidst

face-to-face communicatio n: the field book and the vir tual know ledge-building

portfolio.

School Visits

School visits provide an opportunit y for h ead teachers and teachers to share ideasand experiences wit h their visitors. It appears that this kind of “ cr itical” fr iendship,

which school partnerships offer to each other, is one of the most effective methods

of disseminating id eas and strategies for teaching.

Learning from each other: both th e teacher wh o is being visited (host) and the

visiting teacher (guest) have the chance to benefit from this technique by gaining

new insights, perspectives and impulses.N o one holds the wh ole truth! The guests24 25


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The teachers of the host school m ust explain to the guests whi ch aspects of t heir

school and teaching they are interested in getting feedback on. The guest teachers

must understand exactly what the host is looking for.A short group discussion can

determine who needs to be involved in these questions for collecting data in order

to construct a p ossible proposal for t he host school. The group should also select

together w hich lessons are to be observed and discussed.

Observers have a clear role. They shall begin w ith pure ob servations and allow the

host teachers to respond. It is important n ot to present observations as the bettertruth.Visitors have a very subjective point of view and should therefore encourage

the host teachers to give his/her interpretation.The idea of data collection in school

visits is to joint ly develop an interpretation of the observations made. It is advisable

to be careful with making suggestions and to ensure that they are constructive!

The followin g range of data collection serves precisely for such school visits.The

method s chosen make use of photos, traces and interview s.

Worksheet No 10

Through the pupils' eyes - photos from school visits

Photos provide an opportunit y to get in contact with pupi ls, and they work w ell as a

start-up or ice-breaking activity.Talking with pupils about a real situation based on

photos offers valuable data. Photos might th erefore also be a good starter for

interviews.

As a teaching method you can invite a group of pupils to take photos of their

school. Offer them ” instant cameras” because these kinds of cameras give pupils

photos that are ready in a few minutes.The main task for children can be to take

photos according to different topi cs, such as:

• Please take a photo of a p lace where you th ink you might learn something.• Please photograph a second picture from a place wh ich is hiding a secret.

• Finally, please shoot a photo of a place where you believe that your teachers

th ink that you might learn something.

The children should go off in pairs without any further facilitation from the staff or

visitors.As they spread out with out accompanying teachers, the results are

frequently photos that offer up surprising perspectives.The students will need time

to orient themselves and to choose viewpoints.Twenty minutes is enough time to

propose a balance between: work ing t im e,acquir ing knowledge of the cul ture and

country you are visiting, plus some time free.

The main condition f or a successful school visit is that the host school opens its

doors to th e visiting group. This enables the visitors to experience a variety of

methodologies in different lessons dealing with the local school reality.

Visitors observe the students in a real context, and collect information t hrough

observing and interviewing.Thus the visits can be used to work with the hosting

school's problems: the visitors may offer advice, serve as a cr itical fr iend, andexchange ideas, insights and experiences with the host school in order to enrich

each other's perspectives and encourage commo n reflections.

After the visit:

The visit can be used to bring back collected information about different ways of

learning. Back at home the visitors should therefore present all the gath ered, useful

experiences to the school communit y and to t he parents' association. For school

development purposes make sure that you take sufficient time to summarise clearly

and completely, and a lso to dec ide on how you wi l l in t egrate the new information

and experiences into your classroom and school culture.

Data collection

School visits can serve as a collegial audit. An im portant basis for this is trust: Trust

that t he visitors are coming as fr iends - as cr itical fr iends, who w ill look at t he

practice of the school and it s teaching method s and styles.

In order to ensure and encourage as much efficiency as possible for such short visits,

the host and guest should jointly define the main key questions to be looked at

during the visit.

Example of questions that could be posed:

1. How can we improve the communicat ion with in the school, between teachers,and betw een teachers and parents? Could a new portfolio -based assessment

methodology improve communications with the parents?

2.Due to the fact that more than 80% of teaching methodologies are still based on

a transmissive model, how can th e school change in the direction of learning by

doing?

