Who was there?

We welcomed 11 attendees representing 3schools, GBS Leidstar, Don Bosco SPL and Den Top. Our fourth school Populiertjewill join us again at the next COP. We met at the KU Leuven in Belgium/Flanderson 21 September (’23). Together with Prof. Pol Ghesquière (KU Leuven), MieDeMol (Karaton) and Jacqueline Tordoir (Project manager) our COP counted 14people. Project coordinators Eamonn McCauley and Monica Ward phoned in from DCUDublin to encourage teachers. Hannes Hauwaert, Karaton’s CEO phoned in and tooksome general questions about his game app.

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Our focus

Our COP focused on preparing ourselves forthe schoolyear to come. We discussed the selection of our 5 weakest readers inyear 3 and 4, how KU Leuven Master students will support measuring results formotivation and executive functioning and how teachers and parents can executereading tests before and after the use of the game app Karaton.  

Teachers at the centre

The AdApptive project’s focus, besides creatingbeneficial effects on pupils’ reading, is on building up a Community ofPractice that can further the learning of teachers. Therefore, it willcarefully monitor the effects it potentially has on teachers.  To this aim, a targeted study has beendesigned by our Czech partner, DYS Centre Prague, whose study will cover all 4participating countries.  The teachershave complete freedom regarding implementation in classroom practice. Theimportance is to get to a way of working that works for both teachers andpupils. The COPs are a community support structure inside the 4 schools inFlanders, and in time with the other 12+ schools in the Irish, Czech and DutchCOPs. Flemish teachers unanimously expressed their desire to meet all otherteachers in Dublin!

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Game App KaratonDecided was that after our COP meeting, all teachers can get their pupils to start working with Karaton. Teachers tested it out at the COP. All questions on the functioning of Karaton can be directed to Karaton’s help desk. Towards the end of October ’23, we will collect first experiences by means of a questionnaire. The concept of the COP comes down to learning together and from each other, by discussing and overcoming blockages and helping each other with good advice where things work well. In AdAPPtive we do this in Belgium and with our partners. The partners are working on a way to share the experiences of the Irish, NL and Czech COPs with us, so everyone will be notified in Oct/Nov. The Flemish teachers would all like to go to Dublin, this is also being looked into.

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Communication within the COP(s)We decided to create a WhatsApp group for the Flemish COP. A lot of information has already been exchanged in this group. Plans are to also link us with the international COPs.Everyone is looking forward to COP 3, which will be held in the Don Bosco school on 26 November.

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