WORKING TOGETHER TO REDUCE EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING 5 COUNTRIES, 2 YEARS, 1 AIM Nazilli/Turkey 16th June 2015

Who we are ?

Nahit Menteşe Vocational and Technical High School OUR VISION: To educate individuals who will meet the needs of the region and the country. Prepare our students for life OUR MISSION: Educating high quality professionals in a transparent and economic environment and provide them employment. There are eight depertments at our school Child Development and Education,Hair Care and Beauty Textile and Manufacturing,Patient and Eldercare Graphic and Photography,Information Technology Food and Beverages Services,Handcrafts There is also a Kindergarden at our school There are 90 teachers There are 1018 students

The size of the problem Turkey is the worst performing country in EU with the rate of 41.9% ESL rate (Eurostat 2011) Education in Turkey is compulsory till the end of Upper Secondary Level (High School) till 12th grade / years old.Most students drop out education at the beginning ( 9th Grade ) If they fail at this grade in two successive years,they are transferred to Open Learning Schools. Unfortunately,our instutition is located in a socio-economically disadvantaged area.Most of our students are supported by the school financially and psychologically by engaging them with social,cultural and sport avtivities. In Academic Year 27 students left school because of different reasons.Some of these reasons are:Family background,case of divorce,alcholism,domestic violence,absenteeism,difficult transitions between levels of education,family pressure while selecting school,etc…. Dropouts mostly occur after primary school and at 9th Grade..Most dropouts are especially in VET Schools

Student Teams- Achievement Divisions (applied to 3 different focused groups in English Lessons) Group Investigations (applied to 2 different focused groups in Maths Lessons) Learning Together (applied to 2 different focused groups in History Lessons). Jigsaw (applied to 1 focused group in Turkish Literature Lesson) We started to implement cooperative learning techniques and methods in May The imported practice was presented to school staff at a meeting. The focused groups were decided with the help of school management. The volunteer teachers were determined and some other teachers were tasked with monitoring the lessons and taking notes at the meeting. We started to use the techniques and methods as follows:

AAll first grade students were included in the implementation stage of “Cooperative Learning”. After checking the absenteeism lists of classes, we identified the focused groups which had the highest rate of absenteeism. The volunteer teachers who had classes in focused groups and wanted to implement Cooperative Learning in their classes were included in the implementation stage. TThe total number of the target groups was 100 and the total number of the teachers was 8 for the first six months period in implementing, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of cooperative learning.

We use Matrix/Rating Scale type of Questionnaire which has 20 questions for the target students. The most attractive answers are:  I like each group members taking responsibility in cooperative works 76 of 100 students are totally agree /agree with the statement.  I think that our friends who are inactive before takes active roles during activities 65 of 100 students are totally agree /agree with the statement.  My interest in lessons increases with the help of cooperative learning 70 of 100 students are totally agree /agree with the statement  My self-confidence increases in lessons 75 of 100 students are totally agree /agree with the statement  I like learning the subjects in cooperative way. 61 of 100 students are totally agree /agree with the statement

We use Matrix/Rating Scale type of Questionnaire which has 15 questions for the teachers. The most attractive answers are:  It creates social groups which focus on interaction. 8 of 8 teachers are totally agree /agree with the statement  It increases the awareness of weaknesses and strengths of individuals 6 of 8 teachers are totally agree /agree with the statement  It increases self-esteem. 8 of 8 teachers are totally agree /agree with the statement  It provides active participation by increasing self-motivation. 8 of 8 teachers are totally agree /agree with the statement

In addition to the questionnaires for evaluating the effectiveness of cooperative learning, we applied pre and post-tests to students for observing the academic success in English lessons.  First focused group: the percentage increase of success %  Second focused group: the percentage increase of success %  Third focused group: the percentage increase of success %

According to the analysis of the questionnaires applied to students and teachers and the observation notes, we have identified these conclusions. STRENGTHS:  Students who participate in cooperative learning score better on tests in particular: reasoning & critical thinking skills  Students more likely to ask questions or clarification from peers & teachers when participating in a cooperative learning activity  Cooperative learning tasks allows for students to create friends in class; to trust peers; students to have higher self-esteem  Cooperative Learning develops conflict management skills & lowers anxiety  Cooperative Learning enhances student satisfaction with their learning experience

WEAKNESSES:  It is difficult for teachers to be sure about all group members take their own responsibilites.  As the groups are heterogeneous, the high level students may dominate the group.  Not all students contribute equally,so some students may feel themselves excluded.  Sometimes it takes too much time for teachers to prepare the activities.

Dissemination- İbn-i Sina Vocational and Technical High School After a contact meeting and a workshop organised by Nahit Menteşe Vocational and Technical High School about Copperative Learning, we started to implement the method on our first grade students in English Classes We applied Student Teams-Achievement Divisions Technique of Cooperative Learning As a teacher I feel lucky to use a different technique of Cooperative Learning in my classes and it’s nice to see my students more motivated when they take responsibility of their own learning. After the implementation stage we use Matrix/Rating Scale type of Questionnaire which has 20 questions prepared by Nahit Menteşe for the target students. During the implementation stage students really enjoyed taking part in activities,taking responsibility of the group and learning in a cooperative way.

The most attractive answers: I like working with my group friends I feel relaxed in cooperative works We like presenting our works to our friends I feel that I will be more successful in lessons Cooperative Works increases my interest on research Students say that My interest in lessons increases with the help of Cooperative Learning

Plans for future development Keep implementing Copperative Learning Techniques for the new coming students. Apply the Self- Efficacy Survey on the 1st grade students for the next 3 years to identify the risky group of students Send “Good Practice Guide” to 81 Provincial Directorate for National Education Keep the school website updated for the ongoing project activities Share the project activities on social media such as facebook Continue orga nising workshops for English teachers in other vocational schools which are struggling with ESL Dissemination and sustainability Continue training other English teachers in other schools