Voices of the World
Education, Research, Culture
Portugal - ISCTE university hosts approximately 9000 students in the undergraduate and postgraduate programs of its 4 schools: ISCTE Business School, the School of Sociology and Public Policy, the School of
Technology and Architecture and the School of Social Sciences and Humanities. Most of the 450 members of the teaching staff are involved in cutting-edge research. Furthermore, ISCTE is committed to internationalization as a component of its development, with international students making up nearly 20% of the student body. The university also is actively engaged in collaborative projects, networks and partnerships around the world, including a range of European Union-supported educational, training and research programs. These
international collaborations, together with its strong traditions in teaching and research, make Iscte into one of the most dynamic universities in the country. Iscte institute is distinguished as being among the world’s best >150 young universities (THE Rankings 19) and one of the most dynamic and innovative in Portugal, in the areas of Management and Economics, Humanities, Social Sciences (SSH) and Public Policy (PP), ICT and Architecture. Iscte has established (inter)national cooperation with a large number of universities, research institutes and public, private and 3rd sector organizations. It has a strong link to and impact on science, economy and society. Quality and Sustainability institutional policies
(QMS) are strategically embedded in our mission. The QMS embraces all Teaching/Learning, Research, Outreach and Internationalization activities, and follows the guidelines from the ENQA. QMS is also certified by the Portuguese A3ES and by ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standard, being first PT University with Environmental Certification.
ISCTE has the mission to create and convey scientific knowledge according to the best international standards, training highly skilled professionals, mainly at the postgraduate level, in the areas of management, sociology and public policy, social sciences and humanities and information technology and architecture for the sustainable development of society. The three main vectors of the Institute’s mission - research, teaching and learning, and services provided to society.
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Lithuania - Siauliai r. Dubysos aukstupio school is secondary school consisting of three departments. 450 students aged 2- 17 attend the institution and 34 teachers work in it. The institution is situated in the suburbs of the fourth largest town of Lithuania - Šiauliai (north of the country). 6 IB themes are integrated in our institution’s curriculum. Our teachers are very experienced in conducting the lessons in the different environment (out of the school), e.g. the museums, libraries, educational centers, etc., as it helps better integrate the education and the real life. Siauliai r. Dubysos aukstupio school would be very useful and even essential for developing the IT skills of the teachers and students. One of the most important characteristics of a 21st century teacher is to use the full range of digital-age tools to improve students' engagement and achievement. Learning to move digital technology into the heart of the learning process is an ongoing challenge for educators. The IT tool usage is the priority in the school's action plan of 2020 - all the teachers are encouraged to learn and master the chosen IT tool, integrate STEAM to the educational process, share the experience with the colleagues.
Democratic approach is one of the basis of the school life. Everyone is given the opportunity to participate, ideas are exchanged freely, and discussion is encouraged. Democratic meetings are held once a month and each member of our school has equal rights in taking decisions. Our school focuses on ICT integration into the curriculum and the educational process. ICT integration is provided in the Strategy of the organisation. 50 percent of teachers have Microsoft educators‘ certificates. The school is recognized as a Microsoft Showcase school in Lithuania. The teachers of the school share their experience all over the country. In 2018- 2019 the +school‘s team participated in the project of Lithuanian Ministry of Education and Science for ICT integration into the primary education.
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Poland - Lublin Real School is a private high school with the goal of teaching in a practical and experiential way. Our students choose one of the four specializations that they realize within 3 years of study. These are specializations: business, artistic and multimedia, socio-natural and technical with IT. The school puts a lot of emphasis on preparing students for studies and for finding themselves effectively in the labor market. Our students participate in classes organized at Lublin universities and a number of classes are conducted by professionals in the field of music, business, law, etc. The school works closely with the network of real schools throughout Poland and also implements joint international projects with partner partners (Germany).
The school employs about 30 teachers and specialists. We take pride in offering our students a variety of extra-curricular activities (sports, drama, cinelab, school newspaper, film club, internship) as well as national and international projects and competitions in which the school is involved. The school also promotes and improves integration and inclusion of foreign students and students with special needs. Our school wants the students to become more aware of the problemms that surround us, about pollution and on the importance to protect our land. Also, we want them to share ideas and find out how each of us can contribute to the protection of the environment, in our homes and in the school, the need for sustainable materials.
