Almería und das Münsterland: Gewinnung erneuerbarer Energien unter gegensätzlichen klimatischen Voraussetzungen – spanische und deutsche Schüler/innen untersuchen den Sektor erneuerbarer Energien als möglichen (gemeinsamen) künftigen Arbeitsmarkt Erasmus Project

Project Title

Almería und das Münsterland: Gewinnung erneuerbarer Energien unter gegensätzlichen klimatischen Voraussetzungen – spanische und deutsche Schüler/innen untersuchen den Sektor erneuerbarer Energien als möglichen (gemeinsamen) künftigen Arbeitsmarkt

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; Energy and resources; Research and innovation

Project Summary

The ‘Gesamtschule Münster Mitte’ (Germany) and the ‘IES El Algar’ (Spain) are the two schools which were participating in the project of comparing the production of renewable energy in Münsterland, Germany and Almeria, Spain. Here, the foundations were laid for a permanent twinning of the two schools through the teachers and participating students, who were mainly from years 8 and 9. The students from ‘Gesamtschule Münster Mitte’, a pedagogically innovative school, had been learning Spanish since year 6 and the students from ‘IES El Algar’, a German/Spanish bilingual school, had been taking part in a special bilingual course since year 7.
The main aim of the project is to encourage individual educational growth through foreign language accusation, intercultural exchange and raising awareness for the ecological and economic importance of renewable energy. Also, the project served as a platform to open the way for the student’s future study possibilities, both home and abroad with the help of a strategic partnership between the Almeria and Köln Universities. ‘Platforma Solar Almeria / Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt‘ are the partners in a joint research project of the partner cities and their universities, of which these and future students could profit from.
Regarding the teaching staff, the project facilitated a language and cultural exchange so that the teachers also had the possibility to exchange different educational concepts and elaborate on teaching plans.
Mutual visits of the students were the core of the project. Students took part in excursions concerning renewable energy and they worked on bilingual publications in online newspapers. In the second phase of the project they created a homepage. To enable a wider range of students to profit from the project, both schools organized interdisciplinary teaching units and projects on renewably energy in year 8 and year 9 (i.e. science, social studies).
It was important that the students themselves planed, established and evaluated the project. Therefore, some participating students and teachers from both schools arranged a meeting of a few days to evaluate the first phase of the exchange and, based on their experiences, plan the second. Some students of the second exchange organized another meeting with the teachers to evaluate the second phase and the whole project itself.
Our aim was that the project would lay the basis for a permanent and strong twinning of the schools, always focusing on different cultural topics. Last but not least the project could contribute to broadening the student`s horizons in the job market, taking into account high youth unemployment in Spain and skills shortage in Germany.
We reached the above shown aims of our project. Most importantly was the individual learning of the participating students. We could proof the high outcome of individual learning in conversations with students and parents as well as in an objective evaluation via a written survey. We were also able to establish a stable and sustainable exchange program of the participating schools. Additional to the contact in between the participating schools we have established connections to the scientific institutions involved in both countries, the “Plataforma Solar” in Almería as well as to the university in Dortmund and the project of sustainable energy in Saerbeck.
Unfortunately, we are still unable to do a thorough evaluation of the perspective possibilities of study and work options for the students due to their young age. In the next school year we are planning to widen our exchange program and give students the option to do an individual exchange where they can engage in work experience with companies that our school arranged for them. In return, our students can also arrange an individual long-term exchange and attend classes within the section of Vocational Education of the school in Spain, which is planned to be a bilingual course.
Overall, taking into account what we aimed for and looking at the close relationship of the two schools as well as the established exchange program, the project was very successful from the perspectives of the two participating schools.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 66540 Eur

Project Coordinator

Gesamtschule Münster-Mitte & Country: DE

Project Partners

• IES El Argar