Now new – APP for „Startbox Mathematics“!

The diagnostic and support file „Startbox Mathematics“, developed as part of the co-financed Interreg project “CODES”, is now also available as an APP in digital form! It was programmed by the HTL Wien West and piloted by a group of committed colleagues from November 2023 to March 2024. Many thanks to the piloting group!
The APP supports teachers in mathematics lessons through targeted diagnosis and support of learners in the school entry phase.
The Startbox Mathematics APP is now available to everyone at https://europabuero.wien/startboxmathematik-app.

© KSV1870

Financial education in practice – Meeting with experts from KSV1870

UOur Erasmus+ project “Vienna goes Brussels” not only offers students the opportunity to visit the capital of the EU to strengthen their own citizenship skills but also allows teachers to continuously further their education. Since the beginning of the project, the topics of financial education and children’s rights have been consistently pursued.
On February 15, 2024, in collaboration with the Kreditschutzverband 1870, we organized an event on the topic of “Financial Education in Practice”. Viennese teachers were provided with insights into how the complex subject of financial education can be reduced didactically and simplified in everyday school life. Additionally, there was an opportunity for direct exchange with the experts from the Kreditschutzverband on-site.

Erasmus+ project application workshop for Viennese schools

Die dreiteilige Erasmus+ Antragswerkstatt wurde vom Europa Büro der Bildungsdirektion für Wien entwickelt und unterstützt interessierte Lehrkräfte, einen erfolgreichen Antrag für ein Short-Term-Projekt bzw. eine Akkreditierung im Rahmen von Erasmus+ für den eigenen Schulstandort zu entwickeln.

In kleinen Gruppen werden an drei Nachmittagen die wesentlichen Grundlagen interaktiv vermittelt. Wir beschäftigen uns u. a. mit folgenden Fragestellungen: Welche Möglichkeiten gibt es für meine Schule im Rahmen von Erasmus+? Welche Aktivitäten können über ein Erasmus+ Projekt gefördert werden? Was ist beim Schreiben eines Antrags zu beachten? Wie hoch sind die Erasmus+ Fördermittel?

The Erasmus+ project application workshop is designed as a three-part series and was developed by the European Office of the Board of Education for Vienna. Its purpose is to support interested teachers in developing and submitting a successful Erasmus+ short-term or accreditation project for their own school.

Conducted in small groups over the span of three afternoons we get down to the basics of a successful project application. Some of the questions we try to answer are: What possibilities does Erasmus+ offer for my school? Which activities can you participate in through Erasmus+? What is important when writing a proposal? What types of financing are available?

If you are interested in signing-up for the next project application workshop (available in German only), please follow this link.

©Kanton Zürich, Bildungsdirektion

Vienna visiting Zurich

How are students with special needs integrated into regular classes?
How does the canton of Zurich manage to offer a high-quality dual education system?
How does school social work work at the different school levels?

These were some of the questions that our Viennese delegation asked the educational experts from the primary and secondary schools of the Canton of Zurich and the teacher training university, PH Zurich. The three-day visit from 15 to 17 January 2024 was found to be very enriching by the educational department of the Vienna Board of Education and it was partly surprising how different Vienna and Zurich – despite being quite similar countries – are in many respects, especially in the area of education. In this way, everybody sharpened the views on what could be improved and preserved. At the end, everyone said goodbye with a full bag of ideas and future project submissions to Movetia, the Swiss agency for exchange and mobility.

Research meets school: networking in the BOKU hydraulic engineering laboratory

As part of our Erasmus+ project “Green Europe” we visited the hydraulic engineering laboratory at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences on January 16, 2024. Helmut Habersack, head of the BOKU hydraulic engineering laboratory, gave the participating teachers from the 20 project schools a comprehensive insight into a wide range of research on the topic of “water” using the Danube as an example.
After the very interesting tour, there was a joint brainstorming session on the didactic preparation of complex scientific findings for students. In the future, Viennese teachers will be actively involved in the design of the public lab of the hydraulic engineering laboratory!
This cooperation promotes the educational exchange of didactic approaches and scientific research on the topic of “water”. The European Office is proactively committed to raising awareness of environmental issues in schools.