3. Could teaching through the use of laboratories that are based on class curr icular

work be a way to foster this change?26 27


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In a final reflection before the visitors present their observations, they should

critically ask themselves:“ What does it mean to l ook for traces?“ There is also the

ethical dimension to consider: „ Are we being voyeuristic observers or cr itical

fr iends? Are we using our observations to put pressure on teachers who,

comfor table with their o ld m ethods, are unwil l ing to change?” These and other

questions can help us interpret and qualify our observations in the context of the

host school's headmaster and teachers, of th eir questions and realities.

Worksheet No 12

Sharing Interviews

The goal of an interview during school visits or in a joint school project is to get a

deeper understanding of a situation . It is important t o note that an interview does

not only provide the interviewer with information.The interviewee - the teacher,

pupil, or headmaster of a school - also learns more, as s/he is encouraged to t hink

about her or his situation.

Some basic rules for interviews m ay help to achieve reasonable results:

• Inform the in terv iewee before the in terv iew w hy you are doing the in terv iew

• Give the interv iewee the freedom to answer a quest ion or not

• Emphasize l is tening instead of speaking (70:30)

• Keep your agenda in mind, but do not in ter rupt abruptly, and a l low for a change

of topic if th e interviewee want s this. Pick up your key questions at a later point.

• Avoid leading or suggestive questions and take care of your interviewee's feelings

• Ask for details and for illustrative examples until you have a clear idea and

understanding of the situation requested

• Endure pausing, because some of the in terv iewee's thoughts need t ime to be

expressed

If a who le group of visitors wants to run interviews, the questions can be discussedin the ligh t of t he 'basic rules for interview er' above. Such a discussion can help

match toget her similar questions and improve them if needed. Subsequently the

group can split into subgroups with different tasks:

• in terv iewing pupi ls in smal l groups of 2-3

• interviewin g the various teachers of the same class of pupils

• in terv iewing the head of school and the staff

complete the task and not too much tim e to loose interest and concentration. Once

they are done, they can come back with t heir photos to the agreed-upon meeting

point, and togeth er analyse their chosen images and share their ideas on the

requested issues. Young children especially are fond of explaining and narrating

concrete images. Children enjoy this kind of investigation, whi ch gives them a clear

role and takes them seriously.They approach the task with an understanding of

themselves as explorers. The aim of using such a phot ographic investigation is t o

make images, whi ch the pupils hold implicitly about t heir school as a system,

explicit. It is based on the idea that children develop a specific idea - a mental map -of t he system school as soon as they enter school as a social phenom enon.

Worksheet No 11

Finding traces

The core activity of this form of data collection is observation and to find traces that

hold answers to the questions the headmaster and the teachers of the hosting

school raise.The first task could be to come up individually w ith questions, and the

second step to identify those that could be answered just through observation in

exchange with the whole group.

Through discussion th e visitors' group develops a guideline. What are t he observers

aiming for? Are they, for example, looking at the communicatio n directly (e.g.

speaking time of the teacher in the classroom) or are they looking for graffiti

throughout the school (an example of an implicit trace of communication)? Another

example of observing traces is to look at teaching aids: Is there a library? Do the

teachers of the host school have enough t echnical support in t heir classrooms? The

group should divide into pairs, and every pair should focus on one particular

question that it will seek to answer by looking for traces/signs.

This kind of exploration will br ing issues to the fore that are often not considered by

school u sers or visitors.Walking around t he staircases and classrooms w e can seethe actual t errain/landscape and signs or tracks of the system school. We can also

reconstruct something of the history of the building over the past centuries.The task

is to f ind out as much as poss ib le about the real “ow ners” of th is env ironment. We

collect everything, whi ch we think can help us reconstruct the culture of the

respective school.

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small data bank. Such a web environment can easily be used as a portfolio f or the

planning and documentation of the project.

