Advancing the Teachers’ Competence of Computational Thinking & Artificial Intelligence in Lithuania

About the Regional Innovation Hub

This Regional Innovation Hub was built on the existing network of Lithuanian teachers and teacher educators from different regions of the country. By bringing together teachers who are interested in promoting computation thinking and who want to create and experiment with teaching materials, the Regional Innovation Hub initiated at the grassroot level aims to contribute to the development of digital competence for students and teachers.

The Regional Innovation Hub brought together 12 Lithuanian schools, 200 teachers and 3 mentors to develop teachers’ competence of applying computational thinking and understanding of the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in teaching and learning.

The aim of the initiative was to enhance the collaboration between Lithuanian primary schools in developing computational thinking practices and promoting the usage of Artificial Intelligence through the VILLE platform in schools. Teachers from different schools in collaboration with teacher trainers create new pedagogical practices and learn from each other.

Local context and the needs

Research shows that there are significant differences in the performance of pupils in Lithuanian schools, depending on the region where the school is located. The further away a school is from a major city, the greater the socio-economic divide between schools. It is therefore necessary to find ways to encourage schools in different regions to share best practices and thus develop innovation in schools. For the sharing of experiences between schools to be sustainable, innovative and based on scientific evidence, it is necessary to encourage the participation of researchers from universities.

Enrollment

The schools were invited to join the initiative according to the following aspects: investigation of students’ study results, school  results and geographical area. Based on national education reports, consultations with school leaders and teachers, schools were identified as having good practice in introducing innovation in schools. At the same time, schools in need of support in promoting innovation in schools were identified. Initial interviews were initiated with the communities of the selected schools, and workshops were mainly organised for all teachers. Teachers in the schools expressed their willingness to work together, to be consulted, and thematic groups emerged around which experiences will be shared.

Stakeholders:
  • School teachers from different Lithuania regions are the main mentors and members of the network. Teachers collaborate with researchers from universities to test innovations in their own educational practice and share their experiences with others. Teachers are not only the creators and communicators of innovation in their own school, but also in other schools.
  • Researchers from higher education institutions. Researchers are specialists in the field of a particular innovation. A researcher identifies the need for innovation and promotes evidence-based innovation in schools. The researcher becomes a mentor and facilitator in collaboration with schools and teachers.
  • School administrators are active promoters of innovation in schools. School leaders and vice-principals encourage the development of innovations in teachers’ practice, take care of financial support as well as , dissemination to municipalitie and other schools. School administrators are also responsible for finding the necessary support for innovation.
  • Policy makers help to maintain a balance and coherence between innovation in schools and the documents governing education.
Sustainability mechanisms of the Regional Innovation Hub

The following factors contribute to teachers’ motivation and initiative to participate in innovation:

  • Opportunities to develop digital and other professional competences;
  • Opportunities to build professional networks with other teachers and other schools;
  • Opportunities to improve the educational process and contribute to improving student achievement.
  • Capacity building opportunities: Trainings for leaders and teachers were organised to develop the understanding on how technologies work and how to support students’ computational thinking skills. 
  • Knowledge sharing platforms: for learning and teaching the ViLLE and Eduten platforms were used. 
  • Access to network-disseminated materials: ViLLE and Eduten  Platforms were used. To share information emails, zoom meetings, messenger, FB, etc. were used

ViLLE (Virtual Learning Environment) is an online learning platform developed by the University of Turku in Finland. It provides a range of tools and resources to support teaching and learning activities in various educational settings. Eduten is a clone of the ViLLE used by commercial entities. ViLLE offers a flexible and interactive environment for both teachers and students. It can be used for creating and managing online courses, delivering educational content, conducting assessments, and facilitating communication and collaboration among participants. One of the key features of ViLLE is its adaptive learning capabilities. It uses

intelligent algorithms to analyze student performance and provide personalized feedback and recommendations. This helps students to focus on areas where they need improvement and enhances their learning experience. 

 

ViLLE is widely used within Finland for both traditional classroom-based courses and online learning initiatives. It has also been adopted by other educational institutions in Finland and internationally. The platform is continually evolving, with regular updates and new features being introduced to enhance its functionality. Vilnius University has collaborated with the University of Turku for decades in the field of improving informatics education in schools and Lithuanian schools have shown interest in using ViLLE in classrooms. ViLLE is a versatile virtual learning environment offering a range of tools and features to support teaching and learning activities in an interactive and adaptive manner.

The collaborative innovation model promotes equality between schools in different regions of Lithuania. This helps to ensure and contribute to a working society. It also ensures the principle of quality education, which responds to the needs of a modern, innovative, new generation. Digitalisation is one of the priorities of modern and future society. The opportunity for regional schools to innovate is also likely to contribute to poverty reduction in the future by improving pupils’ achievements and thus their quality of life

Regional Innovation Hub activities are integrated into the activities of several projects and research agenda initiated by the Vilnius University