<< Objectives >>This project aims to support tutors and education freelancers who work with students aged 10 – 16 in gaining more pedagogical competences, enhance their professional practice and expand their skills and knowledge about pedagogical, innovative, and inclusive approaches in teaching and learning. By implementing this project, we want to offer more possibilities for tutors’ continuous professional development and learning and offer supportive material for their practice.<< Implementation >>Throughout the project, a series of content creation activities will be implemented such as the creation of the modules of the MOOC, booklet on tutoring in Europe, creation of resources and lists of tools containing practice-oriented ready to use materials. Several testing phases will be organised to guarantee the quality of the results produced. Additionally, we will lead ongoing quality management, and engage in various dissemination actions and events as well as transnational meetings.<< Results >>We will create Tutoring in Europe booklet, an open online course for tutors containing 6 independent modules, as well as accompanying learner-centered syllabus for tutors to expand their knowledge and skills. We also intend to create practice-oriented support materials for tutors focused on being education freelancer, tutoring profession, inclusion, digital learning, engagement and pedagogical support containing ready-to-use worksheets, model session plans and learning how to learn toolbox.

<< Background >>Mathematics is one of the academic areas that have an important implication in everyday functioning. Without some mathematical knowledge, one would not know how to pay when grocery shopping or manage the monthly budget. However, mathematical skills are not skills an individual is born with but are rather skills that need to be learned. Calculation, like reading, is a culturally derived, specifically taught, slowly learned skill (Rapin, 2016). Due to the fact that math needs to be learned and the individual has to put some effort in order to acquire mathematical skills, many students have an aversion towards mathematics as a science. According to research, one of the general reasons for this aversion lies in the anxiety towards mathematics.But besides the mathematical deficits from an emotional origin, there is a group of children and adults who have cognitive difficulties with mathematics (Mammarella et al., 2015). This condition is called dyscalculia. Dyscalculia is a specific learning difficulty, which is manifested by problems in mathematics and the understanding of mathematical concepts. According to the British Dyslexia Association (2019), dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics. It is unexpected in relation to age, level of education, and experience and occurs across all ages and abilities. Students who face dyscalculia often struggle with understanding the concepts of bigger vs. smaller and mastering even the most basic mathematical operations.The prevalence of dyscalculia in the school population ranges from 3 – 6% (Shalev et al., 2000). But unlike the other specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and, ADHD, there has been very little research on dyscalculia. That is why the worldwide awareness is still very low and that causes parents and teachers not to be able to identify children with dyscalculia and to determine the exact difference between students experiencing dyscalculia and those who have math anxiety. Parents are often unfamiliar with the condition and think that their child’s math difficulties occur due to laziness.In-depth research in this area has shown that there is an evident lack of courses for parents for students with dyscalculia. Courses are usually oriented towards building skills in teachers predominantly for evaluation or working strategies with children with dyscalculia. Parents are usually uninformed, and do not have the skills to advice their children when needed. The initial target group are the parents of children with math difficulties. This platform and successive course will tender to their needs, knowledge and skills regarding this issues. The research done in the first part of the project (project result no. 1) will guide us in the process of creation of the content for the platform and it will also be a guide for all the policies related to the educational process of children with dyscalculia. The secondary group that will mostly benefit are the children with dyscalculia. These children will get double instruction - a regular instruction from teachers in schools and home-based instruction from their parents. Their educational needs will be met through an online course which will be self-paced and the parents can go through the course in their own time and place. The instructions placed on the platform and in the course will be created by experienced practitioners and experts in the field, and most importantly they will be available at all times.The development and use of the platform will improve the digital skills of all, aligned with the challenges set in the new century. In this way the project will meet the needs of the partnership as well.