Due to the cumulative nature of the know ledge being acquired and developed, a

simple design of the user interface could offer a distinctive feature for knowledge

bui ld ing.

The major benefit of such an ICT-based forum is that content , structure and

development g oals of a project t eam can easily be traced back for recollection,reflection or analysis due to the visual presentation and availability of knowledge.

Especially in phases between f ace-to-face meetings like partner m eetings or school

visits such virtual m eeting places where actual statement s and questions can be

posed are highly recommended and welcomed.The main idea is that teaching

practices can be shared and d iscussed that t ake place in diff erent contexts and a

variety of schools which are located hun dreds of kilomet res apart from each other.

Thus, a member of th e project group can pose a question to such a forum. The other

project partners are requested to comment and discuss the question or t o add new

experiences.The partners can post in several languages or illustrate the situat ions of

concern with photos or paintings.

In addition to the data collections taking place in face-to-face meetings (as

mentio ned earlier in this chapter), this kind of know ledge building leads to a joint

construction of knowl edge, a collaborative form of reflection and problem solving in

the quest for deeper understanding.

30 31

Each subgroup must be aware that they will need a translator in international

school proj ects!

The sub-questions posed on, for example, the communication amo ng the

stakeholders in the school could sound like this:

Pupils as interviewee: „ Do you know t hat your teachers collaborate with your

parents in following your daily work? How do you feel about that?“

Teachers as interviewee: „ How do you t hink the relationships between teachers and

parents could be improved in your school? What are your main fears about theintroduction of a portfolio system in your school?“

Head of school as interviewee: „ What kind s of strategies are you using in order to

prepare the teachers to change their methodologies and the pupils (and parents) to

accept these?“

After an hour of interviewing, the subgroups meet togeth er in order to collect the

data and to start building a common vision that is related to the main questions

posed at the beginning.

Work sheet No 13

Field Book

One of th e central instruments for int ercultural projects is a diary to collect

observations, interpretations and attempts at explaining observations, judgements,

emotional reactions, and side notes. You can also stick photos, articles of

newspapers or your travel t ickets in your diary.

Such books support self-evaluation and -monitor ing through three functions:

• The process of wr i t ing shapes the impl ic i t thoughts and emotions, and thus

encourages the a person's inner dialogue.

• Continuously re-reading the pages enables a better view of the ongoing process

and also empowers the field book owner's further steps.• The fact that the book and its content exists provides import ant evidence to the

school development process and offers valid arguments for evaluation and report.

Work sheet No 14

Virtual Knowledge Building

Most international projects and school partnerships develop at least a website or a


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• In the fo l lowing sect ion we descr ibe an abbrev iated version of how to evaluate

a project through reflecting on the ESD methodologies used in our project in order

to facilitate the implementation of project results in your school.

• Contrasting M ethodologies serve to identify the underlying didactical

approaches of a project, and awareness of Contrasting Values allows for greater

alignment of values within a school project.

• Evaluation is also encouraged by continuously assessing the Strengths and

Weaknesses of COMENIUS project groups at meetings throughout the duration

of a project.• Final ly, we deepen the ref lect ion phase through Codification of Da ta , w h i ch

leads to collaborative reflection within the project group.

All four reflective activities require complete and good documentation through at

least three points of view (e.g. pupils, teacher and observer) and/or three kinds of

data col lect ion (e.g. in terv iew, questionnaire, photo, wr i t ten reports etc .)

This documentatio n is important for analysis and interpretation, and is the only

guarantee that the development goal of a partner school is based on facts and

evidence for the need and direction of innovation!

Worksheet No 15

Reflecting on ESD methodologies used in our classroom

Most teachers use their routines to perform their educational task in the classroom.

Thinking and acting are not separated, and the activities generally take place

wi thout being planned and prepared too much in advance. In COMENIUS projects

teachers are confronted through dialogue and reflection with the fact that they are

often unaware of the sources of their practical knowledge and how it was learnt.

