1.1 Education Reform

A Qualifications Framework

The Flemish Ministry of Education & Training is responsible for:

The Media Literacy Policy Plan was developed by 2 ministers: the Minister for Education & Training and the Minister for Media. The general rationale behind the media literacy policy is to equip citizens with the necessary competences to live in and deal with an increasingly mediatised society in a critical and active manner. The policy plan has 4 strategic targets:

1. To develop a coherent and sustainable strategy framework in the field of media literacy: The aim is to develop a common vision, a single definition and a common focus on media literacy. Different support structures and funding schemes have to be in line with each other to avoid overlap or underfunding of specific actions. The government’s role and the roles of stakeholders, such as media companies, public broadcasters, educational media content providers and game developers, have to be agreed. The aim is to provide platforms where all those actors can meet and discuss relevant issues.


2. The promotion of media competences: This target is one of the core roles of education. The focus is not only on compulsory education; adult education also has an important role to play. Furthermore, although a main concern is how to improve media learning in schools, the action plan also wants to promote media competencies in non-formal and informal learning contexts such as open computer rooms in libraries, youth work and youth care, on-the job-training sessions, museums, etc.


3. A focus on an e-inclusive society: The digital divide is not a fixed and clear divide but has many forms and elements, in which gender, socio-economic status, age and profession all play a role. Some groups lack the necessary competences. Governments need to play a key role in this field.


4. A focus on e-safety: Respect for intellectual property rights, e-privacy or cyber bullying are issues that schools have to deal with. It is the responsibility of teachers to help their students to use new digital technologies in a safe and responsible way, wherever and whenever they go online.

The Flemish Government will contribute to these four key targets with an action plan with 40 concrete actions ranging from pilot projects on future schooling and the launch and development of new educational games, to new funding mechanisms for e-safety campaigns.

The Media Literacy Knowledge Centre is key to the support of organisations such as schools but also of media companies, NGOs, etc. It is a small, flexible organisation that receives financing for Human re-sources and activities by means of an agreement with the Flemish Government, more specifically with the Minister for Media. The Media Literacy Knowledge Centre subscribes to the following objective of the media literacy policy: to allow all citizens, both today and tomorrow, to deal with an increasingly mediatised society in a conscious, critical and active manner. To this end, the Media Literacy Knowledge Centre promotes the acquisition and sharing of knowledge among organisations and workers in the field of media literacy. The centre provides practical support and works on practice development, cooperates with the relevant authority and stake-holders, promotes dialogue and cooperation between those stakeholders, and works to the already existing initiatives in the field. The Knowledge Centre is planned to open in 2013.


2.3. SPECIFIC ICT INITIATIVES

1. Interactive whiteboards, laptop/notebooks, tab-lets or other mobile devices

Starting from January 2013, networks of innovative schools will be set up to become test beds for innova-tive pedagogical practices such as gaming, tablet computing and the educational use of mobile phones. “Bring your own device” (BYOD) will be a specific topic in these networks of innovative schools. Three different networks will be set up, each with a total of ten schools (possibly to be extended in the longer term). The first of these networks will be on 1:1 computing and tablets, the second on gaming and the third on BYOD and the educational use of mobile phones. The networks will be coordinated and will work on the basis of an annual work plan. This way of working is based on ENIS (European Network of Innovative Schools) and the aim is to disseminate results to the wider educational field.

2. Bring your own device (BYOD)

See above

3. Cloud computing

Cloud computing solutions are to a certain extent part of the Telenet service. The Telenet service is a large- scale programme based on six specific profiles to which a school can apply for connectivity and IPS-services.

These profiles are "Connectivity only (hight bandwith)"; "Connectivity and network safety" and "Connectivity, safety and network maintenance.

Each of these 3 profiles exist in 2 formats, one with a lower bandwidth (50Mb) for average primary schools, and one with higher bandwidth (100 Mb) for average secondary schools. The Ministry of Education administered the tender for this programme and made an agreement with Telenet. Schools that wish to can sign up for the ser-vice, for which they pay themselves. R rates of the service are around 50% below market prices. (www.telenet.be/schoolnet)

3. Inclusion and special needs

See section 4.7

4. Connectivity (e.g. wireless internet, optical fibre connections)

From the 2011-2012 school year, schools are provid-ed with high bandwidth internet and supporting services such as security and supra-school IT management at reduced rates as part of the Telenet service outlined in section 2.3.3. The term supra-school refers to a network of a minimum of five schools who can apply together for these services.

