The European Child :Learning by doing the 3 C’s- Connect, Construct And Create. Erasmus Project

Project Title

The European Child :Learning by doing the 3 C’s- Connect, Construct And Create.

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 : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Research and innovation; Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

This project “The European Child: Learning by doing the 3’C’s-connect, construct and create” was based on the Cooperation and Innovation for Good Practices takeover. The project was composed of 6 pre-educational institutions from different countries (Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy, Latvia, England, Finland) with 934 children aged 3-7 (85 special needs) and teachers with a different experience, knowledge, beliefs, but common objectives:
1. To develop students’ learning ability to construct knowledge by doing.
2. To prepare 21st-century students for a global society by developing;
-Learning Skills which are critical thinking and problem solving, communications and collaboration, creativity and innovation skills of students.
-Literacy Skills are Information and communication technologies (ICT) literacy skills of students.
– Life Skills which are flexibility and adaptability, initiative and self-direction, social and cross-cultural interaction.
– Language Skills in which we aim to develop students’ listening and speaking skills and creating reading and writing awareness in a foreign language and their mother tongue.
3. To enhance the quality of early childhood education and ensure a good start in education for all, developing a learner-centered and age-appropriate pedagogical framework in teaching to develop key competencies and skills ensuring that the benefits of early childhood education are carried through to primary school and other school education levels.
4. To develop teachers’ knowledge and skills to create a learner-centered classroom atmosphere and teaching children basic skills and research activities and with the active learning teaching method.
5. To develop the quality of education in the participating organizations and European countries.
6. To develop teachers’ foreign language skills, using innovative teaching methods and information communications technology literacy skills.
7. To develop innovative didactic materials with the children participating.
This project was innovative, constructive, learner-centered and materials aiming to provide benefit teaching. We worked with Constructivist Teaching / Learning Method and its close relative theory ”Active Learning” which are fundamental to the full development of children’s abilities. Because these competencies and skills will be acquired easier by the children in early childhood and it gradually declines after. When children acquire these achievements actively in preschool, a good foundation will be laid for successful accomplishments in both school education and daily life. The child who is learning by doing in preschool would be more active in the following grades.
So, this project contributed to both enhancing the quality of early childhood education and following the education life of children. In order to children’s active involvement in the learning process, teachers encouraged children to observe and connect the new knowledge with their prior knowledge and construct and create their own knowledge consequently. Children learned by doing. We prepared four teaching/learning activities in different countries, in order to realize the objectives of our project. Methodological materials were produced in this process.
1. Teaching-learning seminar in Finland, theme “Child of Nature”. In this activity participants activity acquired new skills, learned about children learning in natural environment, initiative and self-direction, productivity and accountability skills. 2)Teaching-learning seminar in London, theme “I am an artist”. In this seminar participants acquired artistic skills, collaboration and creativity skills with creative art implementations. 3)Teaching-learning seminar in Turkey, theme “One child, two languages”. Participants learned how to acquired children listening and speaking skills and reading and writing in a foreign language and their mother tongue by active learning. 4) Teaching-learning activity in Sicily, theme “Robotic Coding”. Teachers together with children learned to be programmers and have fun finding paths, using networks and doing online games.
We had many activities to fulfill this project:
-Surveys for the teachers and parents.
-Project brochure.
-Project website.
-Parent meetings.
-The E-twinning project.
During of the project, children acquired learning skills, literacy skills, life skills and language skills by participating learning process actively. Teachers’ knowledge and skills to create a learner-centered atmosphere were improve.
In during the project were created 22 teaching materials about themes- I’M ARTIST(THE ART DVD), ROBOTING CODE, ONE CHILD TWO LANGUAGE, NATURE SCRAPBOOK.
Website www.learningbydoing.lv is the key tool for dissemination of project results during the project implementation and in the long term.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 120065 Eur

Project Coordinator

DOBELES SPECIALA PIRMSSKOLAS IZGLITIBAS IESTADE “VALODINA” & Country: LV

Project Partners

• Tendercubs – O&M Partnership
• Detska gradina “Zvanche” – Burgas
• Istituto Comprensivo “Militi”
• Risö skola
• Naciye Kabakci Anaokulu