Odesa and the Odesa region: The introduction of the new educational standards is one of the challenges that educational institutions in Ukraine face. New educational standards were developed and passed into law, recognised by the Ministry of Education and Science, and have been incrementally introduced since 2012. New textbooks and guidelines are available but there is still need for support in the practical implementation of educational standards and their application in the classroom. This requires new learning and teaching strategies and, consequently, new further education offerings for teachers. Educational standards in Ukraine are introduced subject by subject and each covers several subject areas. For example, in the subject of mathematics for primary/elementary schools the Odesa Regional In-Service Teacher Training Institute (LFI) and the methodology centres were supported within the framework of this project by experts from the University College of Teacher Education Upper Austria to develop training programmes and support measures for teachers to implement the standards at the primary/elementary school level and subsequently to jointly pilot the standards. The project results have been summarised in a publication.
An analysis of the project results showed that it is particularly necessary to intensify the implementation of open learning in order to create learning settings that enable social learning on the part of the pupils in addition to imparting subject matter skills. In the course of quality development at the Odesa Regional In-Service Teacher Training Institute the institute’s course offering is adapted to competence-based modules. Modules on democratic education, IT, culture, and entrepreneurship were already introduced; social skills are also covered in the project. Facilitating the acquisition of social skills requires more than merely implementing appropriate methods. An interplay between the use of methods and a reflection on the application and experience of social skills through the expansion of self-competence is needed to enable a complete implementation of teaching/learning settings for the acquisition of social skills. This necessitates that all persons involved go through these processes, a practice that is ensured within the framework of this project and supported and facilitated by Austrian experts, including those from the University College of Teacher Education Upper Austria.
The main target groups are young teachers at pilot schools in the Odesa region as well as methodologists from the Odesa Regional In-Service Teacher Training Institute and the regional methodological centres. Methods for imparting social skills at schools will be piloted on the basis of these learning processes. The further education offering of LFI Odesa is adapted based on the teachers’ training needs and staff are trained to teach the new methods.r
