We recently wrapped up a successful training programme in Passion Projects, helping schools incorporate passion-based learning to inspire students to explore their passions in the classroom.
Over several months, Learnlife, in partnership with Projecte Empremta, trained over 85 educators in passion-based learning, bringing learner-centred education to 10 public and concertada schools throughout Catalunya.
The Impuls digital project was funded by Next Generation EU, Next Generation Catalunya and the Spanish government.
The programme aimed to advance innovative approaches to teaching and learning and improve teachers’ digital competency.
It created a thriving network of educators and leaders who worked within their teams and across schools to develop and launch passion-based learning in each of their centres.
Watch the video below to learn more about the project and hear leaders, educators, and learners reflect on their experiences.
Joan Urgell, Learnlife trainer: The Impuls Digital training is a training subsidised by the Department of Education through Next Generation funding and the idea is that we have 90 teachers from 10 different schools working in a network and training to implement passion-based learning in their classrooms, that is learning based on interests and passions.
Adrià Balcázar, Learnlife trainer: We adapt the training to the different schools through an initial visit we make to the centre to understand the context, understand the situation, the type of students, get to know the teachers involved in the training and depending on this, we adjust the content or the way we do our training so that they really reach the goal they want to reach.
Sònia Molina, Head of Studies, Escola Estel: The experience we have had with Learnlife has been very enriching. We have worked on similar projects before, but Learnlife is giving us the framework and the guide to achieve better goals and better learning for our students.
Learner, Escola Estel: It's a different project, isn't it? Compared to the classes we normally do. It's a subject that is very creative and which gives us freedom too.
Adrià: A benefit of this training has been that we have given this training to a group of schools a group of 10 different schools, and this has allowed us to have joint activities where teachers from different schools can work together, talk to each other, share ideas, sharing learnings. Not only in the in-person sessions, which have been completely mixed, but also the online training groups where always two, three, four schools come together, and this has activated a bit this sense of network, this sense of ecosystem, where we have many teachers from many schools working together with aligned goals.
Joan: One thing that we take away, that I take away a lot, that many teachers have commented on is that "This has helped us work more as a team" or "This has helped us to reflect on the evaluations, the self-evaluations. It has made us reflect on the rubrics. It has made us reflect on what culture we want. And I think these are questions that have started here because they are bigger and have an impact and can be carried over to other subjects and other aspects of school life.
Neus Vallejo, Teacher, Escola Estel: I am very happy because I think that not only are the students learning and evolving, but also myself. I think that when it comes to organising, when it comes to helping them to get out of their comfort zone, to take risks, right? To say the error is not a problem, on the contrary, we learn from mistakes, and we have to make mistakes.
Alex Camí, Director, Colegio Camí: The idea is to share, right? To exchange experiences. That we can learn what other schools are doing how they are doing it, and we can share and if there are things or improvements that we could achieve or share, well, it will be a success.
Bernat Berenguer, Teacher, Escola Estel: On the part of the students, one of the things that I think has improved or changed because they are also subjects that work a little differently, I think the trust between students and teachers is very important and they have trusted us more and we have had to trust them more because if not it is impossible for this to work, and I think this then affects the rest of the subjects.
Sònia: It is good to have a pattern to follow and to know that we are schools with different characteristics--because Learnlife as a school and us, we are two worlds--but as two worlds we can implement the same philosophy when working and I think for that, I thank you.