http://lsl.eun.org
‘STEPS’ plan for AP1 Schools
Diana Bannister
University of Wolverhampton
April 2013
STEPS plan for schools
About the ‘STEPS’ Plan
This has been developed by Diana Bannister to encourage a common framework and terminology for
school development across the project. This will form the outline of your work as you begin to
collaborate within the Living Schools Lab network. This approach has been based upon the model of
action research, but offers a more practical plan that can be used by the project at many different
levels. During the Advanced Schools workshop in Brussels (17th and 18th January 2013) and the
Advanced Practitioner Workshop in April 2013 in Lisbon, Diana Bannister discussed the ‘STEPS’ plan
and also the need to think about small focussed actions that could be documented. This will help us
to collate evidence for the project and enable us to share practice that could be up scaled or
mainstreamed.
The Advanced Schools should then be able to work with the Advanced Practitioners to enable them
to create a ‘STEPS’ plan that can demonstrate practice classroom level. The Advanced Practitioner
should also select a Focus Theme. Throughout the project, the idea is that the Advanced Schools
work with the Advanced Practitioners to see how their practice can be shared and developed at a
National level, but also as part of the Living Schools Lab network.
It is recommended that the National Co-ordinator works with the Advanced School and the Advanced
Practitioners to identify commonalities between the ‘STEPS’ and to determine the kinds of support
that could be made available. It would also be useful to consider how the ‘STEPS’ could address
National priorities.
Your STEPS plan is a working document and should help you to document your progress as you focus
on a specific theme within the project and how you will record whole school level developments. This
will also help to provide information for the Community of Practice and at a later stage for the Case
Studies.
Each Advanced School has already selected their Theme in the LSL project and created a STEPS Plan
to support this. They will share these with you at the Regional Hub Meetings.
Each Advanced Practitioner should now work with their National Co-ordinator to select one of the
LSL Themes featured in the Community of Practice, and complete a STEPS plan in support of the
selected Theme. The Advanced Practitioner will focus on developing their ideas in their classroom
and across their own school. The Advanced Schools may also be able to help you by offering some
ideas or specific training. E.g. If in your STEPS plan you want to develop the use of one to one
devices, your Advanced School may already be an expert in this area and could help you to train
your staff. You will also work and be supported on your selected theme by the Advanced Schools
in the Community of Practice.
We will then begin to build a picture of the ‘STEPS’ that are being documented across the network
and work with you to look at how we can co-ordinate the showcasing, demonstration and validation
of practice.
If you require any further support, please contact Diana Bannister. DianaBannister@wlv.ac.uk
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STEPS plan for schools
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STEPS plan for schools
Our STEPS plan
Name of School:
Country:
Erimi Primary School
Cyprus
Plan completed by: Adamantia Hadjioannou, Ph.D.
National
Co-ordinator:
Costas Hambiaouris, Ph.D.
School Focus Theme(s): <Collaborative learning>
The innovative use of web 2.0 tools to promote effective collaborative learning
through English as a Second Language (ESL)
Current ‘STEPS’ (Complete each box with short description or bullet points
only)
Share/Present
What are you doing already that is important related to your chosen focus theme?
This should be something that you can evidence
with practical examples.
(Something we know):
The introduction of teaching English
and ICT from Year 1 was one of the
innovations in the curriculum of AllDay primary schools in 2006. The
teaching of ICT as a separate school
subject has enabled the teachers to
create projects intedisciplinary
and/or through european programs
(such as eTwinning).
Key
Dates
2006-now
As an English and ICT techer I have
managed to merge the teaching of
both subjects to reinforce students’
active engagement in the learning
process of second language
acquisition and use of technology,
as follows:
- use of the IWB and the tools it
provides
- use of collaborative and web 2.0
tools for students to create projects
- use of MS Office applications
- use of iPad applications to
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STEPS plan for schools
differentiate and enhance learning
- use of Microsoft free education
tools
- use of mind mapping tools
- use of Edmodo to create an online
learning community between me
and my students
- use of MovieMaker or Photostory
for students to create innovative
videos
I also use technology for
managerial and administrative
purposes.
Teach/Technology
Can you share some examples of what you have
seen and identify examples of practice?
(Something we want to show/demonstrate):
What can you demonstrate to staff across your
school?
I want to show/demonstrate to
staff across school how to:
- Create an online community of
practice between the teacher and
the students with the use of
Edmodo.com.
