“Cultural differences in Europe – an opportunity for using synergic effects in lifelong methodical learning. Erasmus Project

Project Title

“Cultural differences in Europe – an opportunity for using synergic effects in lifelong methodical learning.

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: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

This partnership was formed by four secondary schools with a large international projection, where interculturality and language learning are key issues, which is a factor for competitiveness, employability and mobility of young people.
Each school has provided different methodological approaches and learning and teaching skills; and all of them have been equally involved in all stages of the project development. The roles and tasks in this project were decided according to the aims of the project and the partners’ strengths.(See 5. Implementation)
We all have tried to achieve the Europe 2020’s target for education by engaging and motivating students with new methodological approaches based on the positive side-effect that are brought by the integration of different cultures in their curriculum that lead to synergies and to the enrichment of their culture and knowledge.
Students have learnt through cultural engagement with young people from diverse countries and cultural origin. We have developed skills (basic and traversal) such as entrepreneurship, digital and language learning skills, since they will allow us, students and teachers, to move towards a more competence based teaching and learning approach.

Every culture presented what key issues they were best for in their curriculum compared to others. Then we shared these strengths with our partners to produce positive synergetic effects lying within our cultural, pedagogical and methodological differences. The teachers rethought their education system and moved towards a more competence-based teaching and learning approach. Thus, the project leads to the achievement of basic skills and gave transversal key competences a more prominent part within our school curriculum.

Besides the students, we also had a second target group, we, the teachers and tried to rethink our school curriculum and adapt it to our modern pedagogical and methodological needs, following the guides given in the document “Rethinking Education” by the European Commission.
We have made a deep analysis of our cultural, national, and methodological strengths and weaknesses, and then we exchanged methodological approaches that will be applicable to our students and will allow us to use the synergetic effects of this European partnership to fill the gaps we may have. By doing this we enriched our teachers profile and management, as well as our students’ curricula.

In the work-shops, seminars and debates organised during the mobilities they used their learning to learn competences as well as their social and civic competence and had the opportunity to develop their digital competence, these tools will give them motivation, autonomy and responsibility for their future life.

The Quality Assessment Plan of the project has allowed us to keep track on whether the partnership was doing the right thing in the right way and has contributed to a better understanding of what needs to be achieved, how they can be achieved and how the partnership is progressing. And, in a small way, we contributed to the improvement of education by producing a PEDAGOGICAL HANDBOOK to work with. The articles in the booklet are based on the training activities and presentations that were part of the staff meetings and students’ workshops in the mobilities. Our all creative potential was stimulated by the triangle “culture-education-learning” and will have transformative long-term effects and a strong impact on our students, the teachers and the schools as a whole. It is important to emphasize that students have acquired key competences that will be developed throughout their lifetime among other benefits of this project .
The results of this active and vivid exchanges on behalf of both, the students and the teachers, can be found on the 50 pages of the Pedagogical Booklet produced at the end of the two-year partnership
The partnership has been established following the cooperation in eTwinning and this will allow us to go on working and exchanging experiences, transcending the duration of the project life.

We have also made a BLOG that contains all the activities done throughout the project life, and all the documents created for the management of the project.
The Participation in this European project has been a factor motivating the development of further links and synergies inside and outside our schools, so we hope that this project will function as a catalyst for change at the school level.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 93414 Eur

Project Coordinator

IES Hermanos Machado & Country: ES

Project Partners

• III Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace im. Bohaterow Westerplatte
• B/R/G Dreihackengasse
• Evangelisches Heidehof Gymnasium