I plan my future (Planifico el meu futur)

Title

I plan my future (Planifico el meu futur)

Affiliation(s)/ Institution

Institut L'Estatut (Rubí)

Email addresses

coordinaciopedagogica@insestatut.cat

Project funded by

L’Institut l’Estatut de Rubí (Catalonia, España)

Promoter name and country

L’Institut l’Estatut de Rubí (Catalonia, España)

Type of provider

private

Area of implementation

• urban
• local

Context and motivation of the project - legislative background/obligations, institutional policy, institutional structures

In the last course we worked on orienting 4th-year ESO students in a series of individual and group activities for a week and throughout the school day. Afterwards, and according to individual needs, it was followed by orientation during mentoring times. This year, given that our school’s Strategic Plan prioritises the method of cooperative and transversal work, we want to give greater unity and coherence to this process through this proposal.

Aims of the project

To promote the students’ self-awareness. To guide the student body so that they may decide on their academic and professional future sooner, in the next course. To develop critical thinking in the student body, making them aware of the importance of making justified decisions. To learn how to work as a team, assessing, respecting and confronting the opinions of classmates. To increase the students’ basic skills, especially in autonomy and personal initiative, communicative, linguistic and audiovisual skills, skills in information processing and digital skills.

Target group

• students

Description of the target group

The recipients are the 4th-year ESO students who are grouped into three class groups: two groups preferribly oriented towards the Batxillerat or Intermediate Vocational Training and one oriented towards Vocational Training, that is to say Initial Vocational Training or Intermediate Vocational Training.

Staff (selection, evaluation, training, promotion)

Human Resources employed at the school are the professors of the 4th-year teaching team, the coordinator of the 2nd year of ESO, the director of studies and the educational psychologist of the 2nd year of ESO. We also have the collaboration of old students who explained their experiences and professionals who have been interviewed by the students. There was also a field trip to Porta 22 (Barcelona Activa) during which the students worked on personal skills in choosing a profession. This field trip only cost the price of train transportation, which was paid by every student (4 euros). We have also had access to computer equipment and projectors in the classrooms and the students’ PCs.

Methodological approach, activities implemented

The students work in collaborative groups made up of 4 or 5 participants. The individual or group activities that they have to do are posted on a website (made with Google Sites technology) which guides the entire process of personal decision-making. This website can e consulted at the following address: https://sites.google.com/a/insestatut.cat/planifico-el-meu-futur---4t-d-eso---2014-2015/

Results and impact - data of program internal/ external evaluation, beneficiary satisfaction, the impact of the didactical practices at individual and institutional level

The project is assessed by using three facets: the degree of satisfaction of the students, the degree of satisfaction of the faculty and the assessment by the students. Degree of satisfaction of the students: in finishing the project, the students answer an anonymous survey. This survey asks the students about general and specific aspects of the activities. The full survey can be consulted on the following website: https://docs.google.com/a/insestatut.cat/forms/d/12PYwWeIEUQvBmbWaM9R8712p6zH_I6oocrOkSGkNnKU/ It can be seen that the majority of the students have marked it between 6.5 and 8.5. Degree of Satisfaction of the Professors: in the same way as with the students, once finishing the project a survey will be given to the professors. They were also given an overall assessment question. The average mark given in the responses was 7.13. The full survey can be seen at: https://docs.google.com/a/insestatut.cat/forms/d/146C26BzjmwFdQW0-rORm2h-nbgTTCwJsVvG3uRmONn8/viewform Assessment of the Students: in this section, the students are academically scored. The professors score the individual activities (including the oral presentation of their definitive itinerary), the group activities and the daily work of the students (using the classroom observtion schedules). In order to score the group work, the students make an assessment amongst themselves (co-assessment) using the following section: https://docs.google.com/a/insestatut.cat/document/d/1XoM5bzcX17 IZjhLvyTTX4yzpaPgCvCn4apHVkNCMkSA /edit. In this way, one of the objectives of the project is assessed, which is the students’ acquisition of basic skills.

Conclusions, lessons learned

After having done the project, the global assessment is very positive. It isn’t an assessment solely basd on the feelings of the teaching team, but rather on the established indicators showing that the experience was positive. Unanimously, all of the students stated that doing the project significantly contributed to their more recent academic orientation (for the next course) and to their more long-term profesional orientation. Apart from the orientation, the stueents worked on and leaned values that will be essential in facing the future. Values such as teamwork, responsibility and autonomy will be necessary to carry out the project and both the professors and the students have indicated that these values were developed. We believe that the way work is organised (with individual activities, group activities; with very personal proposals and other more global ones, etc.) is a plus that enriches the project in the sense that it opens doors when making the decision on what the students will do in the following course, upon finishing their obligatory studies, and in the future, when they have chosen their path towards high education studies, the working world, etc. Lastly, it is important to highlight the tools that were used to move the project forward: the web, google documents, audio and video files, etc. All of these ICT tools are incorporated into the tasks proposed naturally, thus reproducing what happens at the university (virtual learning environments) and the working world. This way of working is the one we promote at the institute, with the objective of giving the students the digital skills necessary not only in the future but also in the present. Therefore, and after seeing the results, surveys, assessments, self-assessments and co-assessments of the students, we are certain that the project has helped to improve the students’ orientation process and, thus, in the next course we shall repeat it.

Directions of further development/ Transferability, replicability

The assessment tools used have allowed us to detect the weaker points of the project, basically some specific activities that the students had to carry out and which, therefore, in the upcoming course will be improved. We are also carefully monitoring the final decision that the students are making and if it is coherent with the oral presentation they do upon finishing the project. In September, we will also contrast the students’ decisions with the studies they are finally undertaking. This will give us more data in order to make improvements to the project if necessary. Lastly we wish to highlight that working in projects is one of the key points of the educational project of our school, along with the students’ mentoring. Carrying out this project allows us to join the two points together and therefore strengthen the two aspects at the same time.

Type of ESL (early school leaving) practice

• Prevention

Web references (url, social media presence)

https://sites.google.com/a/insestatut.cat/planifico-el-meu-futur---4t-d-eso---2014-2015/

Parameters on which the practice is applicable (check those appropriate)

• Methodologies of provision
• Objectives and needs

Bibliography

http://static.educaweb.com/notaprensa/Premi_educaweb/2014/A1.pdf