The Joint Innovation Partnership for Learning (JIP4L)

Zuyd University together with Linköping University, Uppsala University, MOVARE Association (education foundation) and Sunnadalskolan (primary school in Sweden) had the opportunity to further develop the approach Partnering for Change (P4C) beyond  the Canadian context and to build partnership including a common knowledge base due to the allocation of an Erasmus+ grant of € 60.000. This international project started in March 2022 and was finished at the end of February 2024. The project got in the Netherlands an additional grant from LIME-Zuyd.

Project aims

JIP4L aims are:

• Generation of collective new knowledge around Partnering for Change to combat exclusion and inequality for all children;
• Teachers’ capacity building about inclusion, belonging and diversity by learning from each other in partnership;
• Creating inclusive environments by teachers and P4C experts on a national level and exchange of strategies on an international level;
• Resource pack how to set-up the JIP4L network around capacity building and development; Workshops and live co-creation sessions as part of JIP4L partnership.

The P4C - Partnership Continuum Model

In complex school environments with growing diversity, top-down leadership (e.g. buying external service providers for a short term) rarely improve teacher learning and capacity building. Instead, deeper partnerships between complementary professionals (e.g. teacher and occupational therapist), ones that jointly observe, reflect and act in the context for improving the learning journey, participation and belonging of all children, is warranted.

The JIP4L project in the Netherlands and Sweden followed the process of the Partnership Continuum model (Toon & Jensen, 2017) as described below. School system standards, motivations, and supports are all important in helping these partnerships to be deep, coherent, and continuously improving.

Stages of partnership continuum model

1. Setting-up national Partnering for Change (P4C) innovation community (stage 1)
2. Basic partnership while experiencing application of P4C and building local innovation partnership (stage 2)
3. From basic to collaborative partnership (stage 3)
4. From collaborative to continuously improving partnership (stage 4)
5. From continuously improving to coherent partnership (stage 5)
6. Dissemination and future of JIP4L network (stage 6)

Results of the project

JIP4L has resulted in a valuable collaboration that has yielded a multitude of new insights and products. These outcomes have been shared through LinkedIn posts, symposia, on-site exchanges, products (videos & text materials), articles, posters, and presentations at conferences. The short video below, for example, provides insight into the collaborative partnership process (stage 3) experienced by Swedish and Dutch teachers and occupational therapists during Partnering for Change in the classroom.

In stage 4 the JIP4L network was extended in both countries with new schools as well as additional international partners. A joint webinar with international partners from Scandinavia and Canada was held in November 2023.

In stage 5 field visits took place and new products were made; as an example testimonials (pdf) of different JIP4L stakeholders to promote P4C ad partnership.

Last but not least, as a result of this partnership in both countries Inclusion and Equity Living labs were established; for example in the Netherlands the Living Lab GO&I-LL.

References

Meuser, S., Borgestig, M., Lidström, H., Hennissen, P., Dolmans, D., & Piskur, B. (2022). Experiences of Dutch and Swedish occupational therapists and teachers of their context-based collaboration in elementary education. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 1-17.