What is #ASEFClassNet?
The ASEF Classroom Network (#ASEFClassNet) connects high school students, teachers & school leaders, teacher trainers, researchers, policy makers and EdTech experts from the 51 ASEM Partner countries. It provides opportunities for collaborative teaching & learning and focuses on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and the potential of education technology in the secondary education sector. Activities of the network include, amongst others, conferences & capacity building programmes for school leaders & teachers, bi-regional school collaborations, research & studies for policy support as well as communication and outreach campaigns to advance knowledge and promote good practices within the secondary school sector.
ASEFClassNet School Collaborations 2021
As part of the ASEF ClassNet activities, ASEF ClassNet School Collaborations are peer-to-peer learning initiatives that engage school leaders & teachers across Asia & Europe to share and jointly work on innovative teaching & learning practices. Designed and implemented by Asian and European secondary, high and vocational school teachers, these collaborations are conducted either as an integral element of the daily school curriculum or as an extracurricular activity. They consisted of both virtual and practical activities and have a duration between three to twelve months.
This year, two School Collaborations implemented to promote Education for Sustainable Development & Global Citizenship as well as Digital Competences, with a particular focus on SDG 3 (Health & Well Being), SDG 4 (Gender Equality).
(1) Wellbeing of Teachers & Students
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused severe disruptions in the education sector and heavily affected teachers, students and parents alike. Even in 2021, the lock down in some countries has been extended and schools across the globe have to continue with a home-based learning mode. Teachers still face challenges linked to the delivery of quality education, curriculum development, access to technology or the lack of social engagement of students. These challenges have far-reaching effects on the teaching & learning environment.
This school collaboration invited secondary and vocational teachers to jointly create a Handbook that collects Pedagogical Stories from Asia & Europe. The stories illustrated how teachers in different educational & cultural contexts approached their subjects in an online context and gave insights into techniques and tools they use to ensure a holistic learning environment for their students.
(2) Gender Equality and the SDGs
Ensuring gender equality is crucial to build peaceful, prosperous & sustainable societies. However, even in the 21st century, we face discriminatory laws & social norms that raise gender inequality issues and threaten sustainable development. It is important that schools equip young people with knowledge and awareness needed for fighting gender biased stereotypes at an early age. This school collaboration was participated by secondary and vocational teachers and engaged in Virtual Classroom Exchanges to discuss gender equality from diverse cultural perspectives.
(3) IoT, Big Data and AI: Innovating STEM Teaching through Strengthening Teacher Professionalisation (#V4Iot)
This School Collaboration is fully funded under the International Visegrad Fund, with the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and ScienceScope being project supporters. The Collaboration took place in V4 countries only, including Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
Teaching and learning STEM embedded in real life scenarios have to start at an early education level. Our societies face a technological revolution where IoT, Big Data, and AI provide solutions that tackle global challenges, including climate change, food security or – as we see in the current scenario – pandemic outbreaks. Hence, it is crucial to stimulate students’ curiosity in these subjects and possible future professional career paths, and to highlight the role of science for societal progress.
The project ‘IoT, Big Data and AI: Innovating STEM Teaching through Strengthening Teacher Professionalisation’ is a 3-month long hands-on training programme for teachers on IoT, Big Data & AI-related teaching in secondary schools: on a pedagogical, curriculum & technical level.
Schools in V4 countries are provided with cutting-edge technological equipment that focuses on environmental and climate change monitoring. All participating schools were connected through one common technical platform. Joint data collection and analysis enable an interactive teaching & learning environment that transcends borders and allows the teachers to discuss, jointly explore and identify areas for collaboration on experimental lessons for STEM classes. The project not only offered teaching & learning opportunities for STEM subjects; it also allowed cross-fertilisation across other subjects (e.g., English, ethics, geography, social sciences, etc.).
Click here to learn more about the V4IoT project.
In Summary:
