Open your mind, change your life Erasmus Project

Project Title

Open your mind, change your life

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

The project „Open your mind, change your life” was participated by five partner schools from Poland, Greece, Germany, Portugal and Croatia. There were over 3000 people directly and indirectly involved in the project. Students aged 12-16 who have high rate of absence at school and face underachievement were the target group. The main aim of the project was the prevention of early school leaving and playing truancy, the improvement of key competences (reading comprehension, communication in mother and English language, entrepreneurship, civic competences, ICT skills), and what is more, the improvement of school results of underachieving students (mainly in maths and physics).
To achieve the aims there were applied activating methods, informal education, ICT tools and various workshops to learn by doing and experiencing. The project included the meetings with employers, visits, lectures and workshops at universities to encourage students to enrol to higher education and get to know the adulthood and the labour market. There were not only international activities but also local ones for example educational trips, meetings with specialists and employers. The activities were focused on five topics which enable the aims to be achieved – 1. Europass and the movement in the labour market (preparation of application documents, job interview, meetings and interviews with employers, self-presentation, practical use of ICT tools, development of civic competences), 2. A sound mind in a sound body (workshops – cookery, dance, DIY, using GPS, meeting with a psychologist and dietician, sports activities with science elements, creation of a healthy diet and a video reportage), 3. Science around us (laboratory classes, visits at universities, experiments, treasure hunt games, using ICT tools, trips to museums and exhibitions, development of solve-problem thinking), 4. Travelling around Europe along with an Oxford debate (the ability to search for information and solutions, creation of lapbooks, knowledge about European geography, self-presentation, ability to negotiate and debate, effective communication, solving conflicts, ICT tools), 5. Scientists and inventors – what do we owe them? (famous scientists/inventors and their work, practical usage of science knowledge, visits at museums and exhibitions, creation of presentations in Prezi and Power Point, experiments).
During international learning, teaching, training activities students were motivated to work, acquiring new skills and knowledge. Moreover, the used methods were applied to schools’ curriculum to improve the quality of teaching. The project had a positive effect on interschool cooperation and cooperation with parents which also contributed to the rise of the quality of education at partner schools. Furthermore, teachers modified lesson plans and teaching methods used in teaching underachieving students and prone to social exclusion. Within the project there were created the booklets with interview with employers, the booklets with positive thoughts, presentations which may be used during science classes, teaching kits with the usage of ICT tools during classes, teaching kits with hints how to work with underachieving students, evaluation survey temples, video reportages and instructional film for dance workshop. Students learnt how to prepare Europass CV and Language Passport, how to use programmes to make a film (Windows Movie Maker), to edit potos (Photoscape, Picassa), to create presentations (Prezi, Power Point, padlet).
The carried out surveys proved the increase of European awareness and the knowledge of science, the ability of self-presentation, debating, team work. The higher rate of frequency at school was also observed. The project combined various education stages (lower and higher education) thanks to the cooperation with employers and universities. The results were published on project’s website, its TwinSpace and the Erasmus Result Platform.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 128630 Eur

Project Coordinator

Zespol Szkol w Lubczy & Country: PL

Project Partners

• Osnovna skola “Bol”
• AGRUPAMENTO DE ESCOLAS DR ANTÓNIO AUGUSTO LOURO – E.B. 2,3 Dr. António Augusto Louro
• Realschule Heepen
• 1st Gimnasium of Corfu