Viennese teachers in Zagreb: an inspirational exchange

At the beginning of December 2023, Viennese teachers had the opportunity to visit 23 Croatian schools for two days and observe colleagues during their lessons. Also, the discussions they had about the similarities and differences in the two educational systems were of extreme importance.
The study visit was made possible by the Erasmus+ project ‘Green Europe’, which aims at increasing pedagogical insight and knowledge of teaching methods, particularly in the area of Environment and Climate Protection as well as Inclusive Education.
Over the last two years, the European Office of the Board of Education for Vienna and the Zagreb Municipal Department for Education, Sport and Youth have successfully cooperated together. This cooperation was the basis for the study visit and made it possible that delegation participants gained deeper insights and experienced new practical methodological approaches. The visit not only strengthened existing partnerships but also paved the way for new opportunities.

Inclusion in Schools: International conference with high-profile experts

On 4 and 5 December 2023, the European Office organised a conference on inclusion in schools in cooperation with Prof. Michelle Proyer from the University of Vienna. The two-day event offered participants the opportunity to discuss international perspectives and the different stages of development of inclusion in schools and to exchange ideas in exciting, topic-related discussion rounds and workshops.
A highlight of the conference, in addition to keynotes given by renowned experts such as Prof. Rune Simeonsson (University of North Carolina), Prof. Mats Granlund and Prof. Lilly Augustine (both University of Jönköping), the I AM – Inclusive Assessment Map app was presented. The app was developed as part of the EU- funded project I AM with the aim of improving inclusion work in schools. The institutions involved in its development were the Universities of Vienna, Jönköping (Sweden), Tromsø (Norway), Porto (Portugal), Leipzig (Germany) and the Centre for Special Needs Education in Belgium.
LINK: https://iam.univie.ac.at/#/

Two Viennese schools receive eTwinning awards

On 21 November 2023, the Austrian Education Agency OeAD awarded the national eTwinning prizes and the OeAD’s national quality seal at the Ars Electronica Center in Linz. It was a great honour for the European Office of the Board of Education for Vienna that two Viennese schools were first and second. First place went to the GRG Maroltingergasse for the project ‘Triple E: E-learning – E-twinning – E-Rasmussen and second place to the GTVS 12 Am Schöpfwerk for the project ‘With music across Europe’.
eTwinning is the largest online school community in Europe and offers pupils the opportunity to exchange ideas with fellow pupils in other countries and thus enables them to network easily within Europe.
Inspiration and information for your own eTwinning project can be found at
https://etwinning.at/

© OeAD/APA-Fotoservice/Kruegl

School exchange ‘Vienna goes Brussels’: Goede reis! to Viennese secondary pupils

In November 2023, the Erasmus+ project ‘Vienna goes Brussels’ became reality for eight Viennese secondary school classes. During the academic year 2023/24, the project will enable around 200 pupils to spend fully funded project days in Brussels.
In the EU capital, they will take part in an extensive programme including visits to several EU institutions. The topic is civic competence. At the heart of the visit is an exchange with a Flemish partner class from a Brussels school. In the course of three half-days, the mixed group of pupils will work on an exciting project together.
A highlight for the Flemish and Viennese school classes will be a joint reception at the Liaison Office of the City of Vienna, which has supported the project from the outset.