5. Design of 21st century learning spaces

School of the Future

The Education and Training policy aims to develop an innovative overall concept for a school for the future. The aim is to create an efficient, sustainable, user-friendly and flexible learning environment for education that seeks to develop competences. All elements, including buildings, furniture and digital media, are addressed in the project, which is budg-eted at 1.2 million euro. Within this project, three specific prototypes will be funded: innovative class-room design (adaptable for specific settings and targets) for primary schools; competence driven education for secondary schools; and streaming and media use for adult education. (www.svdt.be)


2.4. NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

The various educational networks and schools are largely autonomous in terms of teaching methods, teaching programmes, pupil evaluation and the peda-gogical project. Each governing body (inrichtende macht) defines its own pedagogical project (mission statement). The implications of this are, for example, that there are no national exams and that any individ-ual evaluation (examination and assessment as well as deliberations) is organised at school level.

3.1. Curriculum framework

Curricula are defined for compulsory education⁵ by the Ministry’s “Agency for Quality in Education & Training”. The principle of “learning outcomes” is very important in the Flemish educational administration. In Flanders there is a distinction between final objectives (“eindtermen”) and developmental objectives (“ontwikkelingsdoelen”). Final objectives are minimum objectives with regard to knowledge, insight, skills and attitudes, which the educational government regards as necessary and attainable for compulsory education. Developmental objectives are minimum objectives which the educational government regards as desirable for special education. Final objectives and developmental objectives are used by the Flemish government for quality control. Both final and developmental objectives can be subject-related or cross-curricular. Subject-related objectives are stipulated at a certain stage for all pupils.

Curricula are generally structured as follows:

ICT is a separate subject in secondary education and not in primary education.

The ICT-related cross-curricular final objectives and development objectives are designed to be applied in primary education and/or at the first level of secondary education. No separate objectives are defined for pre-school education. The aim is to avoid creating a separate subject in basic education by using the cross-curricular final objectives. ICT provides opportunities within all subjects and fields of study.

Starting from the second level of secondary educa-tion ICT is applied in a more specific and subject-based way, depending on the type of education and the educational level. Specific or more specialised components are then added in accordance with the training needs.

The focus in primary education and the first stage of secondary education is on pupils’ social independ-ence. The eight cross-curricular final objectives and development objectives for primary education, as well as the ten objectives for the first stage of compulsory secondary education, form the basis for the ICT curriculum. Technical and instrumental knowledge and skills are not included in the curriculum targets.

ICT in basic adult education

The competence framework for adult education is now in line with the curriculum for primary and secondary education (see section 1.1). In 2011 and 2012, a key reform was introduced concerning the Centres for Basic Education (CBE) and since April 2012 the ICT modular training profile has been completely re-formed. In order to bring this profile in line with the new ICT curriculum in compulsory education, a new set of 30 attainment targets was developed and these targets are spread over five modules. A start on this had already been made in 2003, with the introduction of an ICT modular training scheme. Allowing adults to experiment in a safe and well-supervised environ-ment, the CBE, which play a key role in adult educa-tion, create ideal opportunities for ICT integration. The aim of the centres is to provide, on the basis of self-reliance and self-development, knowledge and skills to less-qualified adults. The key task of the CBE is to deal with illiteracy and low levels of literacy and numeracy. ICT competences are a more recent addition to the CBE curriculum.

3.3. Students' ICT competences

The cross-curricular final objectives and developmental aims of ICT are as follows:

As of 1 September 2010, media literacy has become one of the cross-curricular attainment targets for secondary education.

The media literacy attainment targets read as follows:

• Students deal with media in an alert manner.

• Students participate in the public space through media in a well-considered manner.

The explanatory memorandum on media literacy that was added to the attainment targets clarifies that media literacy should be understood as a conscious and critical attitude towards classical (television, radio, press) and new media (internet applications, SMS) and the ability to use media informally and creatively on a daily basis with the implicit or explicit aim of participating in the cultural public context (readers' letters, YouTube, chat rooms, blogs, web-cam, etc.).

National Assessment Program (peilingtoetsen)

Although a wide variety of targets in various cur-riculum areas are tested in the NAP, surveys are not designed to measure all learning outcomes. Therefore, it is important that the inspectorate continues to evaluate whether schools fulfil their “duties” and work towards the achievement of all attainment targets.

A NAP survey is a test administered to a representa-tive sample of schools and students. All results are published without revealing the identity of the schools or students, so participation is anonymous.