<< Objectives >>Due to all of the above, the main objective of the CALCULATE project is the creation of online courses intended for parents of children experiencing math difficulties. The need to educate parents about dyscalculia is evident and by creating the online courses their competencies will be improved with appropriate techniques and tools on how to help their children’s mathematical difficulties. Another project objective is a development of an interactive online platform where the course curriculum will be available. This way, besides being able to equip themselves with basic dyscalculia strategies, parents can learn other parents’ dyscalculia experiences and also share their own, as the platform will also give possibilities for blog following, blended learning and, forums. The platform will provide the exchange of best practices and experience of the project partners countries’ that currently exist.Other project objectives include:•Development of a platform for parents who have children with dyscalculia for online courses. •Creation of a handbook for identifying and teaching strategies for children with dyscalculia.•Development of dyscalculia policies for the educational institutions (policy paper).•Research conduction in order to be obtained the percentage representation of dyscalculia children in elementary schools (in order to make long-term strategies.Promoting and strengthening knowledge and acceptance of diversity in society.The project target group are the parents of children with dyscalculia, but the project results can be useful to all professionals in the field of education since all of the platform materials (tools) will be available all over Europe and shared on the Internet platforms for didactic materials (EPALE, School gateway, e-twinning, etc.)<< Implementation >>Three transnational meetings will be held including persons from the project management teams/administration and experts/researchers involved in the production of the project results. 1st kick-off meeting. The purpose and main objective of this meeting is an introduction of all partners, introduction of the GANTT chart for all upcoming project activities, explanation of the budget allocation, financial procedures and responsibilities. 2nd transnational meeting will be held in Italy in February 2023. This meeting will be held at the middle of the project activities and it will be closely related to the development of the online course and the successive platform. This meeting will also be related to discussions in the area of visibility of the project and further sustainability of the platform. 3rd meeting for sustainability and dissemination of project results. This meeting will be organized towards the end of the project activities, in Belgium, in December 2023. The three upcoming dissemination events will be discussed, as they are crucial for larger visibility of the project and of course for sharing all the knowledge and skills gained through this transnational collaboration. Three project results are planned within the framework of this project:1.Research: Dyscalculia or math anxiety;2.Online course-content for parents: Overcoming dyscalculia;3.Interactive platform with online courses for parents of children with dyscalculia.Three multiplier events are planned towards the end of the project:ME1 - Dyscalculia and math learning difficulties;ME2 - Overcoming dyscalculia;ME3 - Evidence based strategies for children with dyscalculia.Two LTTAs are necessary for the participants to gain the needed skills for production of the project results:1st Training: Innovative STEAM pedagogical tools for parents to teach math to children;2nd Training: Training of trainers (ToT).<< Results >>Tangible results: - Creation of curriculum for online courses for parents of children with dyscalculia; - Creation of interactive platform (e-learning) about dyscalculia approaches and working strategies; – Improvement of parents’ skills and capabilities for appropriate support of their children with dyscalculia; – Creation of handbook for dyscalculia identification and teaching strategies; – Drafting of dyscalculia education policies (policy paper); – Increased access to dyscalculia tools and materials; – Development of new dyscalculia approaches and methods; – Gain of valuable data about dyscalculia prevalence on elementary school level through research.Intangible results: - A more profound understanding of differences in mathematical skills acquisition and learning; - Raising awareness about dyscalculia and specific learning difficulties in general; - Increased motivation for learning in adults; - Increased interest in supporting other students with disabilities; - Increased support of parents with dyscalculic children.

