Change your role Erasmus Project

Project Title

Change your role

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The project reacted to current social and educational situation as young people need to gain also certain skills and attitudes, to have better job opportunities and to actively react to social and environmental changes. Acquiring such skills and attitudes has to be done through pupils‘ active participation, while teacher should create reasonable conditions and act like an guide and facilitator. However, in the participating countries (former Eastern bloc) the change of teachers role remains challenging. The project idea was to work with the topic of active citizenship which helps pupils to develop soft skills and create a tool for teachers how to gradually change their participation involvement or role in the educational process.
The main objective was to support development of education for active democratic citizenship and participative learning through a new jointly created methodology introducing interactive and participatory methods into school education. There were 2 outputs created that contributed to this objective. O1 „Training module“ that brings description and inspiration on how educate teachers in the field of active citizenship and participative learning, 18 teachers from 3 partner countries attended and graduated the training module. Other output is O2 „Handbook“ which is newly created methodology describing what is active citizenship, why is it important and what concrete tools and methods the teachers can uses. There are 19 new specific tools and methods they can use separately or preferably all together. They were created to help teachers to lead the pupils in such way that will develop pupils competencies for active citizenship. Using participatory methods will make easier for teachers to transform their role in education.
The work procedure was that each partner will test the first year the 2 methodologies from the other partners. The methodologies were „Schools for Sustainable Living“ (CZ) bringing aspects of place based learning, „IMPACT“ (RO) based on service and adventure learning and „Young reporters for the environment“ (SL) based on media education. After the first year the partners gathered enough experience, suggested improvements, edits of the methodologies and selected their strenghts – most potential and suitable activities/tools/methods to reach to project objective. Together with involved teachers they proposed brand new methodology (consisting of 5 chapters and 19 specific methods), which was tested during the second school year. The methodology was introduced at the Training module, a practical workshop, which was created by mentors from partner organizations.
There were involved 6 teachers from each partner country (in total 18) that participated in every stage of the project. They tested other partners methodologies, gave feedback, proposed adaptations and improvements and then together with partners created new methodology „Handbook“. They also participated at Training module. Other target group were pupils – over 700 pupils in total experienced more than 2 new tools and methods created in O2. The last target group were the members of the partner organizations (6 involved in all activities and other 6 involved in education activities), who developed or deepened their skills and knowledge within active citizenship education and expanded their offer of participatory methods. The project and testing partners national methodologies also helped to enrich each other methodology, it resulted in the fact that partners now can use improved original national methodology and also brand new one, both methodologies tested and adapted to their national environment, therefore each partner expanded their portfolio and offer of programmes/tools towards their target groups.
Evaluation report shows such intense involvement of teachers to all the project stages help them to understood deepely the importance of the active ctizenship topic. Other results is that they feel more confident and empowered to introduce and use participatory methods within their teaching and more motivated to be more in role of „guides“ and let the pupils to be initiators of the actions in education. Our main objective was met. All the methods and tools described in O2 and introduced to teachers within O1 focus on supporting pupils in making independent decisions, developing skills for 21st century (communication, critical thinking, problém solving, analysis) and creating a sense of community. Because of the pandemic there were created also online versions of all the tools, methods, materials on the active citizenship and participatory methods were transfered into online version – unexpected result.
We realized 3 dissemination events, 2 present events with more than 40 participants, and one virtual event. with over 130 participants. Each organization is coordinating the national network of schools and educators. Through these networks will further disseminate the created training module and methodology.

Project Website

https://sever.ekologickavychova.cz/change-your-role/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 123641 Eur

Project Coordinator

Stredisko ekologicke vychovy SEVER Horni Marsov, o.p.s. & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• FUNDATIA NOI ORIZONTURI LUPENI
• Drustvo DOVES – FEE Slovenia