Crossing Borders with Janus: history, arts and culture in the Dutch and Italian context Erasmus Project

Project Title

Crossing Borders with Janus: history, arts and culture in the Dutch and Italian context

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Creativity and culture; Pedagogy and didactics

Project Summary

Crossing borders with Janus: history, art and culture in the Dutch and Italian context.
The project is an intimate exchange between secondary school students of the Schoonhovens College (The Netherlands) and Art students of the Blaise Pascal College (Italy). The age group of the students is 16-19 years, the number of students from both schools amounts to 80 per year (160 students in total for this project with a duration of 2 years).
The Schoonhovens College and Blaise Pascal College share good experiences cooperation. History, Arts and Culture in the European context forms the explicit focus of the exchange. For the next two years the unifying theme for the exchange is determined jointly by the schools. The theme we chose for this exchange is “JANUS”.
There is a mutual interest for both groups of students in fulfilling their curriculum on these two subjects. By immersing the students in the culture of another European country the development of a profound European mindset is aimed for. Great effort is made to include all students from different cultural and religious backgrounds in the exchange.

The first objective is that students are able to show a transnational vision on history, art and culture, by appreciating that cultural-historic events in any particular country always take place in the wider (European) context. Each student writes a personal portfolio for the Arts and Culture curriculum and a practical assignment for the History curriculum. The students cooperate in a creative process, jointly creating a piece of art which subsequently is exhibited and presented orally to the entire school community of parents, teachers and students. During the actual exchange top institutes on European history, art and culture are visited, as well in Italy as in The Netherlands.

The second objective is that students develop skills (e.g. language) and a positive attitude to communicate with fellow students from a different European country on cultural topics and differences. The students work together on assignments during the visits to the institutes and have regular contact with their counterpart via the social media prior to the exchange.
Placing the students in host families guarantees an indelible experience, enhancing intercultural awareness.

The third objective is professional development of teachers by exchanging didactic tools and ideas (new innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses). The exchange programme is the result of the mutual input of didactic expertise. The project has an impact on many stakeholders: students (awareness of European context), teachers (professionalization), parents and other family members (host families), colleague teachers (dissemination of new didactics), and the local and regional community (press items and website). This enables an impact deep into the veins of the community that will have a long-lasting effect on cross-cultural awareness.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 65634 Eur

Project Coordinator

Schoonhovens College & Country: NL

Project Partners

• ISTITUTO d’ISTRUZIONE SUPERIORE “BLAISE PASCAL”