"<< Background >>The project SIMPL4ALL intends to respond to the needs of the participating Organizations and, through them, to those of the main target group: young people, between 14 and 21 years old, with disabilities, learning difficulties and disadvantages, which prevent their full personal and professional fulfilment. The Consortium, committed in many ways to SOCIAL INCLUSION, is represented by 8 Partners from 6 different countries: Italy, Austria, Belgium, France, Slovenia and Spain.> THE PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS 'NEEDSThe emerging need is to enhance and make the VET system more attractive, transforming it from a ""second chance"" to a land of opportunities for all. The project carries out three main types of coordinated interventions : 1. Upskilling for teaching and support staff, with the use of more participatory methods and the enhancement of ""learning mediators"". SIMPL4ALL works on the new methods and tools that the European Agency for Special Educational Needs and Inclusive Education (EASNIE) outlined in the Position Paper on Inclusive Educational Systems for the training update of sector operators. 2. Stimulation of the use of digital, through open, accessible and inclusive ""user-centred"" resources, enhancing the potential of technologies for teaching/learning (trainers will be invited to use the SELFIE tool as a preliminary self-assessment) 3. Promotion of networking, locally with Services, Associations, Families, and internationally, through the sharing and exchange of protocols and best practices, to face educational challenges and the digital transition.> THE TARGET GROUPS NEEDSThere are two target groups: staff engaged in training and socio-educational activities and young people in the 14-21 age group. In the previous section, we pointed out the professionalization and training needs of the staff engaged in inclusive education. Conversely, the needs of young people at risk of exclusion and marginalization are the following: 1. the reduction of obstacles that prevent people from contributing with their resources and abilities to social and democratic life, in different community contexts: school, vocational training, labour market, peer group. 2. the diversity enhancement, because diversity has not to be stigmatized and ""trapped” in special categories or classes, but accepted. SIMPL4ALL, reversing the paradigm of SPECIAL EDUCATION, claims that not the needs, but the PEOPLE are SPECIAL. We are all SPECIAL, nobody excluded. Everyone has the right to simply satisfy the need to learn, interact and feel good, according to their own capabilities. The project SIMPL4ALL promotes the active participation of the young, both in the research for the production of the materials and the piloting. In particular, the focus groups with advocates lead to building resources that respond to the needs and requirements of the end-users. A quick guide is devoted to Peers: young people, often with disabilities or learning difficulties, acting as informal mediators in the learning process. Furthermore, students will be the protagonist of VET Video Modeling in professions and trades. SIMPL4ALL will collect the end-users feedbacks (in terms of accessibility, usability, usefulness ...), thus contributing to the final implementation and product validation. Different needs and learning contexts require personalized and individualized tools. Therefore, the learning mediators' training focuses, more than on the product itself, on the use of simplified language in inclusive teaching/learning, as a METHOD which is easier to adapt and apply to different contexts and learner’s characteristics.<< Objectives >>> THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVESThe objectives to be achieved, through the activities of the project SIMPL4ALL, are:>> contributing to inclusive learning, based on the paradigms of the pedagogy of mediation (Vygotskij, Bruner, Feuerstein) and pedagogical activism (Dewey, Montessori, Decroly)>> promoting the digital transition, guaranteeing opportunities, inclusion, sustainable growth and resilience>> increasing the attractiveness of VET, introducing methodological innovation and new tools to facilitate learning ""so that no one is left behind"".This will happen through:a. the creation of accessible teaching tools and materials, suitable for the characteristics, methods and speed of learning of everyone, promoting the participation (according to the possibilities) and protagonism of the learners;b. the qualification and development of enabling skills in the 'inclusive learning mediators', even in non-formal contexts.c. the participation and advocacy of end-users in the construction of ""tailor-made"" teaching materials.SIMPL4ALL, in line with the CEDEFOP’s TEL-Toolkit (Toolbox to prevent early school leaving), and with the priorities set out in the VET (see webinar: Making excellence inclusive: towards a new Cedefop survey of VET teachers and trainers - Feb. 2021), specifically:- Promotes VET excellence, through the training of trainers in inclusive teaching (LTTA 1 and 2);- Supports learners, who are marginalized and at risk of school leaving, by creating inclusive and participatory learning environments (INVOLVEMENT OF BENEFICIARIES IN THE TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS, TOOLS SET UP AND PILOTING);- Enhances digital transition, a necessity imposed by Covid-19, but also a great resource for teaching/learning (THE PORTAL WITH TOOLKIT AND RESOURCES).