© WH International Services/Vera Tschakaloff-Janner

Constantly new, exciting educational collaborations

We are always able to become part of exciting new educational collaborations. This is of course a great honor for our city and also shows that Viennese schools do great work! Sarajevo would also like to exchange ideas with Vienna in the field of education.
In order to explore initial ideas, a meeting took place on October 27th between the Ministry of Education of the Canton of Sarajevo and the Board of Education for Vienna. The Sarajevo Minister of Education, Naida Hota-Muminović, was received for this first conversation by the head of the European Office of the Board of Education for Vienna, Caroline Jäckl, who informed her about the responsibilities and structure of the Board of Education and the tasks of the European Office. Education Minister Naida Hota-Muminović, for her part, spoke about the canton’s current education policy and the current reform process in the education sector. The canton of Sarajevo wants to take part in Erasmus+ projects with Vienna as a candidate for EU accession; further exchanges are scheduled for 2024.

RESILIENT throughout every day at school – workshops on inner stability and resilience

How can I as a teacher deal better with crises at school? And how can I improve my mental resilience? Resilience is essential, especially in times of great upheaval and new challenges in school life, it is also the best prophylaxis against burnout. In autumn 2023 as part of the Erasmus+ KA3 project NEST, the European Office of the Board of Education for Vienna offered several workshops on increasing resilience for head teachers and teachers. In addition to information about chronic stress, a renowned resilience trainer provided participants with tried-and-tested methods for effectively preventing overload and counteracting exhaustion as well as increasing well-being and inner strength.

Training course on sustainable development in Erfurt

From 15-18 October 2023, a group of motivated teachers from Vienna attended a fascinating training course in Erfurt as part of the enterEurope Erasmus+ project ‘Green Europe’.
Together with teachers from Thuringia, they visited various green LERNORTE such as the Waldhaus ‘Fuchsfarm’, the Egapark and the Horticultural Museum. The inspiring workshops gave the participants new insights into experiential learning in the context of environmental education and sustainability. The exchange with the German colleagues was once again incredibly productive – thank you for your hospitality!
Special appreciation also goes to our esteemed colleagues from the VHS Erfurt and the Office for Education of Erfurt City Council for the excellent organisation.
We are already looking forward to future educational co-operations and to seeing you again soon in Vienna!

The ‘Vienna Goes Brussels’ school exchange programme launched by the Board of Education for Vienna

The Erasmus+ project ‘Vienna goes Brussels’ began on 5 October 2023 and prepared the way for a further eight school partnerships.
30 Viennese teachers, head teachers and education quality managers met with colleagues from the “GO! Scholengroep” in Brussels.
At the kick-off in Brussels Wien Haus, there was unanimous agreement about the need for European exchange and civic competences across borders. That is why ‘Vienna goes Brussels’ will enable around 200 Viennese pupils during the 2023/24 academic year to take part in exchange projects with classes in Brussels and visit European institutions. The first class visited the Belgian capital at the beginning of November. Others will follow. Travel will be by environmental-friendly night train.

Travelling exhibition ‘Living Bilingualism’

Moving from one info point to the next, the travelling exhibition takes you on a journey into the world of bilingualism through six info points with a focus on the border regions of Austria and Slovakia. Presenting knowledge about the languages of the world, and including personal reflection questions and information on multilingual language acquisition and much more, the exhibition whets your appetite for languages and raises awareness of important aspects of language education and multilingualism in neighbouring countries.
The travelling exhibition including the accompanying manual was developed within the framework of the INTERREG SK-AT project BIG_ling has been available since the academic year 2022/2023 and can be obtained by any Viennese school free of charge.
Loan request to: europabuero@bildung-wien.gv.at

International educational delegations in Vienna

During the academic year 2022/2023, we hosted 27 international delegations from different countries (DE, HU, ES, BA, CZ, FI, FR, CH, TW, NO, DK).
Around 200 people from various educational institutions visited Viennese schools – many thanks to our school teams for their great hospitality.
In addition, the guests received expert presentations at the European Office, reflected on the different school systems and institutional framework conditions and exchanged views with Viennese schools on topics such as inclusion, innovative teaching methods, foreign language teaching, intercultural education, internationalisation, STEM, vocational training and school well-being. There are already numerous requests for coming academic year.

