EUROPE – OUR HOME Erasmus Project

Project Title

EUROPE – OUR HOME

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

Contemporary Europe is the continent full of changes. The transformation of society is best seen on our children. There are many different people living in different cultural environments and traditions in Europe. There are many different things, but there are also many things we have in common. A group of teachers from five European countries have designed and devised this project to find the values, skills and different things that can join us. Our intention is to show the children we teach at our schools that although we are different, we can work together and create the new future of the Old Continent.
Since understanding and comprehension is the alpha and omega in the international cooperation, we have chosen English as the language of our project. In all project countries, English is taught as the first foreign language. Our goal we have set is to teach children how to use the English language naturally (regardless of the mistakes they may make at the beginning) in order to make the use of English natural. We want our school children to get rid of shyness and fear of any mistakes in the conversation.
We expect to break down language barriers with activities such as finding and writing to pen-pals, chats and videoconferences between peers, making and watching videos and presentations about towns, schools, famous people, making online exercises, creating a multilingual dictionary.
As well as using English, the use of ICT tools becomes the common skill of educated European. This is the second area we want to focus on in the project. The main ICT tool of the project will be the E-Twinning platform. Our team has already started to use E-Twinning during the project’s preparatory phase. Here we will place photos and videos, organise videoconferences and chats. The newly created project web will contain materials that have also been created by children and will be used in the regular English lessons (practical grammar and vocabulary exercises in Hot Potatoes). With the help of ICT tools, we want to achieve meaningful and effective teaching and learning. In order to develop language skills and ICT skills, we will work on topics that are close to the surroundings and the lives of children (family and close people, hobbies, school and town).
Teachers will develop children´s independence during the project, will help to determine the direction of work, but at the same time provide enough space for children´s creativity, independence and awareness of how individuals are responsible for their own work. We will support team collaboration, team independence, exchange of ideas and students´ self-assessment. We will encourage and motivate children to speak English as much as they can.
The project will involve children aged 10-14. Overall, we want about 700 children to work together on the project activities during the period of two years. Our international team of teachers wants to apply innovative practices in teaching, exchange experience and we expect our further professional development.
The results of our joint project work will include material outputs (tangible products, handmade products, digital outputs will be available on E-Twinning and online grammar and vocabulary exercises will be available on the project website). These exercises can be used in the regular English lessons and at home by anyone – anywhere. We will monitor non-material outputs, i.e. progress we have achieved – through interviews with children, questionnaires, self-assessment and skills tests (improving language skills). Children participating in partner school trips will give their peers the information about the visits in the form of photo presentations and small talks.
We believe that our joint efforts will benefit the personal development of the pupils and the professional development of the teachers. We want to support tolerance and understanding towards other cultures and we hope that new European friendships will come into existence.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 114180 Eur

Project Coordinator

Zakladni skola Kravare, prispevkova organizace & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• Prienu ,,Azuolo” progimnazija
• Istituto Comprensivo “Egnazio Danti”
• Szkola Podstawowa Nr 42 im. Ignacego Jana Paderewskiego w Gdansku
• C.R.A. Sierra de Alcaraz