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Description
The aim of the SCALED project is to develop a new educational offer - online course (interactive and self-study mode that can be adapted to onsite use) in the field of inclusive education methods, universal design for learning, differentiated instruction and methods of increasing the accessibility of the teaching process, content and materials in the context of foreign language teaching and education through language (EFL, CLIL, EMI). The course, based on the latest research findings and trends in education, will be part of the initial training and professional development of pre-service and in-service foreign language teachers and academic teachers. The project complements equity and anti-discrimination activities at the UW and responds to the needs of the academic and school community. The course will equip teachers with tools to eliminate barriers and effectively include all students in the language education process. Appropriate professional training of teachers in terms of responding to the diverse needs of all learners, especially people with special educational needs, is a necessary condition for social inclusion. Long-term benefits include equalizing educational opportunities and significantly improving the well-being of children and young people learning foreign languages and learning content through a foreign language. About 250 people will be directly involved in the project activities (seminars, survey, publications, piloting the course) and about 10,000 after its completion. The project is divided into 6 phases, each has a leader (Coordination, monitoring, risk management, quality assurance; Exchange of experience and good practices; Needs analysis; Development of a new educational offer; Pilot implementation and improvement; Promotion and sustainability). The course will be available as part of open educational resources and widely disseminated locally and internationally, and included in the educational offer of partner universities.
Summary of project results
The project was important in that it supported the equality and anti-discrimination activities at the UW and responded to the great demand of the academic and school community (foreign language teachers) for training and professional development in the field of inclusive education, universal design in education and methods of increasing accessibility of the teaching process, content and materials in the context of language learning and through language. In pursuit of the project''s objectives, we have developed all results and carried out all activities according to the plan. The results are available online and for download (pdf files) on the project website along with login instructions and a link to the online course.
The project created three results of intellectual work (RPI), which are available on the project website in an online version and for downloading as PDF files and as a link to the e-learning platform (https://scaled.uw.edu.pl/pl /category/results/).
RPI 1 - Report (edited collection) is a collection of edited texts, consists of an introduction and 14 articles, 7 written by members of the UW project team and 7 written by colleagues from OsloMet. The articles are a summary of the analysis and workshops, they contain characteristics of the implemented practices, solutions, strategies and recommendations.
RPI 2 – Methodological guide – SCALED course is a publication prepared for the education and professional development of foreign language teachers, students and academic teachers in the field of inclusive linguistic education, increasing accessibility and universal design in education. The publication contains an introduction and methodological commentary to the course and ten complete modules with QR codes enabling access to electronic materials used in each module when using the printed version of the course. 5 course modules were designed by representatives of OsloMet and 5 by members of the design team from the University of Warsaw.
RPI 3 – SCALED – online course is available on the UW - Kampus e-learning platform. Based on the course files prepared as part of RP 2, we digitized the course content and built an online course. We designed the structure, selected the functionalities of the Moodle platform for the tasks in individual modules, embedded multimedia, and recorded audio and video files that complement the text and allow the use of the course content using various modalities. We also piloted the course and had it reviewed by two external reviewers. Both the pilot and external review results were excellent.
Three project meetings were organized (one in Oslo and two in Warsaw), two learning activities - workshops (one in Oslo and one in Warsaw), during which experiences and good practices were exchanged with the partner and we were looking for the best solutions that we wanted promote in our course. Two dissemination events were organized - an information seminar and a final conference for teachers. Both took place in Warsaw, gathering a total of over 160 stationary and online participants.
The SCALED course has been designed in such a way that it can be used in remote, hybrid and face-to-face learning as well as for self-study. All modules have been piloted by teachers and students from different countries. The course received two excellent external reviews. The course is part of the educational offer of partner institutions and will be implemented as part of the professional preparation of foreign language teachers in partner institutions from the next academic year. At the University of Warsaw, there will also be training for academic staff, during which we will use the SCALED course. In addition, the course is also open to individual participants for self-study. The project is important because thanks to the project activities (e.g., dissemination activities, final conference) we popularized the concept of inclusive language teaching and the idea that diversity is norm. The project is significant because with the achieved results it can considerably contribute to improving teaching qualifications and, consequently, to improving the well-being of foreign language learners, including students with special educational needs. SCALED can make a difference. RPI 2 is in the form of a pdf document containing an introduction to the modular course and ten complete modules with a methodological guide and QR codes enabling access to electronic materials used in each module. RPI 2 is available as one collective pdf file and ten separate files containing individual modules. In accordance with the dissemination plan, a number of activities were carried out to promote and disseminate the project and its results locally and internationally.
Summary of bilateral results
The presence of the Norwegian partner in the project was crucial for many reasons. One of them was to bring a different cultural and educational perspective to the project, but also a specific work culture. The possibility of consulting, comparing, and exchanging experiences resulting from working in different educational systems, as well as identifying good practices, but also noticing what needs improvement, was an added value in the project. The members of the project team were quite a diverse group in terms of interests as well as didactic and research specialization, thus contributing a lot of valuable knowledge to the project and complementing each other. Cooperation with the Norwegian partner has brought great results - from the improvement of knowledge and mutual understanding of sometimes different perspectives on the issues raised in the project to the development of all project outcomes through joint effort. The University of Warsaw and OsloMet plan to continue cooperation on several levels, for example through the exchange of staff and students under the Erasmus program or joint publications and conference presentations as well as conducting foreign language teacher training using the SCALED course. The project has definitely contributed to strengthening bilateral relations.