8 hints of SUSKIDS Final Conference

8 hints of SUSKIDS Final Conference

How to use technologies to transfer sustainable skills to Down Syndrome Individuals

SUSKIDS final conference took place virtually last 14th September, organized by our partner University College Leuven-Limburg, particularly the Expertise Centre Inclusive society.

Inclusion is, indeed, one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, which are to address all three dimensions of sustainable development (environmental, economic and social).

In this post, we will highlight 8  key points of the Conference, which was aimed at fostering inclusion of people with Down Syndrome through their training in sustainable skills and recycling .

Content creation and the adoption of behaviour traits

The main challenge in creating Outputs of our project, specially the the  Virtual Learning Environment, and the Pilot course, was to motivate the final users: people with Down Syndrome. The Project is initially aimed at children at school age, but for all the consortium  it was important  to generate contents that could be learnt and applied with people with Down syndrome at older ages.

Our partner Trinity College Dublin, explained the principles that guided the development of the contents, based on the practical experience of our partners, and a systematic literature revision.

And, above all, the aim of keeping the interest of the end users on environmental issues.

You can download the slideshow here

The experiences of end- users

Our partner Asociacion Sindrome Down Burgos had a key role during our Project, piloting the Virtual Learning Environment in their classroom with students at different ages. Thanks to  the usability and the accessibility of the platform, most of  the students could use it in an autonomous way, which is indeed one of  the objectives of SUSKIDS. Some of them needed help from the teachers and facilitators, to log in the platform or to read the texts of the courses, which was eased by the automatic reader option implemented.

Most of  the students testing the VLE were Down Syndrome children at school age, while other had different development diseases. This has demonstrated that the project results  are  transferable to other disabilities and also to individuals in other age ranges (teenagers or adults)

Check the video summarizing their experiences  here

Digital technologies to facilitate learning.

People with disabilities have restricted access to education, transport, housing and technology.  One of the reasons if the increasing digitalization in all spheres of life, which occurs in addition at a lighting speed. Thus, e-inclusion is required to ensure that everyone can participate in digital societies,  to fulfil the “leave no one behind” principle of the 2030 Agenda.

But, what is actually e-inclusion, and how can be achieve it?

Take a look to the video by our partner UCLL to find it out

A practical journey around the activities of the VLE

During this workshop, our coordinator Sara Gutierrez explained the objective of the Virtual Learning Environment, and the main features it has to ensure the accessibility and the usability, while providing useful knowledge  to the students in four different strands: Environment , Rubbish, What to do with Rubbish, and Construction and Environment.
Check the video to take a small trip to our Virtual Learning Environment

Tips to adapt the VLE to our classroom

Would you like to  use our VLE in our classroom? Our developer partner, Bjäland, explained during the conference how an educational centre can sign up and access the designed courses and the activities.

The arrangements are detailed in this video.

Once you have your school created in the platform, you can add users, in the roles of tutors (teachers) and students, and manage them, enrolling students in the courses or assigning tutors to  the students. Thanks to the slideshow explained by our partner KVeloce, you will see how easy it is.  

See slideshow on user creation and management

An open course on sustainability and recycling

Our partner NCCA from Ireland has created an Open Course for Junior Cycle, called Design for Sustainable Living,  aimed at students  with Down Syndrome, comprising evaluation activities  from levels 1, 2 and 3 of the National Framework of Qualifications.  To evaluate the course, they invited different teachers all abroad Ireland to take part in focus groups, carried out online due to COVID19 restrictions.

The participant teachers stated that the course was aligned with the vision of education for  sustainable development, but not only that: they remarked other positive aspects and  suggested additional improvements.

Discover them in this video.

Inclusion and Universal Design

Universal Design for Learning is becoming mainstream in educational research and design but… how does it feel in the classroom?

Luke is a teacher at the Kingsborough Community School  in Ireland, where he teaches construction studies and woodwork, among other subjects. For the last 4 years, he has been using Universal Design in his classes.

Luke hightlighted the huge improvement in the accessibility of his lessons, and one of the keys is that the Virtual Learning Environment does not become a barrier itself. But there are many other advantages.

Check them in this video!

How do we evaluate sustainable skills at the Eu level?

All along the EU, there is an increasing demand to mainstream green skills into education and training systems. In addition, the recognition of this knowledge at the EU level helps student to improve their self steem and their sense of achievement, while enhancing their employability and their opportunities for inclusion.  

