KoBra – Koblenz trifft Bratislava – Working together in Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

KoBra – Koblenz trifft Bratislava – Working together in Europe

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: Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal); ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Our transnational project aimed at optimizing our students’ skills for successfully completing an apprenticeship as well as at optimizing their language skills. It supports them in living and working in the European information society. Having participated in our project, the students’ chances on the European employment market have improved.
The partner schools developed their students’ key competences in focusing on the internationalisation of instruction, the improvement of media literacy (ICT), methods of German language learning, oral English skills training and testing , the development of the career training concept and the cooperation with our commercial partners. In doing so the students’ motivation for learning and for international mobility has been increased. Cross-curricular instruction (German, English, ICT, career training) closely connected phases of instruction and practical training.
Altogether 12 students and 4 teachers per school participated regularly in the project. The teachers are trained in the field of home page, career training and they have studied German and/or English. (for further information, see choice of partners and competencies in E). The students attended classes in years 7 to 10.
Project activities included joint training courses for the teachers (career training, German/English language teaching) as well as short-term exchanges for the students in Koblenz and Bratislava with peer practical trainings for the students with our commercial partners in Koblenz and excursions to commercial partners in Bratislava. Preparation and follow-up of the project activities were dealt with in the weekly lessons by both Erasmus-Teams and were completed during our short-term exchanges in Koblenz/Bratislava.
The young people gained experience in communicating in different surroundings and in teaching their fellow students. They improved their learning competences. They experienced systems of school and apprenticeship in Germany and Slovakia.
Teachers and students from Bratislava participated in the annual Job Information Day at the Realschule Plus auf der Karthause, in job information events of the Agentur für Arbeit Koblenz as well as in the annual local job fair for young people in Koblenz. They experienced practical trainings and the “Praxistag”.
In the face of globalisation, migration and heterogeneous classrooms schools have to improve the qualifications of staff and students. Within the European Union one fifth of under 15-year-olds attain only the most basic level of proficiency in reading and almost 15% of 18 – 24-year-olds leave school prematurely. Nearly a third of the European labour force is low skilled, but according to some estimates, by 2010, 50% of newly created jobs will require highly skilled workers and only 15 % will be for people with basic schooling (2010, Youthpass Guide).
Our project’s most important development unfolded during the transnational teachers meeting in Bratislava in June 2016: We had found out that the concepts of DAF/DAZ didn’t meet the German partners’ needs as much as we had hoped for. The teaching material was not especially helpful for teaching refugees and the numbers of refugees arriving had decreased.
Therefore, we had to shift our focus from German to English. Visiting our partners’ English lesson in Bratislava, we got to know their newly-installed English Certificate preparation. The English teachers in Koblenz had been working on oral skills teaching and testing formats for a while and found in Bratislava the perfect form for preparing and testing . The students from Koblenz sat a mock exam during their short-term exchange in Bratislava in November 2016. The results of the English mock exam and our students’ feedback affirmed our decision to change one project focus from German to English in order to get the best benefit for our students.
In the school year 2017/18 the Realschule Plus Karthause offers a preparation course for the English exam as well as an English drama club for the first time. Both courses aim at improving our students’ oral skills and at developing and testing new teaching methods for English classes at our school.
The students from Bratislava are going to participate in annual practical trainings in Koblenz.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 43470 Eur

Project Coordinator

Realschule plus Auf der Karthause & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Zakladna skola s materskou skolou