Water – A Combining Element Erasmus Project

Project Title

Water – A Combining Element

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Environment and climate change; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

“Water – A Combining Element”

Water is the basis of life for all people. The topic of water is probably one of the strongest connecting elements between people, which is why it was particularly suitable as a topic for a European project in which students could learn with and from each other.

The five participating schools from Kalajoki (Finland), Westerstede (Germany), Vera (Spain), Naples (Italy) and Heraklion (Greece) come from different natural regions of Europe and describe different cultural backgrounds. Thus, we had different ways to approach our use of water. Consequently, the lives of the participating students offered a variety of starting points for a common analysis of the project theme, in which the diverse approaches based on local specifics were to be made tangible and comprehensible to the project participants. We expected to make a contribution to mutual tolerance in Europe.

At the beginning of the two-year project, the participating students were in Year 9 and accordingly 14 or 15 years old. Increasing our students’ ability of critical thinking in dealing with our natural resource water was the major goal for the project. Moreover, all activities were designed to lead to a greater understanding of systemic connections. Thus, we dealt with five different fields of study: “Art and History” (module I), “Tourism and Sport” (module II), “Environment and Climate Change” (module III), “Water Management” (module IV) and “Ports” (module V), highlighting the importance of our European heritage in connection with water.

Module I, “Art and History”, was organized by Liceo Ginnasio G. B. Vico . It examined how the perception of water has changed from an artistic point of view in the different regions over time and what the differences are today. The 13th Gymnasium of Heraklion was responsible for Module II, “Tourism and Sport”. This module focused on the recreational function of water. Changes due to the predicted climate change and possible mitigation and adaptation measures in the participating regions were the focus of Module III, “Environment and Climate Change”, headed by I. E. S. El Palmeral. Module IV, “Water Management”, analysed the vital procurement of drinking water, water as an economic area and protection against water. This module was organized by Europaschule Gymnasium Westerstede. Merenojan koulu, finally managed Module V, “Ports”, which turned to places that have always been places where people meet to trade goods or exchange ideas, and thus are central to the development of entire regions although their meaning might have changed over time.

Every partner school set up study groups to prepare the different modules and digitally record new findings between the international project meetings. Their results were presented by five students and two teachers from each partner school at the international project meetings. However, the planned discussions and didactic preparations did not take place. Rather, the focus was on meeting the project participants and getting to know the different natural environments and cultures, although the excursions were not always directly related to the project topic.

One aim of the project was to develop free and innovative teaching and learning materials that make the natural and cultural diversity of water use, as researched by the project participants, digitally tangible. So, we set up the website watercombines.eu, on which the findings of the five modules should be presented. In consultation with the partners, the participating students and teachers from the coordinating school took on the installation and design of the website; the respective schools were responsible for preparing the content of the modules. The originally planned smartphone app, however, could not finally be realised because lessons in mixed learning groups were no loger allowed due to the corona pandemic since mid-March 2020, and the last mobility in Germany could not take place.

Nevertheless, the activities carried out as part of the project implementation have long-term added value for the subsequent lessons at the partner schools, because the new findings can be used for further learning activities even after the project has ended and because the holistic learning of foreign languages was promoted. The exchange was of great personal value for the students and teachers.

Project Website

https://www.watercombines.eu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 134941 Eur

Project Coordinator

Europaschule Gymnasium Westerstede & Country: DE

Project Partners

• LICEO GINNASIO GB VICO
• Merenojan koulu
• IES EL PALMERAL
• 13th Gymnasium of Heraklion