In addition, the Evaluation Guidelines will contribute to  improve the coherence and consistency  of educational systems in a way that is aligned with EU environmental and educational policies: the European Green Deal and the European Skills Agenda.

The complete slideshow is here for download.

 

© 2019 Suskids. Sustainability Skills for Down Syndrome. Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. Gant Agreement 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050639.

The European Commission support for the producition of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only for the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Save the date for SUSKIDS final conference!

Save the date for SUSKIDS final conference!

SUSKIDS Final Conference will take place on 14th September 2021, hosted by the University of Applied Sciences Leuven-Limburg, focused on the  use of technology to transfer sustainable skills to Down Syndrome individuals for the improvement of inclusion.

This Conference is therefore aligned with the  Leave no one behind principle of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), representing the commitment of our partnership to reduce inequalities and foster inclusion, through the promotion of an active and participative methodology, focused on appealing  children to learn about recycling, and improving  the engagement of Down Syndrome  individuals on sustainability and  self-care. Moreover, the current  environmental policies. as well as the social  demands, recognize the need to mainstream  green skills and knowledge into education and training systems.

Therefore, during the Conference, we will present the tools and materials created within SUSKIDS project and the experiences carried out by the partners,  including workshops on their use, as well as key notes and round tables  with external experts on issues such as eInclusion, and Universal Design for Learning, among others.

Download the Conference Agenda and register in the Conference

Link to registration at UCLL’s website

Left: an image of a microphone with conference attendants at the bottom, the room is out of focus. On the right: text with the agenda of the conference. bottom line: project title and logo, and EU emblem

© 2019 Suskids. Sustainability Skills for Down Syndrome. Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. Gant Agreement 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050639.

The European Commission support for the producition of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only for the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

How do we assess sustainable skills?

How do we assess sustainable skills?

Our partner UCLL has implemented focus groups to gather feedback from experts in inclusive education

Education for children with Down Syndrome

A training programme should not be restrictive but should above all inspire people to arrive at a certain (learning) process. For this reason, in the Flemish region where the Dutch team in SUSKIDS works, UCLL, the so-called IAC (Individually Adapted Curriculum) are developed, geared to the learning potential of the pupil himself and responding to the strengths and talents of this pupil/young person.

Method for validating the evaluation guidelines.

To validate the Evaluation Guidelines planned as Intellectual Result 4 of the SUSKIDS Project, a focus group at UCLL was organized with 5 five experts from education to discuss the evaluation standards and methods in Flanders. In focus groups, works is established according to a structured scheme, in which initially the project is framed, followed by a brief overview of the developed training and subsequently the main objective is addressed: the evaluation methods for the learning objectives.

In Flanders, the expert group was organized online due to COVID restrictions. The experts present in the online focus group were Izabel Janssens and Sofie van Eynde, both involved in an educational project to clarify support roles in relation to children with specific educational needs; Els Teijssen, expert and hands-on expert on vulnerable young people and diversity in education; Dr Hannah Boonen, an expert in inclusive education and leader of the research line ”Inclusive Education”; and finally Dr Elke Emmers, an expert in inclusive (higher) education and diversity, head of the research centre “inclusive society”.

Results

The key message of the expert group was to pay attention to learning objectives and evaluation methods tailored to the pupil in front of us. Therefore, the most important thing is to adapt and create learning opportunities for a certain pupil. It is therefore important to see and read the results as guidelines or advice that can be used to test the learning objectives or to gain insight into the learning process of the pupil.

The main guideline remains to possibly define smaller intermediate objectives. Attention must also be paid to the difference between process and product. The learning goals in the form of process and product must be made very clear in one way or another so that the pupil can assess himself in his learning process. This is also an important element to consider the further development of the training within the SUSKIDS project.
The expert group also thinks it is very important not to let the course stand alone, but to integrate it into the whole learning process at school. So that parts of the course are integrated in, for instance, language lessons, math lessons and other practical lessons. In this way, the teacher or training provider is given more scope to activate the pupil on the basis of his or her talents and strengths.

Conclusions: impact of the course

In addition, it is equally important to consider the impact on learners as well as the impact on teachers to ensure that innovation cycles continue to optimise and adapt the course to different learning styles and different learners. It must not get bogged down in a fixed course that will always be taught in the same way.

It must remain focused in order to offer a meaningful learning process.

When teachers are inspired to work on sustainability and have the courage to work out such a learning line, it is possible that they will work together to make it happen. Moreover, it is also good for teachers to start reflecting on sustainability as a topic in education and thus reflect on the challenges and opportunities they must face in the course.