One of the most im portant conclusions emerging from the UN Decade for ESD is

that education should use a variety of methodologies within the teaching and

learning processes that are b eing developed and implem ented in schools. These

methods should be student-centred so that students are more able to construct theirow n wo rld visions on their ow n. School development projects in COMENIUS also

consider the need for a methodologi cal change in schools.To do this it becomes

impor tant to encourage the use of d i f ferent „ languages“ : words,drama, ar t,

debates, experiences etc.

Phase 4 reflecting…

…on the act ions taken through creative ways that perm it teachers

to share and learn from each other, and to explore their specific

new int erests and te aching innovations.

In the first chapter we focused on how you can clar ify your development goal, and

determine and articulate your specific problematic situation that you aim to improve

in the p lanning chapter two. Then, in the th ird chapter on act ing, we suggested and

recommended several methods to help you document your process, and pointed out

that cr itical fr iends and the consideration of different points of view through

tr iangulation can be very useful throughout the project.

In this chapter w e discuss reflection as a necessary component t o be able to give a

straightforw ard verbal description of one's practical knowledge. School visits and

dialogues amongst teachers enable you to distance yourself from the on-the-ground

action in your school for some tim e and to reflect on it. Reflection provides healthy

detachment from the f low of act iv i t ies, in ter rupts the f low, and concentrates upon

the data collected during your project in order to look at your action in a more

objective manner. Projects can therefore improve your ability to analyse and

reorganise your teaching practice.

Reflection also helps you become more aware of your view-points and those of your

partner teachers in your COMENIUS project. You m ight f requently discover

differences in values, educational approaches, or ideas on Education for Sustainable

Development (ESD) amongst t he partner t eachers. School visits or w orkshops can

represent an opportunity to face such differences and learn from them through

reflective activit ies.32 33


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In order to facilitate reflection on educational methodol ogies, the follow ing guiding

questions can be useful:

• What w ere your goals for the schoolpar tnership?

• What d id s tudents learn?

• What d id you as the teacher do?

• What d id you as the teacher learn?

• What methodologies worked? Why? (Context)

• What methodologies d id not work? Why? (Context)

• What approach to t eaching and learning was used in your pro ject?

The above questions could be asked individually or in groups during a school visit or

workshop.

• First, search in your data (photos, in terviews,d iary ,pupi l repor ts or por tfo l io f i les)

for clear evidence to answer th e questionnaire. Let the pure facts speak for

themselves. Show your collection witho ut.

• Second, g ive your interpretat ion of the col lected data a long with these

guiding q uestions to your cr itical fr iend or colleagues.

• And f ina l ly, ask the audience to g ive feedback on your in terpretat ions. You can do

this by means of a poster presentatio n during a partner meeting, as well as

through email exchange or on your project website

Worksheet No 16

Contrasting Methodologies

To become aware of t he didactical approaches underlying metho dologies, partner

teachers should identify di dactical approaches in their ow n ESD school projects.

1) First phase: Let's work out a methodolo gical jigsaw!

One of t he partner teachers prepares three jigsaws based on photos or m aterial of

her or his activities related to t he respective project. Each jigsaw represents onedidactical approach, for example, transmissive(front teaching), inductive and

constructivist approaches. Each jigsaw cont ains a picture of an activity and th e

proposal of this activity w ritten in the commo n project language. Each jigsaw is

then cut into four pieces that represent four different activities characteristic of

each corresponding educational approach.The total 12 pieces of the three jigsaws

then get complet ely mixed up, and all partners try to construct three jigsaws,

wh ich represent t hree different w ays of approaching classroom lessons.34 35

b) Second phase: Let's reflect on the met hodologies used in our projects!

Teachers bring from home four photos representing different activities from their

own school projects.The group should jointly identify which didactical approach

has been guiding their own school activities.Alongside the material and

documentat ion, the partners can discuss in whi ch situati on and context which

method serves for which didactical approach.

c) Third phase: Let's present w hat w e have shared on m ethodologies!

