What is #ASEFClassNet?
For over two decades, the ASEF Classroom Network (#ASEFClassNet) has been providing capacity-building opportunities for collaborative teaching and learning and a platform to explore the potential of cutting-edge EdTech tools and the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in secondary, high, and vocational schools in the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Partner countries. Its target group is broad, given its intergenerational & multi-stakeholder outreach. It ranges from students, teachers, school leaders, teacher trainers, researchers, policymakers, and to EdTech experts. Since its inception, about 2,000 teachers from all 51 ASEM Partner countries have participated in and become members of the ASEF Classroom Network. As a result, about 35,000 students have been engaged in over 430 Asia-Europe School Collaborations and local spin-off activities.
16th ASEF Classroom Network Project
The 16th edition of the ASEF Classroom Network project series is focusing on the topic “Leading Change: Digital Transformation of Education in the Era of AI”. The primary aim of the project is to conduct various capacity, dialogue, and partnership building activities that result in equipping K-12 stakeholders with basic awareness, competencies, and strategies on AIEd to build smart education systems. It also aims to enable participant teachers and scholars to engage and empower students to leverage on AI to improve their learning experiences through spin-off activities.
ASEFClassNet16 will be a hybrid project and is planned to take place both online and on-site throughout 2023. It aims to engage a diverse group of intergenerational participants on the topic of “Leading Change: Digital Transformation of Education in the Era of AI”.
In this edition there will be two parallel activities and platforms to engage with:
1 | School Collaboration
This activity is for teachers, trainee teachers, and school leaders at the secondary education level to develop their knowledge on the topic as well as advocacy and leadership skills for integrating ethical and effective AI innovation in classrooms across Asian and European schools.
2 | Faculty Collaboration (by invitation only)
This activity is for academic experts (professors, researchers, teacher trainers, etc.) in Higher Education Institutions to engage in critical and timely conversations on integrating ethical and effective AI innovation to identify crucial areas and work in partnerships to create collaborative resources on the topic based on the discussion findings.
Through these two platforms, the project aims to engage approximately 150 participants over a period of 6 months and to increase awareness and understanding of issues related to innovation and leadership in the AI era based on effectiveness and a strong ethical foundation.
ASEFClassNet16 School Collaboration
ASEFClassNet16 School Collaboration is a 7-month (May-December 2023) capacity-building project for teachers and trainee teachers at the secondary education level. It aims to enhance teaching & learning environments in secondary, high, and vocational schools across ASEM on the topic of “Leading Change: Digital Transformation of Education in the Era of AI”.
Participants (School Collaboration)
- Citizens of any of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) partner countries who are teachers, school leaders, and any educators at the secondary, vocational, or high school level;
- Trainee teachers, who are currently students at a university to become teachers.
Programme Design (School Collaboration)
The programme of the ASEFClassNet16 School Collaboration consists of 3 key phases:
Phase 1 – Training & Capacity Building Phase:
The training and capacity-building phase of the School Collaboration takes place in 3 stages:
a. Self-Learning: At first, participants will learn from and interact with experts on the thematic/technical areas to build relevant knowledge on the project themes to improve their knowledge and understanding. They will take part in self-reflective exercises on the lessons learned from thematic and/or technical sessions.
b. Team Learning: Based on the knowledge participants acquired in the self-learning stage, participants will exchange ideas and critically reflect on the topic in teams. To take participants’ pedagogical skills to the next level they will collaboratively work and learn from each other.
c. Action Learning: After the self and team learning stages, participants will further strengthen their knowledge and pedagogical skills by putting their knowledge into action. They will design an Innovative Teaching Practice (ITP) by working in a team to introduce the ethical and effective use of AI tools in their own classrooms/schools.
Phase 2 – ASEFClassNet16 Conference
A 3-day long on-site conference will be organised to bring the participants of ASEFClassNet16 together. Teachers, teacher trainees, and academic experts from various countries across Asia and Europe will ensure a great intergenerational and diverse dialogue on the topic. Practitioners and experts connect to find innovative education solutions together through collaborative discussions, mentorships, and concrete actions. ITPs developed by School Collaboration participants will be shared and discussed.
Phase 3 – ITP Implementation
After the conference, School Collaboration participants will start implementing their Innovative Teaching Practices (ITPs) and showcase their progress at the end of the year.
Expected Contribution from Participants (School Collaboration)
- Full participation in 8 online sessions between June September 2023 est. 16 hours)
- Design an Innovative Teaching Practice (ITP) with a group of teachers (est. 8 hours)
- Participate at the on site ASEFClassNet16 Conference taking place in Oct Nov (est. 3 days)
- Implement the ITP after the conference in home school (no time estimation)
Outcomes (School Collaboration)
The School Collaboration aims to achieve the following key outcomes:
- Raise awareness and promote meaningful discussions on the significance of ethical AI
- innovation for effective quality teaching and learning in secondary school teaching and learning
- Enhance participant teachers’ leadership and decision making competencies for significance of
ethical AI innovation for effective quality teaching and learning - Provide a peer to peer learning platform for teachers to critically reflect on ongoing AI innovation
in K 12 education for effective quality teaching and learning - Provide an intergenerational and intercultural platform and bring together expert teachers and
trainee teachers to have multifaceted conversations on the topic - Promote Asia Europe cross cultural cooperation among teachers in ASEM Countries
- Empower participants to independently co initiate and co implement spin off activities to
produce innovate examples on how effective and ethical teaching with AI tools look like afte r the
project - Inform Education policymakers in Asia and Europe with relevant insights gathered from teachers
to improve secondary level education scenarios in the ASEM region
Upcoming Open Call for School Collaboration
We will be launching the Open Call in the coming weeks and if you wish to be the first to learn of the upcoming activities, join the ASEF ClassNet mailing list!
For more information on ASEFClassNet16, please see the Concept Note.
