Heuristic Education and Learning of Internationality with Olympic Spirit Erasmus Project

Project Title

Heuristic Education and Learning of Internationality with Olympic Spirit

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Migrants’ issues; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

Two French primary schools and two Greek primary schools educating pupils of a wide variety of social, geographical and cultural backgrounds, as well as refugee students, met around common observations: diversity is not always experienced as a wealth within the school and leads to increasing incivilities ; Europe and citizenship remain concepts without concrete reality for a majority of pupils and families ; the acquisition of basic skills by pupils is often prevented by a withdrawal of identity and isolation of students.

Thus, 3 objectives have been chosen and will concern 100 students in the fourth, fifth and 20 school staff:
– Making openness to the world and mobility at home and/or abroad a reality for all students regardless of their social, geographical or cultural origin by organising a discovery of European cultural heritage in two territories (Greece and France).
– Build with students and families a European citizenship that is emancipatory and respectful of the diversity of cultures.
– Strengthen key skills so that students gain self-confidence, be successful and build serene relationships with others.
Schools have chosen to rely on their existing resources to organize activities to achieve these goals: French schools have been working on a territorial project around the Olympic Games and the values of sport and have measured students’ motivation on the subject. Greek schools have placed the integration of diversity in school at the heart of their policy; one has worked on sports activities shared with France. Sport and values will therefore be the leading theme of the project.

The first period of exchange between students via eTwinning is marked by discovery: of oneself, of the other, of one’s school environment, geographical, of one’s daily life, one’s tastes and aspirations. The media (photos, drawings, clips, video presentation capsules, music) as well as activities (quizzes on the region, the country, stereotypes, Skype between the 4 classes, logo contests in Franco-Greek teams) are designed to motivate students to discover each other and build a sense of belonging to the same Europe.
The second workshop between the students will focus on sport and its values (sports interviews, history of the Olympics, Olympic symbols, illustrations of the notions of help, solidarity, fraternity, fair play). It is hoped that students will identify these values and be able to implement them in practice at school.
Mobility will be an opportunity for everyone to consolidate the first ties forged while working on eTwinning, to act as ambassadors, to experience an authentic encounter . The sport activities planned during each mobility will make them put into practice the sports values they studied together. The meeting in France of the 4 partners around the Franco-Greek Olympiads in April 2022 will be a highlight of the project: thanks to the Franco Greek competitions organised for the project, students will use the knowledge and every skill acquired during the cultural challenges and sports tournaments. Students will also participate in one of the school J0 events and observe situations before debating the sporting values at work during the competition. This informed view will complete their work on sport and its values.

The mobility experience and activities will help students to build new academic and social skills: they will be more autonomous, more open, more tolerant, more curious and more confident in the relationship to each other. The long-term of exchanges between Greek and French students and between pupils in schools of the same country is targeted here. Similarly, the transfer of new skills into learning process should lead to better student achievement and increased self-esteem.
The project is also expected to improve the school climate through students whose posture of withdrawal will change positively and who will be able to act citizenly on simple acts (welcome newcomers, developing mutual help and solidarity in learning). The success Indicator will be the reduction of incivilities in the schools. Schools will eventually gain a more positive image in the territories and serve as an example of their ability to integrate diversity. Families with little presence in schooling will find a new place in an open and more agile school in diversity management thanks to the European experience. The project teams will be able to build a European network on the theme of integration and citizenship.

Project Website

https://twinspace.etwinning.net/131509

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 118908 Eur

Project Coordinator

E. P. P. U. Léopold Sédar Senghor & Country: FR

Project Partners

• 4 PRIMARY SCHOOL PREVEZA
• IERA MONI AGIOU IOSIF TIS EMFANISEOS TIS KATHOLIKIS EKLISIAS VOLOU THRISKEFTIKO NOMIKO PROSOPO
• Ecole Puits Picard