The document discusses the role of educators in driving innovation within formal education, emphasizing their emotional connection with students and the importance of digital competence. It highlights the need for continuous professional development to equip teachers with necessary skills, fostering critical thinking and innovative teaching methods. Additionally, it showcases initiatives like eTwinning, which supports collaborative projects to enhance teachers' capabilities and student learning outcomes.

1. Leading to change:
educators at the forefront
of innovation in formal
education
Brian Holmes
Director
Education, Audiovisual & Culture
Executive Agency

2. 2
Focus on learning

supported by an
educator
?
?



(Johnson et al., 2014)

3. Leading to change: educators at the forefront
of innovation in formal education
1. Educational experience
2. Digital competence
3. Critical thinking
4. Teachers at the forefront
3
http://www.slideshare.net/holmebn

4. Emotions are at the heart of teaching
‘Good teachers are not just
well-oiled machines. They are
emotional, passionate beings
who connect with their students
and fill their work and their
classes with pleasure,
creativity, challenge and joy’
(Hargreaves,1998, p.835)
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1. Educational experience

5. Teachers are the gatekeepers of innovation
Teachers’ motivation, attitudes
and propensity for change are
positively influenced by seeing
for themselves the impact of
innovation on their students’
learning; no more so than
when it concerns the use of
ICT.
(Holmes, 2013; Guskey, 2002;
Day and Sachs, 2004)
5
1. Educational experience
Sarine Brady

6. Teachers help ensure learning is critical
Teachers inspire, guide and challenge learners to look
beyond the present.
 Reflecting and understanding
 Encouraging metacognition, critical thinking and
competence development: from the what and the
how, to the why
 Engendering self-confidence, self-esteem and
respect for others
6
1. Educational experience

7. 7
 Digital competence: the set of knowledge, skills and
attitudes needed for the confident and critical use
of technology.
 Framework covers five areas:
1. Information
2. Communication
3. Content creation
4. Safety
5. Problem solving
(Ferrari, Punie & Brečko, 2013)
DIGCOMP framework for Digital Competence
2. Digital competence
Keywords basic user:
Keywords advanced user:

8. The role of the teacher is key to ensuring an
effective educational experience in online learning
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 The teacher’s role has changed from knowledge expert
to mentor, facilitator and orchestrator of learning
(Brecko et al., 2013)
 The teacher’s interventions can have a positive impact
on critical thinking and meta-cognition
(Holmes, 2013)
3. Critical thinking

9. Recommendations from an EU study
1. Invest significantly in updating
Continuous Professional
Development provisions to
ensure that in-service teachers
acquire the key competences
required for fostering and
orchestrating learning.
2. Support and motivate teachers to
develop and update their digital
competence and ICT skills.
(Brecko et al., 2013)
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4. Teachers at the forefront

10. Teaching and learning international survey
 Positive relation between professional development, collaborative
approaches, efficacy and satisfaction
 Teachers engaging in professional development more likely to use
innovative approaches
And yet
• Only 34% of teachers use ICT for projects or class work
(74% in Denmark – 18% in Finland)
• 51% of teachers have never observed other teachers’ classes and
17% have never taken part in collaborative professional development
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4. Teachers at the forefront
TALIS 2013 survey in 11 countries:
BG, CZ, DK, ES, FR, IT, LV, PT, SE, SK and UK-ENG (EU, 2014)

11. Example: eTwinning initiative (1 of 2)
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• eTwinning supports teachers and pupils to
collaborate across Europe
• Joint pedagogical projects
o Project-based inquiry learning for students
o Supported by teacher who is in complete control
o Collaborative and multidisciplinary
o Increases students’ autonomy and confidence
o Helps develop digital competence and other key
competences
www.eTwinning.net
4. Teachers at the forefront

12. Example: eTwinning initiative (2 of 2)
12
• Teachers’ Continuous Professional
Development e.g. ‘Learning Events’
o Short, intensive online sessions, in groups
o Focused on a theme, led by a subject expert
o Involve teachers in hands-on, non-formal learning
with peers
• A thriving community of teachers
o Peer learning and support
o Safe, respected and trusted environment
o Encourages teachers to innovate in their practice
www.eTwinning.net
4. Teachers at the forefront

13. In conclusion
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Educators are the key to
mainstreaming technology in education
 They help ensure that online learning is
effective and leads to competence
development
 They are champions of innovation in
education, if they are convinced of the
benefits
 But they need support to develop their own
competence through Continuous
Professional Development
raysto

14. References
Brecko, B. N., Kampylis, P. & Punie, Y. (2014), Mainstreaming ICT-enabled innovation in education
and training in Europe: policy actions for sustainability, scalability and impact at system level,
Seville, JRC-IPTS. http://is.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pages/EAP/SCALECCR.html
Day, C. & Sachs, J. (2004), ‘Professionalism, performativity and empowerment : discourses in the
politics, policies and purposes of continuing professional development’, in Day, C. & Sachs, J.
(Eds.), International handbook on the continuing professional development of teachers. pp.3-
32, Maidenhead, Open University Press.
EU (2014) The teacher and learning international survey (TALIS) 2013, Brussels, European
Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/education/library/reports/2014/talis_en.pdf
Ferrari, A., Punie, Y., & Brečko, B. N. (2013), DIGCOMP: A Framework for Developing and
Understanding Digital Competence in Europe: Institute for Prospective Technological Studies
(IPTS), JRC, European Commission
Guskey, T. R. (2002), ‘Professional development and teacher change’, Teachers and Teaching:
Theory and Practice, 8 (3), pp.381 - 391.
Holmes, B. (2013), School Teachers' Continuous Professional Development in an Online Learning
Community: lessons from a case study of an eTwinning Learning Event. European Journal of
Education, 48(1), 97-112. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12015.
Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., Freeman, A., Kampylis, P., Vuorikari, R. & Punie, Y.
(2014) Horizon report Europe: 2014 schools edition, Luxembourg & Austin, Texas, Publications
Office of the European Union & The New Media Consortium
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/sites/default/files/2014-nmc-horizon-report-eu-en_online.pdf

15. http://eacea.ec.europa.eu
eacea-info@ec.europa.eu
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