Education and training are key pillars for the development of societies. In this sense, the European Commission and the EU countries agreed on the Strategic Framework for Education & Training, which includes a set of benchmarks for education to be achieved by 2020, namely: the rate of early leavers from education and training aged 18-24 should be below 10% and fewer than 15% of 15-year-olds should be under-skilled in reading, mathematics and science. Besides, the Rethinking Education initiative identifies as a primary influence on learner’s performance the quality of teaching and learning.
Also, in an all more multi-cultural environment in Europe due to the increased migration and mobility of persons into the EU, teachers need new approaches and tools for meeting the challenge of providing both inclusive and effective education, without compromising the overall quality and undermining the achievements of the established practices so far.
In response to these challenges, the CARMA project fostered the introduction of non-formal learning practices and collaborative methods at schoolsby launching an inclusive approach that promoted interaction, creativity and reciprocal learning between teachers and learners. The Reciprocal Maieutic Approach (RMA) of Danilo Dolci was introduced as an inclusive and innovative assessment tool that allowed teachers to monitor and respond rapidly to student’s learning progress, but also informed parents and updated the wider school community about the learner’s constantly changing needs.
The project comprised of four distinctive phases:
Phase 1
Preparation
Research Study identified target groups needs and relevance of expected results to address key challenges and policy delivery.
Phase 2
Implementation
Development of the resources and assessment tools and piloting of the approach with the target-groups in school environment.
Phase 3
Evaluation
Data collected on the effect of CARMA approach on early school leavers and low achievement students. Evaluated impact on target groups that ensured evidence base results for transferring to policy makers.
Phase 4
Dissemination & Exploitation
Shared findings and results, mainstreamed final results to school education policies and key actors across different levels of education provision.