ALGOLITTLE is an EU-funded project, with partners from Portugal, Italy, Turkey, and Slovenia, supporting the integration of algorithmic thinking skills into preschool education for preparing future code literates from an early age. The paper presents the project and frames it in Portuguese Early Childhood Education. First, in terms of curricular areas and pedagogical approach, through a content analysis of the Portuguese Curricular Guidelines for Preschool Education. Second, by analyzing initiatives and projects that are connected to algorithmic thinking in Early Childhood Education in Portugal. Third, by presenting challenges that emerged from a set of discussions with several participants, highlighting the complexity and timeliness of the project.
Stepping up to Global Challenges (SGC) aimed to provide students with opportunities for language practice through task-based learning activities and the use of digital platforms for interaction. Marketing students at the Polytechnic of Viseu, Portugal, collaborated with peers from Poland and Turkey, choosing an image on entrepreneurship and posting it on the SGC Facebook page to solicit comments from their own and other groups. This was one of the tasks assigned during the 2nd semester of 2019/20, under the constraints of COVID-19. We analyzed the students’ choices, main difficulties, and motivation to persist in learning and improving their skills to share knowledge with (inter)national peers.
ALGO-LITTLE is an EU-funded project, with partners from Portugal, Italy, Turkey and Slovenia, searching for ways to integrate Algorithmic Thinking skills into preschool education for the purpose of preparing future code literates starting from an early age. Algorithmic Thinking stems from the concept of an algorithm, which refers to solving a problem by developing a set of steps taken in a sequence to achieve the desired outcome. The concept can be traced to the work of Papert and is connected to the seminal article by Wing that introduced Computational Thinking. Early Childhood Education algorithmic skills include abilities to learn and work according to the rules or models since children are capable of understanding, using, applying and developing simple algorithms. The paper analyses initiatives, studies, and projects that are connected to Algorithmic Thinking in Early Childhood Education in Portugal. In terms of curricular documents, it was found that code has been relevant for Portuguese Early Childhood Education (at least) since 1997. In 2016, the Portuguese Curricular Guidelines for Preschool Education (PCGPSE) were reviewed and this second version amplifies the mentions to technology. In terms of studies and projects, the "Kids Media Lab Project II" stood out as the only systematic initiative for promoting Computational Thinking in Preschool Education.
The development of technologies, services and products in our increasingly global, interconnected, and digital world implies the training of future professionals capable of solving challenges, embracing diversity, and co-constructing innovative and disruptive scenarios. Higher Education (HE) has been adapting to these times of change and, consequently, the academy has started to open doors to partnerships with local organisations, in synergies that go beyond internships to include research and a modernisation agenda, with clear benefits for all the stakeholders and with positive effects on the national economy. Thus, pedagogical practices need to be updated, and Demola model aims at contributing to innovation processes by fostering academia-industry collaboration. In this study, we will focus on the first edition (January-June 2021) of the project entitled “Learning based on co-creation processes,” funded by POCH, developed in a partnership with Demola Global, and in close connection to another project, Link Me Up, integrated in a consortium of 13 Polytechnic Institutes, including the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (IPV). Specifically, we will focus on 1) the Demola methodology and tools used by the participants in the Pedagogical Innovation Training course at IPV, Viseu, Portugal; 2) the questionnaires applied to the team of IPV trainees/facilitators; and 3) the reports they wrote at the end of the process to a) analyse the profile of the teaching staff seeking alternatives to improve their teaching practice; b) assess their perception of the Demola pedagogical innovation course, and c) the implications on their future practices. Our findings reveal that this project that offers pedagogical innovation is highly valued by the participants at IPV, as they feel they are more open: to collaboration within and outside the academia; to use innovative tools and platforms; to acknowledge the need to accept and manage uncertainty and to facilitate societal challenges in multidisciplinary teams of (inter/)national students.
Academia–industry collaboration has been around for some time, but there has been a shift in both the education and workforce settings to work closely together, coordinating initiatives across all sectors, namely higher education (HE), vocational education and training (VET), and industry, in an attempt to mutually drive innovation, provide opportunities to go from concept to action, encourage entrepreneurship, improve ICT use, and other equally important hard and soft skills, aiming to bridge the existing gap between the teaching–learning arena and the business world. Aware that the VET sector, HE, the government, and industry should be devoted to forging partnerships considered key to the development of research, leading to quality, more business, and ultimately, the economic and social well-being of society, a Consortium of 14 Portuguese Polytechnic Institutions engaged in an innovative pedagogical training program, “Learning based on co-creation processes,” a project within the Demola Portugal Initiative (2021–2023), and at the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (IPV) with reference No. POCH-04-5267-FSE-000818. This training program, with its active methodologies, is then put into practice through the “Link Me Up—1000 Ideias” project. In our study, we will focus on the needs, expectations, and experiences of the IPV teaching staff and the vocational schoolteachers that participated in the training course. Through the analysis of questionnaires and e-portfolios of the participants in the first two editions (January–June 2021 and September 2021–February 2022), we intend to answer the following questions: (i) Which facilitation skills can be meaningfully used by the teachers participating in the (Demola) Pedagogical Innovation Training course at IPV? (ii) Which tools/platforms can enhance the students’ learning and collaboration among different team members, company representatives, and trainees/facilitators? The data collected confirm that the Demola Portugal Initiative provides an effective approach to bring HE closer to the labor market and keep pace with progress and innovation.
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