Around Cultural Heritage Investigate European Values with Erasmus+ Erasmus Project

Project Title

Around Cultural Heritage Investigate European Values with Erasmus+

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The Erasmus+ project “Achieve+ Around Cultural Heritage Investigate European Values with Erasmus+” was implemented for 36 months (2018-2021) by six schools (primary and lower secondary) from Italy, Czech Republic, Portugal, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria.
The main aims of the project were: improving educational success, increasing knowledge about cultural heritage diversity, developing participants’ social and intercultural competences, increasing competences in English, foreign languages and using IT.
The work in the project was provided through integrated approaches and was incorporated into partners’ school programme, according to the project plan. A total of 3000 students (aged 10-14) and 300 teachers (all subjects) participated in the project. The focus were pupils with learning difficulties, social and economic obstacles and immigrants’ children from all partners’ schools. They took part in project activities which are included into regular classes and have some extra classes drama, language, IT, intercultural and evaluation actions and tasks: questionnaires, quizzes and discussions. Also, pupils cooperated in international groups in mobility periods and all the other activities were held in national groups of students, they felt involved in their learning process and their academic results were improved. Participants increased their competences, motivation and satisfaction in school work.
The second target group were teachers who increased English and IT competences, improved knowledge and experience in using new methods and techniques during project activities. Teachers completed one Short Join Staff Training Event and students and teachers completed five short-term students’ exchanges. There were 459 teachers and pupils altogether involved in mobilities.
Teachers worked on English and IT skills and gathered materials needed for effective implementation,dissemination and assessment. The students faced real communication situations during accommodation in families. They learnt basic vocabulary/ expressions of partners’ national languages.

Participants created and published common products: a project logo and a website (eTwinning Project); Multilingual dictionary; an architecture glossary; Cultural Heritage Journal including the European book of legends, traditional recipes cookbook, and Monuments DNA encyclopedia, and activities performed during LTT (about which there were public presentations); an educational Scratch game; a set of educational materials created in partners’ national languages and in English. The project’s final product were the brochure: “ACHIEVE+” that is also available at the Tourism Office of the partner schools areas.
Moreover, the partner from Portugal demonstrated Flexibility Curriculum and CLIL methodology programme activities which were innovative for others. All participants experienced educational scenarios and became prepared for new challenges.
All partners introduced new IT techniques (web 2.0 tools), Learning apps, Educaplay app, Scratch app, Quizlet, Jigsawplanet, Calaméo, Qrcode, storyboard app to create a cartoon, storyjumper app, Atavist.com, tripline, thinglink , a padlet to create our products and presentations.

The impact of the project was significant at local, regional and European levels because it was disseminated using many ways: organizing Erasmus+ Days at schools, Achieve+Days, project exhibitions, project workshops for students and teachers from ours and other schools as well as for workers from other institutions. Moreover, it was important the cooperation with parents, local governments, libraries, the eTwinning platform, Portuguese Route of Romanesque, Greek Archaeological Museum of Komotini, Refugees Association, Italian tourism office of municipality of Sala Consilina, the Information Tourist Centre, Bulgarian Municipaity Burgas, Romanian city library “Panait Istrati”, in Braila, the institution dedicated to all teachers from Braila, called Casa corpului didactic, the “Turistické informační centrum České Budějovice”. Besides, dissemination was done in the International conference Achieve+ during the visit to Portugal, meetings, trainings, school newspaper, press and school websites articles, a radio broadcast, during the Bulgaria online meeting, a TV interview during the visit in Italy and Greece among others. The project has had a positive impact on participants. Thanks to it, students, teachers and other participants not only acquired knowledge about cultural heritage diversity but also social and intercultural competences. They developed their tolerance towards other cultures, religions and languages. Also, participants improved their English and IT skills.
This project was awarded with a national eTwinning quality label in the following countries: Portugal and Greece.

Project Website

http://twinspace.etwinning.net/74790

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 159835,03 Eur

Project Coordinator

Agrupamento de Escolas de Idães & Country: PT

Project Partners

• Naiden Gerov
• ISTITUTO COMPRENSIVO CAMERA
• 4o Gymnasio Komotinis
• Scoala Gimnaziala Mihail Sadoveanu
• Gymnázium, České Budějovice, Jírovcova 8