The British Council and Microsoft – Partners in Learning are ran the joint project “Future Schools” across Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro.

The project aimed at enhancing the UK’s knowledge and experience and the worldwide Microsoft Partners in Learning programme as a source of expertise to contribute to developments in education.
Through the project we were working along with 40 secondary schools in the region on developing realistic project ideas on the theme of Future Schools. These ideas gave us the vision of a future school seen with the eyes of teachers and students.

Events

Regional conference

On 5 March the Future Schools conference brought together students, teachers, representatives from Ministries of Education from Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo and a UK consultant. The winners of the Future Schools national competitions presented their projects. The project team from Rade Jovcevski Korcagin that worked on the creation of e-units for music represented Macedonia.

National competition

British Council and Microsoft Partners in Learning worked with 40 secondary schools in the region and education decision makers to come up with innovative proposals to two big challenges facing the current education systems:

1. School Management, focusing on Education Change Management and

2. Student Centred Learning, with a focus on Virtual Learning and Personalised Learning Methods by using innovative technologies and approaches.

Participating schools in Macedonia

	Arseni Jovkov – Skopje			ASUC Boro Petrusevski – Skopje
	Rade Jovcevski Korcagin – Skopje			Zef Ljush Marku – Skopje
	Georgi Dimitrov – Skopje			Jane Sandanski – Strumica
	Nikola Karev – Skopje			Jovce Teslickov – Veles
	Orce Nikolov – Skopje			Gostivar – Gostivar

1st prize:
A grant of 2000GBP for the realization of the project. Members of the winning school represented Macedonia during the Regional Conference held in Skopje in March 2010.

Combining the two offered topics on ‘Personalised methods for learning’ and ‘Virtual Learning’, the project team from the high school Rade Jovcevski Korcagin came up with the idea of creating a multimedia handbook related to the Music subject that would enhance the teaching and learning process, which in turn would mean abandonment of the traditional methods of teaching and learning and introduction of ICT tools in the classroom.

2nd prize:
Projector for the school and additional prizes from Microsoft (keyboard, mouse, Office business package 2007, Windows Vista Home premium).

As part of a School Modernization Project initiated in 2006/07, the school came up with an idea for the preparation of a ‘Code of Conduct Handbook’ that would be of use to/by teachers, students and parents in the Orce Nikolov high school. The project team, consisting of 3 teachers, 11 students and 2 parents, instigated a self-evaluation survey that was placed on the schools web page allowing teachers, students and parents to respond (parents being informed about the Future School project and survey during the parent – teacher night).

3rd prize:
Video camera for the school plus additional prizes from Microsoft (headphones, Office business package 2007, Windows Vista Home premium and the Zoo Tycoon 2 game).

ASUC Boro Petrusevski - the main aims of the project are to create a web application that would feature an electronic database where teachers can upload their teaching materials from any place and at any time. The second aim is for the students to have access to the uploaded materials at whatever convenient time, but only if they have e-mail access. Additionally, the project team is thinking of devising a space in which parents will be able to view all input data from the teachers for each subject on the progress of their children.

All other schools were awarded digital cameras and certificates for successful participation in the Future School project.

FUTURE SCHOOLS LIVE SPACE

Together with Microsoft – Partners in learning, we have developed a live space for the Future Schools project in Macedonia that served as an information page for the teachers and students working on their project idea.

Advantages for schools, teachers and students

School principals and school management were given the opportunity to engage their school in a regional debate on the future of the school as well potentially join a global network of Microsoft Innovative School programme.

Teachers benefit from professional development in areas such as project management, presentation skills and usage of Microsoft tools. Moreover they can join a global community of Innovative Teachers and have the opportunity to diversify teaching practices in the classroom by introducing technology, innovation and creativity.

Students engaged in this project benefit by engaging in an innovative school project, compete nationally and internationally, link up with peers in the region and the UK by becoming part of the global network of Innovative Students and get the rare opportunity to influence the policy makers by presenting their ideas in an international conference.