Closing event enterEurope ‘MINT – Mädchen in die Technik’ (STEM – Girls into Technology)

On 6 June 2023, the 20 enterEurope project schools of the “STEM – Girls into Technology” group came together again to celebrate the end of the project. In the academic years 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 during job-shadowing at partner schools in Barcelona, Zagreb, Hagen, Stockholm and a STEM conference in Leiden a lively cross-school exchange had taken place. New initiatives and own Erasmus+ projects were launched following international models.
From autumn 2023, there will be alumni meetings for all our enterEurope project schools to continue to promote regional and international networking.

Towards the further development of an inclusive school system

In the framework of the Erasmus+ project ‘I AM – Inclusive Assessment Map’, the European Office organised a conference on 25 May 2023 called ‘The ICF as an effective tool for the further development of an inclusive school system’. Following on from the exclusive keynote by Prof. Dr. Judith Hollenweger from the University of Teacher Education Zurich, around 100 teachers and experts from the field of inclusion and special needs education were able to exchange views on the philosophy of the ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health) in education. Other speakers were Prof. Dr. Michelle Proyer from the University of Vienna and Julia Honcik and Dr. Rupert Corazza from the Board of Education for Vienna.
Learn more about the Inclusive Assessment Map here:
https://iam.univie.ac.at

Festive event on Europe Day

On 9 May 2023, a festive event was held at Vienna City Hall to mark Europe Day. The important connection between the City of Vienna and the European Union was emphasised several times in the speech of Mayor Michael Ludwig. “Europe is being lived out in Vienna and Vienna carries Europe in its heart,” said Martin Selmayr, Head of the EU Commission in Austria. Also, Martin Pospischill, Head of the Municipal Department for European Affairs, thanked the many long-standing successful EU-project cooperation partners – including the European Office of the Board of Education for Vienna.

Europe Festival 2023

On 6 May 2023 in the pedestrian area of Mariahilfer-Street ‘Vienna goes Europe’ again provided a wonderful opportunity to make visible and tangible the vast diversity of Europe in Vienna at the Europe Festival with its diverse cultural programme.
Together with information stalls from 23 European countries, the European Office of the Board of Education for Vienna also proudly presented information and products from its various EU projects.

MINI Fair 2023

On 22 February 2023 in the offices of the Vienna Chamber of Labour, the European Office was again represented at the MINI Fair of the Language Support Centre Vienna.
The annual MINI Fair showcases the many services and products in the field of multilingualism and the intercultural aspects of education.
The European Office presented the following products for language support developed during EU projects:
• the travelling exhibition on multilingualism,
• Startbox ‘Language’,
• the language-sensitive MINT-Box.

GreenCHALLENGE 2022
More than 3,500 pupils from 142 classes took part – congratulations to the winners!

The time had finally come – after a two-part evaluation phase, the TOP TEN entries received their green prizes in time for Christmas. A jury of sustainability experts also rewarded the best activities and presented vouchers for amazing workshops and excursions at a ceremony during a school visit.

Click here for the video and the winners’ contributions.

A big THANK YOU to all participants for their commitment for a greener Europe!

Coding and Robotic in STEM Education

On 12 December 2022, the RoboCoop final event took place at the University of Teacher Education Vienna. The main results of the study that was carried out by the project was presented with recommendations for policy making for the use of coding and robotics in STEM education.
The project developed five robotics stations for teachers from all school types:
• Cubetto and BeeBot (elementary and primary)
• Makeblock mTiny (elementary and primary level)
• Lego WeDo (primary level)
• Makeblock m:Bot and Lego Mindstorms (lower and upper secondary level)
• Thymio (secondary level I and II).
During project lifetime around 200 robotics workshops for schools were carried out.
To find ideas for your lessons search here:
https://edu.robocoop.eu/

Presentation of the SprachENsensible STEM Box

On 5 December 2022, the European Office presented the ‘SprachENsensible STEM-Box’ with its comprehensive contents. At three levels, teachers will find on the one hand the theoretical basics of language-sensitive teaching, and on the other hand concrete working materials and instructions for experiments on eight different STEM topics: from water experiments and instructions for 3D printing to video tutorials and mind-map posters for the classroom. The materials are aimed at everyday teaching – with a special focus on language and technical language.
Pick up a box for your school now or browse through the materials
HERE .

