Content languages teaching leads to better motivation. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Content languages teaching leads to better motivation.

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: Creativity and culture; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

The Erasmus Plus project ” Strategic partnership of schools ” KA2 action took place from 01.09.2015 till 31.08.2017. The partners were IV Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Generała Stanisława Maczka in Katowice, Poland and Anafartalar Ticaret ve Meslek Lisesi in Ankara, Turkey. The main objective of the project was CLIL method ( Content Language Integrated Learning ), which focuses on teaching certain subjects (mainly sciences) in a foreign language and teaching a foreign language in connection with a certain subject.
During the project, subjects teachers of both schools ( 14 teachers of both schools ) : biology, physics, IT, history and PE got methodological training connected with the method and practical preparation to use it in a classroom. In order to be competitive they also took part in an IT training activity to learn new ways of organizing lessons and to make them interesting to the students ( 14 teachers of both schools ).
The language policy of the European Union states that each member of the Union should have the ability to use at least two foreign languages except his native language, thus the idea of bilingualism is met with greater and greater acceptation and interest. The teachers participating in the project got the opportunity to enlarge their foreign language abilities by participating in a 30-hour English course ( 10 teachers from each institution ), which gave them the possibility to achieve such a level of a foreign language that they were able to carry out classes of their subject introducing the specific vocabulary in a foreign language.
The young people participating in the project ( 40 students from both schools during the two years of the project ), had a chance to check their language abilities practically, were be able to get to know their peers from a country with completely different religion, culture and a way of conduct. The activities planned during the project for instance: real-life history and culture lessons, laboratory classes, carrying out experiments together were for them an opportunity to break the foreign language barriers and eradicate the culture stereotypes. One of the assumptions of this project was to equalize educational chances of those students who have learning difficulties and are brought up in families facing financial problems. The abilities gained by the students participating gave them, in the long run, an opportunity to enlarge social competence and to create proper way of behavior The project was important because of the needs of both schools, in the Turkish school students’ success depended only on the school and the way students were motivated by their teachers; in Polish school students needed specific vocabulary to be competitive at the universities of their choice and they needed greater motivation to improve their way of behavior and school attendance. Thus, the project was a chance for the students of both institutions to start their dream studies and learn how to be motivated to achieve success.
Because of this project teachers of both schools got to know ways of motivating their pupils to achieve better results. During the project students could discuss the scientific issues, connected with ecology, endangered species, pollution, or got to know history and culture of the two countries by visiting museums, having lectures with experts in a given field, visiting local universities and in that way they practised different forms of communication in natural situations. This project was also a good opportunity to take part in different forms of activities such as: common sports events, culture quizzes, creating and updating a web page of the project using modern technology and the gained knowledge.
During the realization of this project the following final products were prepared : the dictionary of content vocabulary and the presentation entitled ” The courtesy in everyday situations do’s and don’ts”, prepared by the students, and the collection of the lessons scenarios of CLIL method prepared by the teachers.
The results of the project were presented during Open Days, Erasmus Plus Days organized in both schools and also while promoting the project during a conference for the teachers from the region and at the local Erasmus Plus Days organized by the local agencies, the materials were also presented in the internet page of the project.
In the longer perspective the teachers of both institutions gained European opening to other projects prepared by both institutions, both schools prepared another Erasmus Plus projects, they got better foreign language and modern technology abilities. For the pupils of both schools, it was a chance to be competitive at the job market, not only in their countries, but also in other European Union countries. Both schools wanted to make other institutions of the regions interested in the idea of bilingualism and to start cooperation and exchange experience with them in this field.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 60565 Eur

Project Coordinator

IV Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace w Katowicach im.gen.St.Maczka & Country: PL

Project Partners

• Anafartalar Vocational School of Trades