Think Smart – Act Green Erasmus Project

Project Title

Think Smart – Act Green

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Pedagogy and didactics; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

Motivated by the EU 2020 agenda, we have chosen the need to reduce CO2, the changing world climate and the careful handling of the resources at our disposal as a project context. To sensitize students to sustainable action and to bring to their attention the significance of their decisions in a regional and global context were important objectives of the ThinkSmart project – ActGreen. Due to the project structure, the training of linguistic, intercultural competencies and the promotion of one’s own responsibility are closely linked to learning and knowledge processes.
A total of five schools participated in the project. The mix of rural / urban schools and the geographical spread was very profitable.
Liceo F. Arcangeli from Bologna with a vocational focus in the field of handicrafts, the general secondary school Gymnasium in the castle Wolfenbüttel, the general school Nova Academy Simrishamn with a focus on digital design, the general school Agrupamento de Escolas Miguel Torga from Braganca and the general education school 32 GENIKO LYKEIO THESSSALONIKIS from Thessaloniki.
The project “modular, with the aspects” river, ocean, tourism, consumption, city “has proved to be meaningful. The regional differences between schools and pupils, the different resources and ideas have enriched the project. A main activity is the preparation of the respective mobilities with regional aspects. Here the students have looked for regional examples of the subject modules and prepared presentations for them. These were the discussion points in the country presentations during the mobilities. Mobility is a key component of the project. The promotion of linguistic, social, and intercultural competences has been particularly taken into account here. As part of the promotion of self-responsibility, peer-to-peer elements were increasingly integrated into the workshops. In addition, thematically relevant excursions, workshops and discussions with a country-specific focus are to be mentioned as main activities during the mobility activities. As there was a close interlinking of all activities during the mobilities, a main activity for each mobility can not be identified. As outlined in the project design, the following overarching aspects can be named as main components during project implementation

– learning outside school in every international meeting in form of workshops
– students-teach-students on basis of clubs
– field trips to external partners
– support of students’ work through experts (school internal and external)
– production of visible results
– cooperation with schools’ communities and local region
– permanent use of eTwinning for documentation and exchange
– students’ presentation of results of cooperation and working together (e.g. homepage, blog, open house, video documentation).
– regular mobilities between participating countries and schools with high number of students

All participating pupils have clearly developed in the areas of intercultural co-operation, social responsibility and willingness to communicate. This has also contributed to the stay in guest families. The awareness of the need for joint action is more pronounced among many students than at the beginning of the project. Interested students, parents and fellow citizens of the cities and communities gave us a positive feedback on the project. It can be assumed that an interested group of people in the school and school communties has taken the project idea and, if necessary, also discussed appropriate options for action. Quantification is not possible at this point.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 107440 Eur

Project Coordinator

Gymnasium im Schloss & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Agrupamento de Escolas Miguel Torga
• Nova Academy Simrishamns kommun
• L. Artistico Liceo F. Arcangeli
• 32 GENIKO LYKEIO THESSSALONIKIS