Language-sensitive learning with BLUE-BOTS

Thanks to the BIGling project, many little BlueBots moved into Viennese primary schools and into the hearts of pupils and their teachers in 2022.
During the project workshops, around 90 teachers were able to exchange information about the various possibilities of use and received a Blue-Bot package worth €2,000. Pupils had their first experience with coding and programming the BlueBots and Tactile readers and tablets were successfully used, e.g., in the 3b and 3c classes of the Wilhelm Engerth School and the 4b class of the GTVS Irenäus-Road –
click here for the photos.

Europe is Waiting for You

Viennese schools want Europe, and the internationalisation strategy of the Board of Education makes it possible. The Erasmus+ team at the European Office developed the enterEurope project, which will enable, by 2027, many motivated teachers to meet their counterparts all over Europe and start to network with them.
This very ambitious strategy is financed by the EU Erasmus+ programme and interested teachers from all types of schools teaching at all levels can attend our project application workshops.
Europe is waiting for you.

DigiMe Workshops

In 2022, teachers and pupils were able to improve and deepen their knowledge of digitalisation during the DigiMe coding workshops. Teachers learned how to programme sensors and electronics with a microcontroller under the guidance of the project’s technical expert, so that they could implement their own creative projects in the classroom: As a result, the mechatronics class of the FMS Schopenhauer-Street developed a CO2 alarm that can be programmed with the micro:bit, and the MS Wendstatt-Road built an interdisciplinary electric guitar that plays via radio using a programmable microcontroller.
• Video CO2 alarm
• Video electric guitar
Numerous worksheets, explanatory videos on the basics of a programming language and instructions for other technical projects for lesson planning are available on the e-learning platform .

Exploring the Danube Floodplain National Park together with a Slovak school class

On 22 September 2022, the pupils of MS class 1A of the Bildungscampus Seestadt North were excited to meet school class from Slovakia in the Danube Floodplain National Park and experience a whole range of new things: an exploration tour through the castle gardens, a ‘living’ memory game, exciting stories during a guided tour of the national park, a visit to the Au Theatre and a dive into the underwater world without getting wet.
As if by magic, the pupils learned new Slovak and German words from each other and, while eating pizza together, realised: “The world of languages is wonderful” –
thank you and Ďakujeme from the 1A.

DigiUp 4.0 Workshops

In 2022, as part of the EU project DigiUp 4.0, a total of 25 career orientation workshops were held at four pilot schools in Vienna. In modules such as electronics/robotics, 3D printing/CNC or creative metal, pupils learned more about the use of digital technologies in technical professions. One of the workshops took place on 17 November 2022 at the Fachmittelschule Wien 23. At this event, the pupils learned how to work practically with 3D printers and VR glasses. In the following video you can gain an impression of how the contents of the DigiUp 4.0 project can be implemented in classroom work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIv6ghi98D0

Austrian State Prize for Europe, 2022 – European Office in the top three

Every year, the State Prize is awarded to individuals or institutions that have promoted a deeper consciousness or a better understanding for Europe in Austria.
This year there were almost 150 entries and the KreativCHALLENGE project from the European Office of the Board of Education for Vienna made it into the top three in the category ‘Europe in Schools’.
A huge thank-you to all the teachers and schools who took part in the CHALLENGE in 2021 and who made the project into what it has become: namely, something very special.

Leadership workshops for school management

In 2022, various workshops with professional trainers implemented by the ERDF-funded INTERREG projects BIG_inn AT-HU and EduSTEM AT-CZ took place at the European Office and the Board of Education for Vienna.
In a challenging time, school leaders were supported and strengthened in their leadership role – the video provides tips and shows best- and worst-practice.

