GLOBAL STUDENTS: developing students’ global competence through PBL and gamification Erasmus Project

Project Title

GLOBAL STUDENTS: developing students’ global competence through PBL and gamification

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: Pedagogy and didactics; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

In 2016, OECD defined global competence as the the capacity to examine local and global issues, establishing positive interactions with others and appreciating other point’s of view while developing a sense of taking action for a collective well being. Previously, on 2015, the UN adopted the agenda for sustainable development establishing 17 sustainable development goals to be achieved by all countries in a global partnership by 2030.

Schools play a key role not only on contributing to the development of the 17 sustainable development goals but, specially, on fostering a global competence among their students. In fact, in 2018 PISA decided to include for the first time an evaluation of global competence among 15 years’ old students from all over the world.

Within this context, this project aims to develop global competence by enhancing new globalized and interdisciplinary methodologies focused on the development on the 21st century skills like project based learning and gamification.

The participants of this project are 5 public elementary schools located in Barcelona (Spain), Brussels (Belgium), Reykjavik (Iceland), Svendborg (Denmark) and Famalicão (Portugal). All 5 schools are eager to contribute on making the world a better place by not only taking action on issues related to the sustainable development goals but also by fostering a global competence among their students. All of us have previous experience on Erasmus+ project except for the school located in Belgium. However, we are all going to accompany Belgium to ensure a strong partnership between us all.

This project pursues three objectives: (1) foster the development of global competence among students while improving their communication skills in English and digital literacy, (2) improve teacher professional competences by enhancing teacher’s mastery of new globalized methodologies, and (3) strengthen a European identity and global citizenship by promoting intercultural dialogue and taking action in issues related to the sustainable development goals.

To lead to the achievement of the project objectives (1) we will work collaboratively to carry out a set of activities and (2) we will also conduct five LTT. Thus, on one side, we will develop 17 global cross-curricular projects using PBL in which 21st century skills can be implemented based on the 17 SDG with a TV School News program at the end of each project. We will also create a game board using gamification. And, finally, we will enhance on a volunteer program and interview and EU parliamentarian.

On the other side, five LTT are planned. The first two are going to be short term joint staff training events and are going to take place in Iceland and Barcelona. The first one in Iceland will be based on global competence and the sustainable development goals. The second one in Barcelona will be based on project based learning and gamification. The other three are going to be short term exchanges of groups of pupils and are going to take place in Portugal, Denmark and Belgium. During the first year of the project we will conduct the first three learning, teaching and training activities while the last two are going to be during the second year of the project.

A steering committee formed by the coordinators of each country is going to be created to ensure the realization of the project. Aside from that we will count on a quality plan that is going to be our road map to the entire project.

By the end of the project it is expected an improvement of teaching competencies and of project based learning and gamification methodologies among teachers. It is also expected a growth on global competence among students, as well as an improvement on English communication and digital skills and a development of an European identity and global citizenship. Aside from the impact on the participants (students and teachers) and on the organization, we also expect to impact our local and regional area not only by inviting teachers from other schools and countries (job-shadowing) to come and visit us, but also by getting involve in local NGO’s or other volunteering.

To maximize the impact of our project we will create a motto and a logo which are going to be on the website project and the Twinspace we will design, the school website, the Erasmus+ project and on the merchandising items we will create for the project. Besides, we will present our project and our project results to other schools and teachers, to the media and we will also participate in conferences, workshops and seminars. We will also use social media to ensure its diffusion.

As schools we need to prepare students not only for them to be ready for the future but also to be effective and engaged citizens in their community. Therefore, we are obliged to enhance the development of global competence and the achievement of the sustainable development goals among our students if we want to succeed on that.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 135952 Eur

Project Coordinator

Rubén Darío & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Rantzausmindeskole
• Melaskoli
• GO! basisschool ‘t Plant’zoentje Laken
• Agrupamento de Escolas D. Maria II – Vila Nova de Famalicão