ATS2020 Final conference was implemented in Brussels and enriched discussions on transversal skills.

The ATS2020 final conference “Transversal skills for the 21st century” took place on 2nd February, from 9:30a.m-4:00 pm, at the Flemish Parliament in Brussels. Around 200 participants (teachers, school leaders, inspectors, researchers, policy makers) attended presentations, participated in workshops, and engaged in discussions on the incorporation of the ATS2020 learning model as well as of transversal skills in Education across Europe.

The event was opened by Dr Athina Michaelidou Euripidou, Director of the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute (CPI) which was the coordinator organization of the ATS2020 consortium. Dr Athina Michaelidou Euripidou emphasized the importance of the initiatives taken on the European level on promoting 21st century skills, and also delivered the support of the Minister of Education and Culture in Cyprus, of Dr Costas Kadis to the conference.

Mrs Anastasia Economou, Head of the Educational Development Department- also from CPI- presented the ATS2020 learning model and analyzed its basic elements and the ways in which they were implemented by experimental schools.

Really interesting talks were delivered from prominent key note speakers. Dr Helen Barrett, Researcher, REAL ePortfolio Academy for K-12 teachers, gave a really inspiring talk about the use of digital ePortfolios and how they can strengthen students’ self-awareness. She referred to the multiplicity of ePortfolios that a student can keep according to the purpose and audience in question.

Dr. Yves Punie, Senior scientist and Deputy Head of Human Capital and Employment Unit, European Commission Joint Research Centre in Seville referred to the importance of building digital capacity among European citizens of contemporary societies, and presented the multiple aspects of a framework on digital skills.

Professor Deirdre Butler of the DCU’s Institute of Education, Ireland with a talk titled What Does Being Digital in Learning Mean? presented the added value of integrating digital technologies in Education and emphasized the importance of always reflecting on how this incorporation can be meaningful to each learning experience.

The conference also showcased the experience of the implementation of the ATS2020 learning model in the 11 pilot countries. Dr Borut Čampelj, Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Republic of Slovenia, presented stories from pilot implementation schools. Dr. Plamen Mirazchiyski of Educational Research Insititute Slovenia and Dr. Yiasemina Karagiorgi of Centre for Educational Research and Evaluation, Cyprus, gave an insight into the Project Evaluation Findings by referring to the indicators of success, as well as to the variations observed with regard to implementation, according to the diversity of curricula and other factors in pilot schools.

Workshops on digital learning, the use of ePortfolios, the implementation of ATS2020 learning model, as well as on formative assessment were also offered to participants during the conference. A poster session, showcasing the work of teachers involved in implementation during the school year 2016-2017 in participating countries, also took place and gave the opportunity to teachers to talk about their work, receive valuable feedback, and exchange views.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion with the participation of teachers, headmasters, policy makers and also students on the impact of the ATS2020 on Policy and Practice as well as with a session on the preparation of policy recommendations for 21st century based on the project’s experience.