EDUCATE Project

Project Description

Sponsored by the ERASMUS+ programme of the European Union, the transnational project EDUCATE aims at integrating cognitive activation (i.e., working with challenging tasks) and differentiation, aspiring to promote both aspects in the subject of Mathematics, through the provision of appropriate support to teachers and teacher educators. Specifically, we have created these materials with the intention of supporting teachers in engaging all their students in challenging work on the one hand and scaffolding teacher educators in productively supporting teachers in doing so on the other hand.  Partners from four European countries, namely Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, and Portugal have worked closely together to develop, pilot test, and refine these materials, as well as design a professional development process around them.  Before producing these materials, a thorough review of the current literature and European/International and national documents in the four participated countries (i.e., top-down approach) was conducted; a needs-assessment analysis to identify prospective and practicing teachers’ needs, challenges, and difficulties as they enact challenging tasks with all their students that cut across different European educational systems was also conducted by observing/analyzing a series of lessons in the four participating countries; reflective post-lesson discussions were also conducted with teachers (i.e., bottom-up approach). Moreover, we have solicited practicing teachers and school inspectors’ feedback on the clarity of the modules, their reasonableness, applicability, and usefulness, in order to improve them.  The project in general, and the production of these materials, in particular, could not have taken place without the support of the teachers who volunteered to participate in the different phases of the project, whom we would like to thank for opening their classrooms and letting us explore their practice and think with them about the complexities inherent in working with challenging tasks with all students.

Research Team

Dr Charalambous Y. Charalambos, University of Cyprus (PI)

Dr Seán Delaney, Marino Institute of Education

Prof Despina Potari, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece)

Professor João Pedro da Ponte, Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal)

Outputs

All outputs available at http://educate-platform.com/ 

Funder 

Erasmus+ 

Dates

2017-2020

Contact

Dr Seán Delaney

seá[email protected]