Improving Teaching Methods For Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Improving Teaching Methods For 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 addressing more than one field

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

The project “ImTeaM4EU (Improving Teaching Methods for Europe)” is focused on strengthening the competence of teachers in different teaching institutions in terms of using appropriate methods while teaching European Key Competences (defined by LLL). Thus the effect will be a contribution to improving European teacher training both in the field of initial and in-service training. The project developed strategies and materials that support teachers based on actual educational sciences (“cooperative learning”) in improving their teaching methods of chosen key competences being the basis of a knowledge based and modern European society.
In accordance with the individual experience and expertise of the partner institutions the focus of the project was set on the following key competences for secondary students (age of 10-18): communication in the mother tongue and in foreign languages, mathematical competence and competences in science and technology including ecological competence, social and civic competences.
The goal of “ImTeaM4EU” is the qualification of teachers in initial training or their training on the job in order to encourage and enable them to use topical themes in a hands-on-learning approach in their lessons. Such lessons particularly support learning competences of students focusing on Europe. The improvement of such a general “European Competence” prepares young people for living and working in Europe, not least with regard to “at-risk-students”.
As educators’ competences are crucial for any learning process, the teachers need to be supported in the process of teaching European topics and the defined key competences in a differentiating, motivating and sustainable manner.
The project partners have indicated an obvious demand and need for action. Regardless of the fact that European contents and the teaching of European key competences have been established in the curricula of several European countries, teachers still too often have deficiencies regarding their didactic-methodological repertoire to serve the students’ needs.
Therefore, “ImTeaM4EU” contributes to the improvement of the quality and efficiency of general education and training.

A total number of 10 European partners and a university for teacher education in Switzerland as external partner participated in the project:
Governmental institutions:
1) Ministry of Education of North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany (as the coordinator);
Teacher education and training institutions:
2) Teacher education Centre Düsseldorf (ZfsL), Germany – main focus: social and citizens’ competence;
3) University of Maribor, Department of German as a second language, Slovenia – main focus: foreign language teaching;
4) Kopernicus University of Torun, Poland – main focus: social and citizens’ competence;

Schools:
5) Osnovna sola Janka Glazerja Ruse, Slovenia – main focus: foreign language (German):
6) Tallinna Saksa Gümnaasium / Estonia – main focus: social and citizens’ competence;
7) Europaschule Bornheim, NRW, Germany – main focus: foreign language teaching – English;
8) Europaschule Mönchengladbach-Hardt, NRW, Germany – main focus: Natural science and Technical/Ecology and ICT Knowledge;
9) Europaschule Bergisch Gladbach-Paffrath, NRW, Germany – main focus: Mathematics, Natural Science, Technical, Ecology and ICT- Knowledge

Commercial enterprise:
10) Planpolitik, Berlin, Germany – main focus: development of simulation games concerning key competences.

The project contained the following “milestones”:
1) Analysis of schoolbooks and curricula, didactical publications etc. from different countries;
2) Development of a “treasure box” of methods based on “cooperative learning”
3) Designing teaching units about European issues for the chosen key competences; innovative presentation by timeline
4) Testing the chosen methods, analysing the results, evaluation and adaptation;
5) Designing the online-platform “www.imteam4.eu” as open resource platform;
6) Development of a manual for the platform www.imteam4.eu
7) Development of national concepts about how to use the developed equipment in educational seminars or workshops
7) Developing a concept for an eTwinning-project among schools within the project on key competences;
8) Evaluation of the process and results of the project

In the course of the three-year-running process of the project, the partners met regularly in order to plan the development of lessons, to evaluate the progress and results of their work, and consequently to adapt or to change the methods applied. The final international dissemination conference of the results focusing on the use of the methods presented to an international and professional auditorium on the website “imteam4.eu” has taken place in NRW/Germany. Participants of this and the conferences (multiplier events) in the partner’s countries were enthusiastic of our easy-to-use website www.imteam4.eu.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 311115 Eur

Project Coordinator

Minsterium für Schule und Bildung NRW & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Tallinna Saksa Gümnaasium
• Städtische Gesamtschule Hardt
• ZfsL (Zentrum für schulpraktische Lehrerausbildung Düsseldorf)
• Osnovna sola Janka Glazerja Ruse
• planpolitik Raiser und Warkalla GbR
• Europaschule Bornheim
• Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych nr 2 w Toruniu