Project Based Learning Training Course for Teachers

Course overview

The course “Introducing Project-Based Learning in the Classroom” introduces the pedagogical approach to project-based learning (PBL) and its application in the classroom. This highly interactive and practice-based course aims to provide concrete examples, ideas and tools to inspire and support educators in their lesson planning.
The course explores three key challenges related to the implementation of PBL: how to establish effective collaboration among students, how to facilitate student-driven activities, and finally how to assess PBL in the classroom.

Main objectives

This course aims to provide teachers with the much needed tools and ideas to successfully plan and implement PBL activities in the classroom. The general aim of this course is to foster excellence in education by empowering teachers, trainers, headmasters and other education staff to implement PBL activities while sharing best practices and experiences with fellow participants and trainers throughout all Europe gaining as well a broader understanding of education in Europe.
Thanks to this course the participants will:

Get acquainted with the key elements and growing trends related to PBL;
Learn how to use project-planning tools and online databases to design learning activities;
Learn how to engage students and motivate them to establish effective collaboration and develop problem solving skills as well as their self-esteem;
Learn how to lead and deliver experiential workshops, simulation activities and interactive projects to foster students entrepreneurial mindsets and leadership characters;
Get to know case studies that could be used and integrated in a real course;
Exchange good practices and discuss challenges with fellow colleagues and the course trainers.

Sessions planned

Bologna
07/04/2019 - 13/04/2019
17/11/2019 - 23/11/2019
09/02/2020 - 15/02/2020
26/07/2020 - 01/08/2020
25/10/2020 - 31/10/2020

If none of these dates suits you please mind that if there are at least 8 participants interested we may organize an additional session ad-hoc for your school.

Target audience

This course is addressed to teachers, trainers, educational counsellors, career counsellors, school psychologists, headmasters, school management and administrative staff working in primary schools, secondary schools, vocational schools, training centres, adult education schools, higher education, and NGOs.

Language

The course is held in English. For groups with at least 8 participants, we can organize an ad-hoc session in a different language.
Please write an email to staff@ifom.info to get more information about it.

Standard daily programme

Please find below the standard indicative daily programme that will be personalized on participants needs and professional profiles.
Our standard program comprises 7 days of course, of which the first one is dedicated to networking, preparation and cultural immersion and the last one to follow up, specific needs and cultural activities. Please note that we always do our best to accommodate the specific needs of our participants in a flexible way, including but not limited to budget restrictions and travel arrangement. Participants can choose to arrive 1 day before the start of the course and/or leave one day after the end of it in order to enjoy a deeper cultural immersion. Upon specific request we can organize longer or shorter versions of this course.

Sunday	- Participants arrival - Individual orientation and information about the venue and the city - Networking activities - Guided visit in Bologna (optional) - Welcome dinner
Monday	- Course introduction - Competences ex-ante evaluation - Ice-breaking activities - Teambuilding exercises - What is PBL and Why Use it? - Reflections on current teaching practices and styles
Tuesday	- Components of good PBL - Formulating your Driving Question - Practicing, designing and delivering effective PBL activities - Cultural activities in Bologna and traditional Italian aperitif
Wednesday	- How to align PBL projects to curricula contents - Effective collaboration of PBL inside and outside the classroom - Guided visit in Florence (optional)
Thursday	- The importance of student driven activities in PBL - Use of learning design tools in PBL implementation. - Simulation of a PBL lesson plan - Create a PBL lesson plan
Friday	- Presenting PBL lesson created - Best practices and guidelines for assessing and validating PBL - Create a Learning Rubric - Dinner in traditional Italian restaurant
Saturday	- Space for discussion of future cooperation and planning follow up activities - Course roundup and final evaluation - Validation of learning outcomes and certification ceremony - Additional training session tailored to specific needs (optional) - Cultural activities or additional guided visit in another major Italian city (optional) - Participants departure

Pre-registration

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Will you apply for Erasmus+ funding? *

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How many participants from your organization will join this training course? *

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Other relevant facts

Methodology
Costs and Erasmus+ Funding
Certification and Validation of learning outcomes

We tailor the working methods based upon participants’ needs, attitudes and professional profiles in order to ensure high productivity, effectiveness and transferability into practice.
The standard methodology is highly practical and participative with hands-on approach that comprises real-job examples, case studies examination and simulations. We embrace collaboratively working methods that foster mutual learning and cooperation among participants. Our focus is on learning in an interactive and international environment knowledge applicable to the real contexts and/or in the classroom. The pedagogical methods that we use are based upon experiential training, group and peer activities, learning-by-doing and best practices’ exchange. They include visits with local schools and institutions allowing the participants to better understand the local education system as well as exchange ideas and contacts.
Morning Wrap-up and brief daily evaluations are foreseen to ensure quality of education and to adapt the learning programme to participants' needs better tailoring the education.
We organize optional social, networking and cultural activities in order to give participants the opportunity to know Italy as well as to exchange best-practice and establish professional cooperation and links.
The training and staff team is multinational thus giving a full European dimension to the course.

Teachers, trainers, headmasters and any other staff of education organizations are eligible to receive an Erasmus+ grant covering all the costs to attend our training courses including travel, board and lodging, cultural activities and all fees. Our training courses are tailored to be fully funded by Erasmus+ and we offer different options to ensure that the Erasmus+ grant will be sufficient. Read more about Erasmus+ funding, shall you have any problem with your grant please let us know and we will see how to accommodate your needs.
The most common option that we offer costs EUR 1220 and includes course fee, certification and support fee, accommodation in single room, all coffee breaks, 3 meals per day, walking tour in the venue’s city and local transport during the training course. Based on your preferences and budget you can request different services, a less inclusive/cheaper package or you can choose to organize the board and lodging by yourself and opt to just attend the training course. Read more about how we take care of your subsistence.

At the end of the course, each participant will be awarded a certificate of attendance including a description of training content and as well as its starting and end date, together - if requested - with the Europass Mobility Certificate.
We support the participants in every step of certification an d validation of learning outcomes with specific focus on European instruments and Erasmus plus requirements such as staff mobility/learning agreement, quality commitment and Europass mobility certificate.
We experienced that schools and education organizations may require additional documents to certify the competences learned or the presence in the training course. Upon request we can provide additional certification and reporting documents as well as we provide photos of the training course and a sum-up video that can be used for visibility and dissemination purposes.

Videos and photos of previous training courses

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Introducing Project Based Learning in the classroom