<< Implementation >>During the SIMPL4ALL 30 months' project lifespan, the 8 Partners, each one with specific tasks and responsibilities depending on the technical characteristics and experience gained, will implement the following ACTIVITIES AND INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS:- Activation of focus groups with the final beneficiaries for the co-definition of educational paths starting from needs (self-advocacy as a tool for self-representation and self-determination)- IO1 Simplified language instruction Manual: the creation of an operating manual for the production and implementation of texts written in simplified language, suitable for the largest number of users- IO2 Pedagogical Toolkit: EtR EtU teaching materials for different types of students, mainly in the 14-21 age group: E-books, practical tips, examples of lessons with exercises- IO3 Pedagogical Mediation for inclusive education-instructions for use (with Quick Guides on the use of materials and tools for formal and non-formal learning mediators and a specific section on cooperative learning and peer mediation)- IO4 Realization of 6 video-modelling in the technical-professional sectors of interest (working in the office; working in the green; working in catering)- 2 LTTA events for the training of staff facilitators on simplified language and the use of the materials produced, which will be held at the University of Maribor in Slovenia and Mons in Wallonia, before the start of the piloting- Product testing in 6 Countries- Dissemination events, both in physical and virtual mode.The end-users of the products, as well as the wide network of the Associated Partners, will be directly involved in many research activities, preparatory to the realization of the Guides, as well as in piloting and dissemination.SIMPL4ALL, to support the synergic use of resources and the sharing of strategies within the Partnership and associated partners, will also implement:. An Action Plan. A Quality and monitoring and evaluation Plan, with tools and metrics for collecting and evaluating feedback. A Communication and Dissemination Plan, fostering a coordinated image and communication strategy, responsive to the needs and characteristics of the stakeholdersThe choice of channels and communication and dissemination plan responds to two strategic objectives:1. “SIMPL4ALL goes DIGITAL”, promotes teaching/learning materials made with new technologies, in compliance with the accessibility and usability standards of the Universal Design;2. “SIMPL4ALL goes GREEN”, through the digitization of materials, puts into practice the ""zero paper"" policy, minimizing paper waste and thus contributing to the responsible consumption of resources.<< Results >>At the end of the project, the following RESULTS AND IMPACT are expected:- Increased knowledge of the models to design inclusive learning, of the references to active pedagogy and mediation, of the tools and methods for the creation of texts in simplified language- >40 participants in self-advocacy groups in different countries for the co-definition of learning objectives and issues to be addressed- >/=20 process facilitators able to create texts in simplified language and use the materials and models proposed through the short-term joint transnational training- Free didactic material, written in an accessible format and simple language, in 6 European languages for end-users, downloadable from the project website- Quick guides on the method and materials produced, disseminated in the languages of the partnership and English, dedicated to the widest range of formal and non-formal learning mediators- Products testing, with the involvement of >/=250 users (including learners, teachers and informal mediators)- Dissemination events with an audience of>/= 450 participants at the European level, between physical and virtual events.The change from the starting situation to the one at the end of the project will be measured starting from the ""baseline"", consisting of the desk research on the educational systems in the partner countries and the strategies to respond to the so-called ""special educational needs"". Some stakeholders will be interviewed before and after the experimentation interventions, in the different territories.The qualitative and quantitative collected feedback will be used for the Sustainability Report, feeding the Final Evaluation of SIMPL4ALL."

