“Subjects” teaching replaced with “topics” for Raising creativity and attractiveness of science and mathematics leading to educational system reforms

It is obvious that investing appropriately in learning will contribute to overcoming the economic and social crisis and meeting the Europe 2020 targets on employment, poverty reduction, education, sustainability, innovation.

Students from very early age are using quite advanced computers. New methods have to be adopted in education that is necessary for industry and modern society. Raising creativity and attractiveness of science and mathematics, therefore, is of major importance for the sustainability of “quality and efficiency of education in Europe”, which is one of the main objectives referred in strategic framework of “Education and Training 2020”.

However, although the professional development and the improvement of the quality of vocational training educators have been recognized as a priority at European level, there is not a clear view of the particular and specific competences needed by trainers and training approaches, to fulfill the scope of making mathematics, science and technology more attractive.

OPMIS project is aiming at changing the “mindset” of approaching science and mathematics, focusing in an innovative teaching by “topic” method, rather than the old fashioned way of teaching by subject, increasing attractiveness and preparing students for the future with the skills that is needed for today and tomorrow.

Identification and collection of already established training methodologies and practices in Europe, will help to harvest the potential of existing European experience and generate new knowledge for trainers, upgrading their skills and respective specific competences. The development of a “teacher toolkit”, an open source training platform. together with training visits of both trainers and learners will help in testing and applying the identified interdisciplinary teaching material and methods.

Main target group is students of primary and secondary local school communities. Specific target group is trainers, that their role is vital in achieving goals of quality and efficiency in education. Project partners will set-up up an international cooperation mechanism, including except the members of the project consortium, science institutes and local educational communities.

• European Center in Training for Employment – ECTE, structuted the project proposal OPMIS, for a consortium of institutes consisting of
• Haccetepe University – (Turkey),
• FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY HELLAS – ITE (Greece)
• Inspectoratul Scolar Judetean Romania – (Romania),
• Periferiaki Dieuthinsi Protovathmias & Deuterovathmias Ekpaideusis Kritis – (Greece),
• COMUNE DI TERNI – Associazione La Pagina – (Italy), in the context of ERASMUS plus program calls.

Unemployment rate among young people having reach 60% in Greece and been a main problem in South European countries, good practices towards employment, are of great importance to be identified and endorsed into policies.

The six entities involved in Exyonet project, know first-hand youth difficulties of adapting into a world of work in crisis and to the startle of social and technological changes.

The European Project EXYOnet (European Network for employability of young, is the first European network address to the young (ex) offenders employability and social exclusion inside the EU Youth in Action Program. This network put together the efforts of 6 entities of different European countries in 18 months, through the experiences that have been carried out by United Kingdom, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Italy and Spain.

European Center in Training for Employment, ECTE as a member of Exyonet network, participated in a visit to the European Parliament in Brussels, and met members of Parliament and policy decisions technicians, engaged in employment and youth issues. Subhect of the discussion was the consortium work in practices and politics recommendations that have been be added in the joint document: ‘WHITE PAPER: Good practices and policy proposals for Young (ex) offenders employment.

It was decided, a conference event to be organised in Brussels by Exyonet partners, in February 2015. In big event, will participate European parliament members and policy decision technicians,engaged in the field of employment and Youth. Good practices identified, will be presented in a form of white book, whereas there will be an extensive dialogue on youth employment existing policies and future strategies.

Arrasate, is a traditional town of the the Basque Country (Spain), best known as the birthplace of the Mondragón Cooperative Corporation (MCC), the world’s largest worker cooperative. In 2002 the MCC contributed 3.7% towards the total GDP of the Basque Country and 7.6% to the industrial GDP.

PATiE, project partners met in Arrasate for their fourth meeting, having as a main topic of discussion, the finalization of the form and the content of training modules and the organosis of pilot courses based on these modules.

Psychodrama as a tool for the trainers in adult education, is the subject of the training material, that is developing by the project consortium. The training material, includes a curriculum outline, eight training modules, and a “Trainers Guide” for each of the training modules. Till today, four training modules have already been developed, for the remaining four finishing at the end of this year.

Pilot courses will follow, in the cities of the four core partners, namely in Rethymno (Greece), Wadowice (Poland). Florence (Italy) and Arrasate (Montragon, Spain). In the courses, 12 Vocational Trainers, will act as learners, been taught by a professional certified psychodramatist, tools and Technics developed in the eight training modules.

The training modules include:

• Module1 Experiential psychodrama
• Module2 Power of the group
• Module3 Sociometry
• Module4 Warm up
• Module5 The Power of playing
• Module6 Working with symbols
• Module7 Conflict management
• Module8 Sharing

ECTE is participating as a core partner in PATiE project (www.patie.eu) and exploits training material outcomes in “training the trainer actions”. Moreover, trainers from many European countries are participating in training events organised, having as a subject experiential learning tools and thus that of psychodrama.

Within the framework of the European Project “GSSkills”, the second meeting held from 7 to 9 October 2014, in Eibar, Spain. From Greece, except the Chamber of Chania, which is the coordinating partner, participate the European Center for Employment Training (ECTE) based in Rethymno, the organization “Les Compagnons du Devoir et du Tour de France” based in Paris and is a member of UNESCO, and the company for economic development of Debabarrena “Debegesa, “, located in Eibar, Spain.

During the meeting, a workshop took place between transnational partners, where was presented the results of two surveys that run between May and September in the three countries on the skills you need to have technical thermal and geothermal installations. The presentation focused on both the overall results, and the results for each country separately. There was also a presentation of the current situation of each country in the field of solar thermal and geothermal installations.

Then it became split into two groups (electricians / plumbers), where technicians from the three countries discussed above derived results, whereas questions were posted, related to their subject matter, in order to extract and present findings that will help in the implementation of the next phase of the program.

The participants visited to the Institute Tknika, an Innovation Centre and Vocational Training, which aims to connect research, business innovation and education. On-site, there was an overall presentation of the Institute and its objectives, the education system in Spain in terms of training, followed by tour of products manufactured or are under construction on site.

Technicians visited a building located in San Sebastian that was built in 2011, by the company Dalkia, which with the help of solar thermal and geothermal plants, produce as much energy as they consume 125 residences.

Finally, there was a meeting between the parties to discuss the progress so far in the program and set timetables for the next steps. The purpose of the program “GSSkills”, refers to the development of skills in green forms of energy such as solar and geothermal and addresses to plumbers and electricians working on photovoltaic systems and geothermal energy.

It is worth noting that the program is the only one approved in Greece and Crete. The program is cofunded by the European Commission.