- Create comics with the use of
Toondoo.com (students use the
English language learnt to create
stories creatively)
- use Padlet.com to collaboratively
create texts ccording to a specific
subject matter
- use Infogr.am to illustrate data
and create interactive infographics
(students can conduct small scale
research within class or school
level)
- create movies with MovieMaker
or Photostory (students creatively
combine text, photos, audio,
music, and/or video to produce
videos and demonstrate their
knowledge)
- use Photosynth to create
panoramic views of a room/area
and include information in certain
places for students to find, study
and/or discuss.
- use Glogster to create interactive
multimedia posters about a
specific theme (e.g. myself, my
country)
- use Socrative.com to promote
students’ active engagement
through a series of educational
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STEPS plan for schools
exercises and games
- use Bubbl.us to create online
brainstorming activities.
- use Voki.com to enhance students
language skills by creating their
own avatars and adding voice to
them.
Evidence/Research/Collaboration
Think about what has led you to the
developments on your school focus theme. Is
there particular research that has informed your
work? Are there particular partnerships that will
take you forward?
(Something we have learned/Something we are
learning about):
Plan/Innovate
Try to identify 2 or 3 key questions.
How will you implement what you are trying to
achieve? What are the replicable ‘STEPS’ for
others who may want to do the same? How will
you measure your success?
(Something we will do):
This particular theme was selected
due to the following:
- The teaching of English begins
from class 1. Given the fact that
the acquisition of a second
language is very difficult—
especially in the case of Cyprus
where the alphabet is also
different from the Latin
alphabet)—it is important for the
teacher to use innovative ways
with technology to not only attract
students’ attention but also
stimulate students’ active
engagement in order for the
learning to take place.
- The use of technological tools
facilitate the process of learning
for students with different
learning styles (multiple
intelligences).
- All web 2.0 tools support English
(and most of them support Greek).
- The innovative use of web 2.0
tools can be applied in a variety of
subjects (not just the teaching of
English language), as a result
teachers in all teaching areas can
use them in their practice.
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Questions:
- Which web 2.0 tools can be used
in the teaching of ESL?
- How can these tools can
innovatively be used in the
classroom to promote and
enhance learning?
- How do the students benefit from
the innovative use of web 2.0
tools in the learning process?
(Do they make creative projects,
which demonstrate their
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STEPS plan for schools
understanding of the correct use
of English?)
Replicable ‘STEPS’:
1. Form a group of ESL/EFL
teachers (colleagues in
different teaching areas are
also welcome) at school to
discuss which and how web 2.0
tools can be used in the
classroom to encourage and
improve learning. Keep a log of
the ideas.
2. Create a website (or cloudbased platform) or a blog to
share lesson
plans/videos/projects of how to
innovatively use the web 2.0
tools.
3. Plan co-teaching (where an
expert can help another
colleague with the use of
technology in the classroom)
and/or demonstrate lessons.
4. Present the use of at least one
web 2.0 tool at the teachers’
meeting every week.
5. Share our results within our
regional hub.
How we will measure our success:
Evaluation will take place during
(sharing ideas on the website,
demonstartation or co-teaching a
lesson, students’ active engagement
in the learning process) and at the
end of the project (students’
progress, that is projects which
reflect on what they learned and
how they applied their knowledge,
increase in the number of colleagues
who use the web 2.0 tools in their
teaching to enahnce learning) with
logs and discussions within the focus
group.
- Teachers may need CPD training
on the use of technology (for
(Define the areas of support required and how
example, IWB features, tablets,
this will be achieved):
cloub-base platforms)
Think about how you will use the Advanced
- Tablets or smartphones may be
Support
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STEPS plan for schools
Schools in your regional hub, as well as the
Advanced Schools in the Community of practice,
and your National Coordinator to help and
support you implement your STEPS plan.
needed for educational purposes
(for example, for students to
complete a quiz on
Socrative.com), but there is a
policy not to bring them at
school. Maybe a settlement can
be arranged, among our National
Coordinator, our regional hub and
the parents.
- There is a need to have Wi-Fi
access in all classrooms at school
(Wi-Fi is only available in the
Teachers’ room).
- There are only 12 personal
computers in the Computer lab,
which are not enough for all
students in a class. Therefore,
some students share a computer,
which causes some delay in the
lesson (for example, if they are
asked to use their credentials to
login at Edmodo.com) and
complete an assignment. So, we
may need more computers, or in
case of using tablets for the rest
of the students, Wi-Fi access will
be required.
The work presented in this document is supported by the European Commission’s FP7 programme – project
Living Schools Lab (Grant agreement Nº 317587). The content of this document is the sole responsibility of
the consortium members and it does not represent the opinion of the European Commission and the
Commission is not responsible for any use that might be made of information contained herein.
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