<< Objectives >>By creating a set of innovative cross-curriculum pedagogical materials and method, we intend to contribute to develop creative pedagogical tools to teach STEAM through lenses of history. Partners also intend on paying special attention to the accessibility and inclusiveness of the material produced. We aim at establishing long lasting partnership that will evolve in future collaborations.<< Implementation >>We will implement different content creation activities: the creation of the guidebook on the importance of confidence in the education of learners with disabilities, a collection of role model success stories and workshop creation containing a model proposal for learner’s stories. Several testing phases will be organised to guarantee the results' quality. Additionally, we will lead ongoing quality management and engage in various dissemination actions, and one transnational team meeting.<< Results >>Our goals are for the project to strengthen the profile of teaching professions by enhancing the teacher’s initial education and continuous professional development through the promotion of competence-oriented teaching and learning. Also, to increase the levels of pupils’ achievement and interest in STEM by using the STE(A)M approach with a cross-curricular angle with History and Humanities. The main result of the project will be the guide, the manipulation and the pedagogical materials.

"Faced with the climate crisis, saving and rationalizing energy also concerns the Internet and its websites, designed today to host more and more videos and high-definition and enriched content...The global movement of digitization of society, which is leading towards ever more connectivity and enriched content, raises the question of its control and sustainability.Beyond the words ""Print this email only if necessary"", it is urgent to train professionals in charge of digital projects on these issues, to enable them to develop digital strategies that fully integrate the issues of social and environmental responsibility and thus enable them to implement new professional practices. Today's entrepreneurs must fully grasp the challenges opened up by the necessary fight against climate change in order to innovate differently. Social and environmental responsibility must go hand in hand with the issue of e-accessibility. Beyond the legal obligation to develop digital content according to accessibility rules and standards, it appears that the ""low-tech"" design of websites considerably improves the accessibility of contents. Less cumbersome sites are more accessible for users with low quality internet connections. Limited visual effects make it easier for users with special needs to read and navigate. Our objective is to encourage digital professionals to think about combining eco-design AND content accessibility. A more sustainable internet must also be a more accessible internet. We also wish to contribute to the reduction of the environmental gap by encouraging the integration of people in precarious situations, with disabilities and/or far from the digital world into innovative digital projects and by training them in this environmental, social and economic responsibility. Thus, the project aims at further strengthening key competence (improving the digital skills and knowledge) in continuing VET and enhancing access to this training and qualifications for all learners, including the professionals with disabilities and/or disorders. The issues of accessibility, inclusion, digital sobriety and sustainability must become the key competencies of digital professionals and entrepreneurs. The digitisation of society impacts all professional sectors. The transition to an Internet and a reasoned and inclusive digital project management cannot take place without active and massive training of all its actors: project managers, creative people, communicators, entrepreneurs, content editors and broadcasters... set up by those who accompany them: trainers from the VET community, incubators, public actors, etc.That's why we brought together professionals from the VET community, digital sector and entrepreneurial mentoring to create The Good Manager: a set of modular, open source and free educational resources, gathered on a platform designed according to the principles of low digital design. Partnership management and project implementation will be implemented with a view to minimizing the environmental impact of the actions (eco-responsible project management tools, limited travel) and to ensuring accessibility of tools and documents for professionals with specific needs.Practically, we expect an eco-designed and accessible platform gathering all the project resources and dissemination activities in the 5 languages of the partnership (French, English, Bulgarian, Spanish and Italian). This includes:> the documentation of the platform (in the form of tutoring and feedback from the partners in its design), translated into the 5 languages of the partnership.> a database of projects and professionals working for innovative, inclusive and low-tech digital solutions (tools, management, achievements), European and collaborative, in the form of an interactive map and developed in wiki format.> a training implementation guide for the VET community> 3 micro-learning modules on eco-design, accessibility and sustainable and inclusive project management, estimated at 1 day of learning each (about 20 hours training).The Good Manager's resources have the objective to be disseminated as widely as possible in all professional sectors in order to contribute to digital sobriety and inclusion.The digitisation of society and the issue of the environmental, social and economic impact of digital are transnational issues. The implementation of European projects are themselves at the heart of these issues.We therefore wish to pool our experience and skills to make The Good Manager both a European experiment and an exchange of good practices on the issues of innovation and digital eco-design, digital accessibility and conscious and inclusive project management."