This third phase can lead into a general text or introductio n in the report, website

or product of the project group.The performance can be validated through O-tonepassages out of interviews, photos, and screen shots of group activities.

Worksheet No 17

Contrasting Values

Educational activities are not neutral.When students and teachers meet in the

classroom, the ESD activities they engage in implicitly or explicitly are guided by

important values.These intr insic values may sometimes be different from those

explicitly stated by teachers, and thus can lead to incoherence. Education, more than

ever, needs to be oriented through values that are made explicit in action. When

values are made concrete, it is easier to examine, debate, prove and apply them in

educational settings.There exists no general agreement about what the

fundam ental values for sustainable development are. In fact, these values depend on

deep Cosmo visions, on how we understand and interpret th e nature of our social

and natural worlds.These values deal not only with the visible outcomes of school

interventions tow ards the environment (environment al values), but are also about

everyday school culture (educational values).

It is important to become aware that ESD activities are not neutral and thus

objective, but rather that they are based on values and influenced by these. An

import ant t ask wit hin COMENIUS school partnerships is the discussion and sharingof t hose value systems present so that some agreement and u nderstanding is

possible between participant teachers.Answer the following questions in groups of

teachers within the same COMENIUS project or with teachers from the same school:

a) Are we proposing values when teaching ESD in schools?

Each participant will br ing different photos of ESD activities that s/he liked the

most and the least in their own classroom and glue these on a poster.


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• The use of computers for comm unication depends on many factors

(language, computer skills, availability of computers), so ICT alone is hardly a

possibility at present to extend communication between schools.

• Work ing with d i f ferent cu l tures means consider ing d i f ferent v iews and

interpretations of the same common aims: it is very import ant to take time to

explore cultural differences.

• Beginning with a common agreement on the meaning of used terms in the

different educational cultures is highly recommended.

• A good COMENIUS school par tnership can be a „ teachers' pro ject“ , but a lsoneeds strong support from the headmaster.

• Comenius school partnerships open up possibilities to involve parents and pupils.

• A Project Book, a kind of diary of the project that collects feelings and pictures in

addition to reportin g on activities, can be used for internal communication

wit hin the school and also, if a synthesis is translated into the comm on language,

for communication between partners.

Worksheet No 19

Codification of Data

Project partners will collect piles of documents and material over the two-year

period of a project.This is why we ask that the real documentation is reduced to

three perspectives (see Triangulation). But even such a do wnsized form of

documentation needs a clear structure to deal with efficiently and effectively.

What does the project mean to m e? You can answer this question now , for this

mom ent. But was your answer different at the initial contact seminar, at the first

planning meeting and during the first lessons when you confronted your pupils with

the project, a.s.o.?

A codification of your material and documentation gives meaning to the process

beyond momentary feelings or thoughts.This enables you to realize what changesyou have made through your project and to map the innovation(s) clearly.

In the following steps we ask you to prepare the documents you have (written,

photographed or sketched) and to try to arrange these artefacts around your major

project idea or development interest.

b) What values are importan t f or us? Let's construct ou r ESD values universe.

Each group of teachers takes one poster with t he photos of one t eacher, writ es

dow n the ESD values suggested by t he photos and posts them on the poster,

marking any perceived relationships between values. The values that are common

to the group are w ritten on post- its of the same colour, wh ereas the values which

offer divergence are written on post- its of a different colour.

c) Teachers tell the story of t heir phot os.

Each group o f teachers invites the ow ner of t he photos to share his/her story

behind the photos with the group members.This teacher's values are written ona different colour post- it and posted on the poster.

Worksheet No 18

Strengths and Weaknesses

The COMENIUS school part nerships are very unique am ongst th e existing

international projects due to th eir specific dependency on the decisions of the

national agencies. In other areas they can easily be compared w ith ot her

international school netw orks or school partnerships.

