TOGETHER: implement service learning in schools TO GET digital cultural HERitage enhanced (2021-2023) (https://together-erasmus.eu/)
The terrible impact of the COVID-19 emergency has put an unprecedented pressure on the cultural and creative sector across Europe, unveiling the need for higher attention, resources and a process of modernization that should first and foremost be sparked from the young generations. The discussion around digital transformation of cultural resources has been around for years now, although it has still not led to the significant impact expected. Now, the aftermath of the pandemic demands for a clear acceleration, that is going to be effective only if remarkable investments are made to provide the necessary skills and competences to the future professionals in this sector.
The project TOGETHER aims to support young students in school to engage creatively and critically with the cultural resources through the smart adoption of digital technologies. This change of paradigm will call for a re-thinking of the fruition of cultural wealth, that should be digitally enhanced to improve its flexibility, accessibility and potential for inclusion. Teacher capacity, in this context, will be among the main challenges, since education practitioners may lack confidence and experience in developing young people’s creative digital skills. For this reason, TOGETHER aims to support them with adequate training and professional development to make digital creativity emerge and be applied to cultural heritage.
Teachers have a crucial role in supporting learner development and are key change agents in school development. The report “European ideas for better learning: The governance of school education systems”, developed by the ET 2020 Working Group on Schools, encourages the transformation of schools into “open learning organisations”, enabling teachers and school leaders to improve both their pedagogical and their organisational practices concurrently through local collaborative research, networking and continued professional development.
The objective of TOGETHER is to develop an innovative methodology to engage secondary school students in community-based participative activities for the digitization, enhancement and protection of cultural heritage, in accordance with the principles of service learning and project based learning.
What are the expected results of the project?
- Teacher’s Handbook and Competence framework
The Handbook will be a meaningful pedagogical resource made available for the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of secondary schools’ teachers and leaders, providing them with an innovative educational model that leverages on digital creativity skills to formulate concepts of Service Learning and project-based learning aimed to involve students in initiatives for digital enhancement of local cultural heritage.
- TOGETHER Digital Creativity Academy
The Academy will be an online educational platform that will host the digitized version of the Handbook’s modules previously developed during IO1 and a Toolbox with a collection of tools, instructional materials and multimodal resources complementary to the Handbook. The aim will be to create an open online environment that will be useful for secondary school teachers and leaders to integrate the learning path taken with the Handbook, thus enhancing their learning experience. The Academy will also serve the purpose to create a social hub between all users scattered across EU, thus leading to the formation of a community of practice.