ICT monitor (MICTIVO)

In preparation for future policy assessments, scientists from the Universities of Ghent and Leuven developed a unique web-based monitoring instrument, MICTIVO, providing information on 4 different indicators:

• ICT competences of pupils and teachers,

• ICT infrastructure (PC/internet to pupil ratio, type and age of PCs, internet facilities, etc.),

• The use and integration of ICT in the learning environment (level and type of ICT use, use of electronic learning environments, methods, etc.),

• The perception of relevant stakeholders on the educational use of ICT.

For 2012 the ICT-monitor was expanded to include the topic of media literacy. New monitoring results will be available in the course of 2013 (September).

4.1. Content development strategies

The Key principles of the policy on development of software and digital learning objects are:

Assessing learning objects via an educational portal site

Standardising learning objects

The Flemish Ministry of Education was a key partner in the users’ commission for the IWT-Tetraproject “PUBELO”. Participants of the project agreed on an educational standard (learning object metadata profile) and deploy it within a large group of relevant stakeholders (such as publishers or managers of web portals or electronic learning environments). Gov-ernment input is providing incentives for the creation and recognition of open standards(www.pubelo.be).

“INgeBEELD” Platform for Media Literacy

“INgeBEELD 1 and 2” are media packages for primary education that were developed following the audio-visual training research in Flemish education (2004), in cooperation with different partners and in co-production with Jekino, the knowledge centre for movie and image education. These packages are offered to schools at a reduced rate. “INgeBEELD 3” is an online module for secondary education, in which many possibilities for teaching media literacy within different subjects have been developed. Since 2011, the online part has been integrated into the “INgeBEELD” platform (www.ingebeeld.be) This platform is an open digital learning environment where pupils, students, teachers and lecturers can develop multimedia literacy or media literacy together, through relevant practice examples. The platform has been developed in close cooperation with educational umbrella organisations (through a steering group) and, as of autumn 2011, is managed by the Agency for Educational Communication (AO-C). Talks regarding cooperation with the Flemish Radio and Television Network Organisation (VRT) have been entered into during the implementation of the new management agreement with the VRT.

The platform also includes a project for teacher train-ing. CANON, the Ministry of Education’s cultural unit, has geared its 2010 and 2011 lab projects to the fur-ther development and sharing of expertise in relation to the platform. Several universities and colleges of higher education have subscribed to the project (koesteren of goesting) and the first results are already on the platform.The platform outlines how multimedia can be used in subjects such as mathematics and sciences (www.canoncultuurcel.be).

Development of serious games

• In September 2010, within the framework of the Belgian EU Presidency and the European Year for Combating Poverty, a serious game called PING was introduced in Belgian secondary schools. PING stands for Poverty Is Not a Game and is an online game aimed at secondary school pupils that forms a starting point for a discussion on the subject of “poverty” and what it means to be poor.

• In 2011, a serious game was commissioned as a learning tool to combat bullying and cyber bullying in secondary schools. The game will be launched in 2013 as part of a holistic school approach against bullying.

• In 2013, a serious game aiming to support student teachers in class management will be distributed within initial teacher training institutes.

Game Fund

4.3. User-generated content

The educational portal Klascement has been at the forefront of the use of Web 2.0 for educational pur-poses for several years. Klascement is a Web 2.0 application in itself and its content is largely user-generated, as the portal is designed to be an ex-change platform for content by and for teachers. Additionally, the content is rated and actively com-mented on by the users themselves. Moreover, the portal hosts several learning objects on the educational use of Web 2.0. Finally, the “Classy” service, a subproject of Klascement, is offered to schools, teachers and classes. Classy is a free blog service where teachers and classes can receive free blog space and hosting (www.classy.be) (www.klascement.net)

5.1. ICT in initial teacher education

The learning outcomes of teacher education are de-scribed as basic competences and there are three groups and ten subgroups of basic competences. ICT and media literacy are integrated into several of the subgroups and are therefore compulsory, but the way in which these topics are integrated into the cur-riculum can differ, ranging from 1:1 pedagogy and seminars to short-term training.

1. The teacher as a guide of learning and development processes
2. The teacher as an educator
3. The teacher as a (subject - content) expert
4. The teacher as an organiser
5. The teacher as an innovator / researcher

1. The teacher as a partner of parents
2. The teacher as a partner of the school team
3. The teacher as a partner of the external community
4. The teacher as a member of the educational community

1. The teacher as a participant in the cultural community:

• Socio-cultural field
• Socio-economic field
• Philosophical field
• Cultural-aesthetic field
• Cultural-scientific field