Soft Mobility Integrated Learning in English Erasmus Project

Project Title

Soft Mobility Integrated Learning in English

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Transport and mobility

Project Summary

Soft Mobility Integrated Learning in English is an Erasmus+ project. In particular, it is a Strategic Partnership in the field of school education, involving organisations from five different EU countries (Italy, Greece, FYROM, Lithuania and Belgium). The SMILE project has been approved under the 2015 Call for Proposals of Erasmus+, the EU programme funding projects in all fields of education, training, youth and sports. Erasmus+ Key Action 2 promotes cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices at European level. It aims at bringing positive and long-lasting effects on participating organisations and the educational system at local, regional, national and EU level.

SMILE is the scaled-up version of a previous project called English Kitchen, funded by the Lazio Region (Italy) and implemented in several public Primary Schools in Rome by ReBike ALTERmobility. Thanks to the Programme Erasmus+, the English Kitchen experience was shared with other European schools and improved through a fruitful cooperation with partners.

The main objective of SMILE is to promote problem-based learning and the adoption of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) in Primary Schools through an innovative teaching approach and non-formal education practices.
The SMILE partners did this by developing a didactic format in which English language and the principles of sustainability are taught in Primary Schools through non formal education methods, thus creating a dynamic and playful learning environment to make the lessons more attractive. The course also aims to promote active citizenship and raise awareness among pupils on sustainable mobility issues in urban environments. The bicycle is the core of this project, as a powerful learning tool and an effective mean of transportation. By this way, the project contributes at growing a new generation of active and responsible European citizens.

The SMILE project led to the production of this toolkit, an innovative didactic format which includes a manual for teachers and trainers and all instructional materials needed to carry out the SMILE course, composed by twelve didactic modules lasting around 1h30’ each. The SMILE course is based on three fundamental pillars:
– Adoption of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) methodology for teaching a foreign language;
– Promotion of sustainable mobility principles through the use of the bicycle as a learning tool;
– Introducing non-formal education techniques in schools in order to create a positive learning environment and foster creativity and teamwork among pupils.

Pilot courses were held in schools of Rome, Athens, Skopje and Vilnius in order to test and enhance the didactic modules which are included in this toolkit. Feedbacks about the modules were collected from SMILE educators, school teachers and families. As a matter of fact, their critiques and suggestions were very useful to enhance the quality of the product.

The SMILE toolkit is designed to be used both in Primary Schools and other educational contexts such as summer camps, after school sessions, etc. A problem-solving approach deals with real daily experience, like for example how to repair a flat tyre and knowing basic traffic rules. Learning a foreign language helps to create a sense of European belonging and the group activities, through diversification of the necessary skills, bring the pupils to put together their differences to get to a common goal.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 59496 Eur

Project Coordinator

ReBike ALTERmobility & Country: IT

Project Partners

• SYLLOGOS GONEON KAI KIDEMONON TON PEIRAMATIKON DIMOTIKON SXOLEION MARASLEIOU TOY PAIDAGOGIKOU TMIMATOS DIMOTIKIS EKPAIDEUSIS TOY PANEPISTHMIOU ATHINON
• Susivienijimas Zali.LT
• Eco Logic
• EUROGEO VZW