A project group might use 20 minutes per partner meeting or school visit to

evaluate the project, in other words, to get a qualitative sense of the participants'

feelings and different experiences, and to clar ify and understand how t he group

members work together.A project group that implements project evaluation

continuously will, over the duration of the project, receive more detailed answers

and argument s on any open questions of t heir process.

COMENIUS schools that experienced such partner meetings came up w ith some

common suggestions:

• Accurate p lanning and t ime for rec iprocal knowledge is very impor tant:

proceeding straight to action can cause difficulties and misunderstanding.• I t is very impor tant to in form the whole school, and especia l ly the students, of the

project and of the w ork done through t he use of posters,p ublic presentations,

and exhibitions.

36 37


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perspective, quality cr iter ia should provide orientation and inspiration, but should

not be confused with 'perform ance indicators' or the like.In fact, a set of cr iter ia

may be considered as a 'translation' of a set of shared values that are formulated in

more explicit terms and more closely related to practical application, but not as

prescriptive and lim ited as performance indicators. As such, the proposed list of

cr iter ia is aimed at facilitating discussions within the school and amongst all

stakeholders to clar ify:

1) the m ain goals and changes that shall or ient a school's development tow ard ESD,

and2) to develop a school's own list of quality cr iter ia, that are adapted to the school's

own situation and plans for change.

Use the “Qualit y Criter ia for ESD Schools” and read the 15 areas. Choose those

areas you feel more comfortable with and invite other teachers to think about them

and propose specific cr iter ia in relation to t hese areas.

• First, the teachers are invi ted to th ink about cr i teria that wi l l apply to their own

school, paying attentio n to their specific needs and development plans.

• Second, they are asked to discuss and contrast their criter ia wit h the ones other

teachers from ot her schools in the same group have chosen, and to reach an

agreement on some criter ia that are relevant for all t he schools. Criter ia can be

enriched with short examples, pictures or descriptions of 'w hat they mean for

good qual i ty ' .

• At the end the group w i l l prepare a poster where the common set of cr i ter ia are

presented.The final 10 minutes will be devoted to reading and responding to the

posters produced by the dif ferent groups of teachers.

Each project partner should take a big sheet of paper or a poster, writ e the

development goal at the centre of the sheet, and try to group sentences, photos or

thought s around this centre, like in a mind map. You can ask each member to help

identify some keywo rds that emerge out of the material. It is like taking a walk

through a foreign country and searching for some familiar structures to help orient

yourself. Keywords should relate to the development go al in the centre. If your sheet

gets too smal l, add another one, enlarge the table,or w ork on the f loor .I t is better

to have all the material in sight at this stage.

As soon as you have identified three or four or maximum fi ve keywords, writ e them

on the paper around the centre.These might be the first codes that lead to the

structure of your documentation.

In an interim step you can have a look at the sheets of the other partners to get a

feeling of how keywords can be found. Coming up wi th keywords is a difficult step

in a project, and group members can, therefore, be a great help to one other.You

can, for example, ask for comm ents on your keywords or you can try to find

evidence for one keyword in your documentati on in pairs, to make sure that you are

on the r ight track.

As a next step you use these codes around the central development goal and try to

group typical situati ons or the mom entum of your project around them. Look

through all your material and feed the codes.

In a final step you can writ e down t he results of your grouping efforts, take a photo

or document it in a way which allows you to develop a report or reflective paper

(see reportin g chapter).

Worksheet No 20

Reflecting on the quality of a work project

There are different w ays to reflect on th e quality of a COMENIUS school

partnerships .A recent SEED publication was printed on Quality Criter ia for ESD in

Schools. ‚Quality cr iter ia' is an instrument which summ arises an ESD philosophy: it

must be joint ly constructed and accepted by all school stakeholders; it cannot be

considered as a tool for 'quality control' , but rather as an opportunit y for 'quality

enhancement'; and it is subject to ongoing debate in a participatory way. From this38 39


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dissemination is the fact that different kinds of presentations will attract different

audiences. For instance, you could report to the local communi ty by writing a short

article for your local newspaper or a letter to the editor. For a teacher colleague, this

kind of article or letter would be too short and would not provide enough

informat ion. Let's take a look at the different methods of reporting you could use.