Young people have a natural reflex to think about sustainability and adopt behaviours that are sustainable. Special attention must be paid to the transfer between school and the home situation to see the knowledge, skills and attitude surrounding sustainability reflected in multiple situations (macro level of learning). Involving the wider learning environment is important here so that the results of the course become visible in the daily life of the learner.

© 2019 Suskids. Sustainability Skills for Down Syndrome. Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. Gant Agreement 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050639.

The European Commission support for the producition of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only for the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Read the 3rd SUSKIDS newsletter!

Read the 3rd SUSKIDS newsletter!

In our 3rd Newsletter, we have summarized the activity we have carried out in the last months: testing the Virtual Learning Environment, researching, celebrating the Erasmus Days… and much more!
SUSKIDS 3rd_newsletter

 

© 2019 Suskids. Sustainability Skills for Down Syndrome. Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. Gant Agreement 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050639.

The European Commission support for the producition of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only for the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

What is the similarity between a vegetable garden and a learning environment?

What is the similarity between a vegetable garden and a learning environment?​

There must be good soil for every student to grow and flourish.

3rd December, International Day of People with Disabilities, was a busy day for the Suskids-partners as they presented the project at various events and for an international audience.


In Belgium, UCLL talked about the importance of universal design for a powerful learning environment and proudly presented our Online Learning Environment as an example of this.

On their part, our coordinator UBU, together with TCD and KVeloce,presented the Project and the Platform during the Final Event of Mind4Inclusion Project organized online by ALDA Europe.

This event was attended by participants from different countries representing international entities, NGOs and universities that work in several projects aimed at promoting inclusion.

© 2019 Suskids. Sustainability Skills for Down Syndrome. Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. Gant Agreement 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050639.

The European Commission support for the producition of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only for the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

SUSKIDS 3rd Meeting… was held online!

SUSKIDS 3rd Meeting… was held online!

Since COVID  prevented SUSKIDS consortium from travelling to Belgium to attend the third Transnational Meeting face-by-face, we organized an online Meeting to plan our next activities. Firstly, regarding our Virtual Learning Environment, our technological partner Bjäland introduced the main steps they are working on: for instance, the roles in the platform, that will allow most advanced students to support their peers as facilitators. Moreover, additional activities have been included, that will improve the autonomous learning and the continuous feedback. The Virtual Learning Environment has been tested by schools working with people with Down Syndrome and other disabilities, led by our Project Ambassadors Asociación Síndrome de Down Burgos, who highlighted the high transferability potential of this tool. From their part, the contents have been translated into Spanish and Dutch, that will be the other two languages in which the Virtual Learning Environment will be available. Tutorials have also been created to ease the navigation of the users in the platform. Regarding the 3rd Output, our partners from NCCA had reviewed the contents of the short course relating to sustainability and construction with a Universal Design approach. COVID restrictions are making difficult to test the course with teachers and students, but they have worked with education officers to review the contents and the learning, to fit levels 1 to 3 of the National Qualification Framework Subsequently, UCLL introduced the organization of the 4th Output of the Project: the Evaluation guidelines validated and recognised by the European Framework of Qualifications, where the first draft will be reviewed and evaluated through participatory methods that involve experts in education at the international level, to reach the final version. After the technical topics, partners discussed on the organization of the Erasmus Days that take place annually all along Europe, and where our Video Teaser was presented about the Virtual Learning Environment. The final item in the meeting agenda was also very important: the Final Conference to be held at the end of the Project. Keeping in mind the situation posed by COVID, all partners agreed that the Final Conference may be held online, since restrictions could be still in force in summer 2021. During this Final Conference, the course developed as Output 3 and the Evaluation Guidelines elaborated for Output 4 will be presented, together with lectures with experts at the international level, and participative workshops that the people can follow from home. We will provide more information soon about the agenda and the inscription for the conference!

© 2019 Suskids. Sustainability Skills for Down Syndrome. Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. Gant Agreement 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050639.

The European Commission support for the producition of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only for the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

SUSKIDS at the ErasmusDays 2020

SUSKIDS at the ErasmusDays 2020

SUSKIDS organized an online event for the Erasmus Days 2020

Last week, the ErasmusDays 2020 were organized, representing the 4th edition in which more than 3000 Projects were held in more than 67 countries, from Spain to Vietnam.