On 31 May 2022, a leadership symposium was held on the topic of ‘Innovation needs education – education needs innovation’ – available online.
Click here for the handbook ‘Change Management Processes in Education’.

Cross-border Activities

In 2021/2022 as part of the DigiMe project, the European Office organised excursions for school classes and teachers in order to exchange and network on cross-border activities on the topic of digitisation and education. For example, a workshop on ‘ICT and digital approaches at schools’ was offered for teachers in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Telč, Czech Republic. Viennese secondary school pupils had the opportunity to visit a school in Brno and Czech school classes came to visit Vienna. The pupils thus had the unique opportunity to acquire new knowledge in the field of digitalisation during joint activities, to experience new cultures and to make new Austrian-Czech friendships.

STEM* – Girls Go Technical

On 19 May 2022, a regional network meeting took place in the context of our Erasmus+ Internationalisation Strategy enterEurope. The topic of the meeting, which was hosted by the Higher Technical College Vienna-West was ‘STEM – Girls Go Technical.’
The headteacher, Thomas Angerer and his team made it possible for the schools who are involved in the project to exchange experiences, to network as well as to discuss with members of the education inspectorate what the next steps for school development are.
The European Office of the Board of Education for Vienna is looking forward to these next steps and to continue working with the partners.
*STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths

Click here for the HTL4kids podcast

European Day 2022

This year’s European Day was on 7 May and took place on Vienna’s Mariahilfer Street where there was a very interesting culture programme as well as info-stalls with plenty of activities to encourage audience participation.
Of course, the European Office of the Board of Education for Vienna was there with an exciting programme showcasing the office activities as well as passing on information and collecting the public’s ideas about ‘Europe in the Future’.

Interpedagogica 2022

During this year’s special educational fair, the Interpedagogica, the European Office showcased different projects with varying topics and contents ranging from coding to mechatronics to languages and mathematics.
Teachers who visited our info-stall had the opportunity to test their own digital competence as well as receive specialised advice for the implementation in the classroom of the micro:bit, the start-box mathematics and start-box language.

Start-box Language and Start-Box Mathematics

Thanks to the EU project CODES and following on from the start-box language, all Viennese primary and special needs schools will receive a start-box mathematics mathematics in the academic year 2021/2022.
The Educational Director of the Board of Education for Vienna Heinrich Himmer would like to wish all recipients enjoyable and successful teaching lessons with their new start-box.

Language-sensitive STEM teaching

The BIG_inn and the EduSTEM project teams at the European Office have started exciting new projects about exploratory learning with partners in the neighbouring countries.
In the academic year 2022, teachers from around 100 primary and lower secondary schools will attend our STEM workshops and receive not only an introduction to language-sensitive STEM teaching but also a STEM starter kit including materials to carry out experiments, a stereomicroscope, scientific models and much more.

KreativCHALLENGE 2021

Enhancing the 2021 EU Future Conference, more than 50 Viennese school classes participated in the KreativCHALLENGE competition that was planned and organised by the European Office of the Board of Education for Vienna by submitting nearly 200 colourful contributions illustrating the topic ‘YOUR IDEA FOR OUR EUROPE’.
This was a real achievement considering the strict COVID restrictions that were in place at the time and goes to show that Europe is popular in our schools.

Video KreativCHALLENGE

Vienna goes Europe: Job-shadowing in Europe, 2021-2027

The European Office of the Board of Education for Vienna is currently implementing ‘enterEurope’ a large job-shadowing project financed by the EU Erasmus+ programme. The aim of the project is to offer Viennese headteachers and teachers who have never visited a school in another country the opportunity to job-shadow in schools in our European partner regions focussing on topics such as school democracy, STEM, Green Europe, to mention only a few.
Teachers and headteachers have already visited Lüdenscheid (DE), Corfu (GR), Paris (FR), Barcelona (ES) and Zagreb (HR).
The motto is: Learning together and learning from one another.