Oral reporting

An oral report is the most familiar w ay of communicatin g an experience. From your

experience of in-service courses,you may think of a stimu lating and eff ectivepresentatio n you could give. Sometimes a wo rkshop might work bett er to help

others understand your approach, as they can then learn through doing . It could

also be useful to make use of the project duration and the pool of teaching

expertise from different countr ies to develop many of the skills needed to become a

teacher trainer or an in-service course provider.

Audio-visual presentat ion

Audio-visual methods of presentation have proved to be a valuable way of reporting

to pupils and parents. For reporting to pupils, parents and colleagues, it does not

seem to be necessary to produce fini shed products that stand by themselves withou t

a commentary. It actually seems to w ork better to present clips from a video and

ta lk about t hem, fo l lowed by a d iscuss ion, rather than spending a lo t of energy on

producing a perfect video or slide show. For example, on one occasion w e found

that it worked well to present experimental teaching strategies with the help of a

rough-cut video without sound.This video was given a ‚live' commentary by one of

the project teachers, who aft erwards took questions from the audience.

Exhibitions

To prepare an exhibition about your project you need to analyse and think carefully

about what i t is you want t o communicate and who your audience is. An

appropriate occasion for an exhibition could be at the beginning of an in-servicecourse, wh ereby a selection of t eaching experiences and insights are presented on

posters. Exhibitions by teachers for parents or pupils are often limit ed to presenting

teaching „ products“ in the form of s tudents' w ork. I t is much more seldom to f ind

notes and comm entaries on the teaching p rocess, perhaps because teachers tend to

think that this will not be of any interest to others.This need not be the case.A

description of the context in which teaching methods and classroom activities are

developed is sometimes much more revealing than viewing an end product.

Phase 5 reporting…

… on the variety of activities undertaken during the

schoolpartnership to prom ote the lessons learned as viable

alternat ive approaches to professional te aching.

The main way of disseminating project experiences and outcomes is to turn them

into practical action in the respective schools. This can mean planning and carrying

out changes in your t eaching as a result of your school development process.

Another possibility is that the findings lead to strategic and political action.

Reporting that is based on good project documentation and careful interpretation

can thus serve to encourage changes in curr icula or organisational structures. A

report from a project group m ight b e useful in order to raise a specific issue in

discussions on educational policy w ithin a school or school aut hority.

In this chapter on reporting we focus on various methods of reporting .The

range of reporting possibilities reach from a simple poster presentatio n in school to

more elaborate ways of reporting, such as exhibitions, discussion rounds and writ ten

reports.

Under „Wr i t ten Documents“ we go into more deta i l in order to in troduce the

methods of reflective papers, portrayals, key statem ents and case studies.

Met hods of Report ing

Teachers usually underestimate bot h the degree of likely interest in their project

results and the size of their potential audience. Important w hen thinking about40 41


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43

Written reports

Written reports are obligatory for all p rojects the likes of the COMENIUS school

partnerships or national netw ork programm es. Sometim es these reports have a very

clear structure in order to deal w ith t he many aspects they are required to cover:

objectives, the educational approach, a description of the products, a financial

statement, and an evaluative or reflective section. Even in these kinds of reports,

how ever, you still have the freedom to describe your findings based on the

development goals you held.

Written do cuments can also come in very different sizes and forms, including lettersto the editor in local or regional papers, notes on the staff-room no tice board, short

articles in a magazine or journal of a professional association, or longer papers in a

jo ur na l such as Educ at io na l A ct io n Resear ch, to gi ve a m or e c om pre hen siv e r epo rt of

the research and its findings. In our cultures there are various implicit and explicit

rules on how to w rite a report. The rules are not the same, and w hoever has tr ied to

submit an article to a journal that is written in a different language will know from

experience just how different they can be!

