THERMAL WATERS and SPAS: natural heritages and assets for the future Erasmus Project

Project Title

THERMAL WATERS and SPAS: natural heritages and assets for the future

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Pedagogy and didactics

Project Summary

SUMMARY of the PROJET “TWAS”
For 2 years, from September 2016 until August 2018, one ERASMUS+ Multipartnership “school to school” project has linked 3 vocational high schools from Slovakia, Czech Republic and France and made it possible for 90 learners and 15 guiding teachers to share an intensive and most rewarding European adventure based on one scientific, environmental and cultural project named “TWAS” for “Thermal Waters and Spas: natural heritages and assets for the future”.
Now finished, this projet has given each school, concrete proofs of its development thanks to the final productions showcased at school, the many digital messages posted on the websites and very bright memories in the participants’ heads.
These 3 institutions had already developed partnerships and projects which included self-financed mobilities but also EU granted “Comenius” and “Socrates” exchanges. This was enough for teachers to feel like starting a new project together under the banner of Erasmus+
These schools have very similar structures (state schools and common forestry education provided to similar Level IV learners) but also are situated into similar mountain areas with national parks and a strong tradition of thermal waters spas.
Consequently these similarities have made it possible to write the TWAS project based on common pedagogical and cultural objectives such as the (1) scientific studies of their local thermal waters with later common analysis, (2) the environmental study of wood and forests in the spas equip ments and landscapes, (3) the study of these historical heritages and the economical asset it can represent today and finally, (4) the objective of artisitic creation of 9 promoting posters of the 9 partner spas.
During the first transnational meeting, the “Kickoff meeting” in France, partners have set up a calendar of activities scheduling the 6 short-term Mobilities. At school, the pedagogical team of involved teachers (including one compulsory English teacher) have selected the participating learners. These groups of 17 year-olds (from 12 to 16 of them depending on the school and the year of activity) have embarked on the projet, each school having its own way of selecting them (one full class in CZR, selection through motivation interviews in SLK and the EuroSection option study group in FR). Digital technology was at the core of the projet with the setting up of a project Group Page on Facebook and one Blog (“TheBlueStream”) to inform about the unfolding of the activities over the weeks and to allow the participants to exchange views and chats and documents on the Facebook page. The school websites were also bringing testimonies of the TWAS adventure regularly.
The 6 Mobilities were carried out succesfully over the 2 years, with very impatient and keen groups who did carry out the agenda of enquiries and visits of thermal places, of forests and various other cultural elements of interest to the projet. Two visits abroad for each school and welcoming two partners at home were made. These moments “boosted” the linguistic capacities of the learners who experienced the unusual moments of scientific analysis of thermal waters samples carried out in English ! Non stop communication was possible during these weeks of sharing between teenaged EU citizens… who realized how similar and different they/we can be. Prejudices could be fought during these rewarding sessions.
The second transnational meeting, at the end of Year 1 held in CZR, allowed the teachers to evaluate their activities, re-arrange the agenda if needed and confirm the Year 2 calendar with its 3 final productions to come. The second year went by with hectic times, dynamic sessions and goals finally reached as confirmed by the third transnational meeting in Slovakia, in June 2018.
The dissemination of the project’s results and their promotion were made through local Press articles in each country and radio interviews during the mobilitiy visits. Of course the digital sites of the schools and the European platform of dissemination will herald the TWAS adventure. It will hopefully bring inspiration to the visitors and the new learners at the TWAS schools
But the best testimony and maybe inspiration for future learners at the schools, will be the showcasing in the entrance halls of the 9 promoting posters made by the TWAS students as the artistic testimony of their involvment in one dynamic ERASMUS+ project !

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 103650,59 Eur

Project Coordinator

EPLEFPAVIC & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Ceska lesnicka akademie Trutnov,stredni odborna skola a vyssi odborna skola
• Stredna odborna skola lesnicka Jozefa Dekreta Matejovie