The events were held by a wide variety of educational organizations, with different formats and contents from exhibitions to seminars and open days with the common aim of sharing the Erasmus experience among the different actors and the commitment to Europe, using the hashtag #erasmusdays.

This year, SUSKIDS project took the opportunity, through the organization of an online Event in which our Virtual Learning Environment, to be officially released soon, was announced to our public and a video teaser explaining the main features was published . During this event, we also aimed at collecting the opinion of teachers and parents of students with Down Syndrome on inclusive education, the use of ITC, and training on environmental and sustainability issues, be means of an online survey.

Take a look at the video below, the results will come soon!

The attendants of the event, after answering the survey, could have the opportunity of testing the Virtual Learning environment, which is nowadays being fine-tuned to adapt to the different backgrounds of the participating countries and complemented with tutorials to help educators managing the courses and the related features.
Up to date, the VLE is being tested by schools with the final users: teachers and students with Down syndrome aged 12 to 18 years old. Although the restrictions posed by the COVID have difficulted this activity, we are happy to see that the feedback they are giving is enthusiastic, and they are enjoying the contents and the activities proposed.

© 2019 Suskids. Sustainability Skills for Down Syndrome. Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. Gant Agreement 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050639.

The European Commission support for the producition of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only for the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

SUSKIDS partners research on Sustainability and Inclusive Education

SUSKIDS partners research on Sustainability and Inclusive Education

In addition to creating tools aimed at teachers and families, researchers in SUSKIDS project have been researching the relationship between sustainability, inclusion and well-being.

In recent years, there is a growing interest in achieving a sustainable society, also as a key requirement for the survival of the human race. This way, it is widely recognized that the education of people is crucial for the adoption of these values; in spite of this common interest, different approximations have arisen from distinct areas of knowledge, especially natural sciences, social sciences and economics, as well as pedagogics, to face this issue in the different stages of education.
At this point, and according to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (particularly SDG4, SDG10 and SDG12), the design of educational models that pay special attention at promoting equality and inclusion, led by the #LeavenoOneBehind principle, is a current need in many countries.
Therefore, researchers of SUSKIDS project from the coordinating entity, UBU, have carried out research work, based on a wide literature review and using both quantitative and qualitative methods, to explore the different approaches on the concepts of sustainability, inclusive education and disability and the relationships among these concepts.

The article is Open Access, thus it can be accessed online and downloaded.

This research work will be continued with the attendance of the researchers at the CIDICO congress on teaching innovation and research in higher education, that will be held online in November 2020, at which they will present 2 publications in poster format.

Keep tuned with our project to know more about our research!


© 2019 Suskids. Sustainability Skills for Down Syndrome. Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. Gant Agreement 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050639.

The European Commission support for the producition of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only for the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Help us assessing the Toolkit of SUSKIDS

Help us assessing the Toolkit of SUSKIDS

Would you like help to improve the educational and labour opportunities to youngsters with Down Syndrome? Currently, social and educational policies for people with Down Syndrome are addressed to provide them with basic professional training for their early inclusion in the labour market Nevertheless, although many researchers have recognised that environmental education has benefits since it increases the learning engagement, improves observation skills and the logical thinking, there is a lack of tools to transfer these sustainable competencies and knowledge to children and youngsters with special educational needs. The partners of SUSKIDS project have collaborated to deliver the Toolkit for recycling skills knowledge transfer to DS individuals, which is a collection of learning materials, methodological guidelines and practical examples in the field of teaching recycling and construction skills to Down Syndrome individuals. This Toolkit is aimed especially at professionals working with people with Down Syndrome, but also families and associations committed to improving their inclusion possibilities We would like to hear the opinion of the public about our toolkit, by filling in the form below With a few minutes of your time, you will be helping us!

© 2019 Suskids. Sustainability Skills for Down Syndrome. Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. Gant Agreement 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050639.

The European Commission support for the producition of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only for the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

The second SUSKIDS newsletter is ready!

Our second Newsletter is already online!

Take a look at the last activities we have been involved in:

ES_SUSKIDS_2nd_Newsletter

© 2019 Suskids. Sustainability Skills for Down Syndrome. Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme. Gant Agreement 2018-1-ES01-KA201-050639.

El apoyo de la Comisión Europea para la elaboración de esta publicación no implica la aceptación de sus contenidos, que es responsabilidad exclusiva de los autores. Por tanto, la Comisión no es responsable del uso que pueda hacerse de la información aquí difundida