Because written reports currently hold such importance, we w ill deal with how to

write and design them in the next section.

Writ ten Documents

We start this section with a short synopsis on quality cr iter ia for any kind of written,

reflective document:

• Al l papers are requested to deal carefu l ly w ith eth ica l pr incip les of w r i t ing, for

example, all persons referred to in a paper must be given the opportu nity to

comment o n the text, and their references must be confirmed as well as any

photos by the individuals shown.

• Al l in terpretat ions must be based on observed data which der ive from dif ferent

perspectives and a variety of sources, as shown in the section on Triangulation.

This fosters the validity of interpretations and avoids blind spots in data which donot support the author's own conclusions.

• All conclusions should use a problem-oriented style and should present new

questions in order to enable readers to check on their own practices and to

stimulate further reflection.

• Final ly, a l l results should contr ibute to the a ims of the pro ject under taken and

must have justif iable consequences for actions that have been derived from

reflecting on the experiences.42

Reflective Papers

We can distinguish three general attit udes present in writing about an event, an

action or a project:

1. Writing a report th at focuses solely on facts, and tr ies to eliminate values,

emotion s, and embarrassments. The implicit paradigm h ere is that th e factual

reality is of utm ost importance and that emoti ons are an obstacle. Cultural

framew orks and values are not considered to interfere or influence the vision

and perception of facts.2. Writing a report as a narrative of success, emphasising what w ent exactly as

planned or better, and minim ising obstacles and difficulties. Values and emotions

are reported on w hen they are consistent wit h the m essage of success.The

implicit paradigm h ere is that only successful stories are interesting and wil l be

awarded. COMENIUS project reports often adopt t his style of writ ing.

3.Writing a report with the understanding that obstacles and embarrassments can

serve as opportunit ies to learn. Thus values and emotions are reported as being

import ant, especially if they are conflictive. The implicit paradigm i n this approach

to writ ing is that emot ions are part of cognition, and that differences and

dissonances between values and implicit frameworks form the very basis for

change and evolution.

Knowin g of these varying approaches to writing a report, we ask schools and

project partners to int egrate alternative perspectives in order to gain mo re cr itical

perspectives and to i ncrease their project's validity. Not surprisingly COMENIUS

school partnerships are encouraged to use a discursive approach to enable change

and innovation.This k ind of “ double-loop learn ing” ref lect ion is not l imited to the

relationships between means and ends, but also includes the further development of

the values underpinning any action.

Worksheet No 19

The game of parallel tales

Ask your project group to divide into three pairs or single persons to write three

different short reports (one page m ax.) concerning a partn er meeting or a school

visit. The rule in this game is centred on the underlying style of story telling. Each of

the three report teams must write in a different style:


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1) describes the situation, its context and starting point ;

2) argues the methods of data collection;

3) presents the dif ferent perspectives held by the invol ved persons of the

Triangulation;

4) explains the steps of analysis and interpretation; and

5) presents the f indings. There are many different w ays of structuring a case study

and no fixed rules, but here are some suggestions:

Following the chronological sequence of eventsThe most simple and safe way to write a case study is to communicate your

experiences and findings in the step-by-step sequence in w hich they occurred. It can

help with writing (and reading) if you also illustrate the chronological sequence in a

diagram or a l is t . A w ork p lan of your pro ject, or a t imetable us ing pro ject m eetings

and school visits as the milestones, is suitable for this approach.

Be aware that a chronological form of presentation does not include the whole

process. Certain links, wh ich appear logical but not chronological, may be difficult to

describe w hen using this approach.

Developing a case study based on an issue

M any teachers do not report on a w hole project, but instead focus on the specificmom entum o f their development interest. Such a case study describes the process of

clar ifying the development interest and collecting data all the way to analysis and

interpretation.This allows for a more in-depth view and presents the data that

emerged during the project.

Be aware that a report based on is