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Turkey - Adalya school; In terms of our scope of work, we corporate middle school (5th – 6th – 7th and 8th graders) including high school (9th – 10th – 11th and 12th graders) We have 3 principals including 23 staff in our school. As a result of the incredible technological and social changes that are taking place today, 65% of today's children will have to do professions that are not
available today in adulthood, and moreover they will have to change jobs, jobs, even countries throughout their lives. For such a dynamic future, education has to be built on the vision of "Lifetime Achievement". We believe that the only competitive skill is the ability to learn, and we argue that the main task of education is to teach children how to learn. As Adalya College, we know very well that individuals who have learned to learn will make a difference in the future. In the 21st century, creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills must be developed for a qualified and successful life. Choosing a school is one of the most important decisions we will make for our children. Every parent naturally tries to provide the best educational environment he can for his most precious assets. It is often difficult to decide among many school options. For this reason, we explained the
difference of our school for parents who want to compare Adalya College with other school alternatives. When comparing, we strongly remind you to consider these criteria, which make up the difference in quality, quality and fee between schools. Common European Language Reference Framework (CEFR) is taken as basis in teaching English at our school. CEFR is used worldwide to identify and measure students' language skills. At Adalya College, English teaching programs are prepared in accordance with the principles of Communicative Approach". Digital learning platforms integrate foreign language into students' lives without time and space limitations. Interactive digital learning platforms enriched with artificial intelligence technologies, which are tools of blended learning, are used efficiently in foreign language teaching in our school. In this way, language learning processes are spread outside the school. While children are 20% of the population today, it is 100% of our future. We have to prepare our children for the future with the education of the future. We argue that education and training should not be limited to classical tools and methods in the 21st century. In our opinion, using technology smartly and efficiently in education is one of the primary responsibilities of every educator and educational institution.
At Adalya College we enrich education with digital content powered by artificial intelligence. Students and teachers use both classical materials and digital contents in the most efficient way. With cloud technologies, students and teachers interact anytime, anywhere. Every student must have an internet connection and a suitable computer or tablet in their home. Students who wish can come to the school with their notebooks and books as well as with a tablet or laptop. The school has a secure and controlled internet network application.
Turkey - ANTALYA VIZYON COLLEGE; Microsoft has officially accredited Vizyon College as “Showcase School”. Vizyon College is shown as an example around the world as the 21st Century School. Microsoft, which is one of the technology companies that invest the most in education worldwide, directly supports the technology-supported 21st century education applications implemented in Vizyon College within the scope of the project school. The "Smart Use of Technology" project initiated between Vizyon College and Microsoft aims to train more successful students by using technology effectively in education. Within the scope of the project, which contributes to the digitalization of our schools, the Microsoft operating system and applications are actively used in all areas of our education activities. State-of-the-art programs such as the classroom management system VCLASS, Office Mix, OneNote, Office365 enable 21st century skills to be used directly in the classroom environment.
The mission of our school is "to equip our students with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to be happy and successful individuals for life." Our school has determined two main goals in education in order to fulfill its mission. All the work done is to achieve these goals.
1. To gain and develop intellectual, social and emotional skills that are the key to lifelong success.
2. To gain and develop the equipment and skills required for academic success. Intellectual, social and emotional skills are processes that help individuals develop basic skills for life success. These skills teach us the skills we all need to deal effectively and morally with ourselves, our
relationships, and our work. These skills include recognizing and managing our emotions, developing interest and concern for others, establishing positive relationships, making responsible decisions, and coping constructively and ethically with challenging situations. These skills enable individuals to calm down when they are angry, make friends, resolve conflicts respectfully, make ethical and safe choices, and live a healthy and happy life; These are the skills that make it possible to be successful throughout life, anywhere in the world. We care about our students' high success in national exams, English proficiency exams and university years, and aim to provide our students with the skills to achieve these success goals. In order for students to reach their academic success goals, 3 basic competence areas are focused at the center of education. These are Turkish, Mathematics and English. Studies show that students who gain competence in these fields can easily achieve high success in the fields of social sciences and science. Academic success becomes life-long with personal development equipment. With this understanding, it is aimed that every student at Vizyon College can play an instrument, have in-depth knowledge and skills in at least one art and a sport, and be able to communicate in at
least one language other than English.
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