Singing diversity Erasmus Project

Project Title

Singing diversity

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Chantons la diversité / Gesang der Vielfalt

This project was born out of the desire to introduce children under 11 years of age to Europe, not on a local and theoretical level, but in practice by having them live and share an experience as young and active European citizens. The project ran from September 2019 to August 2021.
The project partners were the German Grundschule Grünhain-Beierfeld and the schools of Saint-Etienne region Auvergne Rhône Alpes, Gaspard Monge and Tardy. Our three schools are from towns where transnational exchange has not yet taken place in primary schools.
We started from the idea that an exchange carried out earlier in the schooling process would favour the impact of this type of approach. This project therefore aimed to have two choirs exchange over a two-year period using different digital media.
The choice to use singing as a driving force was a natural one, given that each of them had a choir in their school. Moreover, the use of this practice is very motivating for the children, and has enabled them to form a close-knit and cooperative group. From an academic point of view, its use has allowed us to work on different fields in a single activity (literature, foreign languages, digital tools).

It consisted of a choir of fifteen pupils from a German school, Grundschule Grünhain-Beierfeld, and a French choir of twenty pupils from two schools in Saint-Etienne, Gaspard Monge and Tardy. Based on the discovery of the other and its culture, the project consisted of two joint training events between education professionals which allowed a better knowledge of the educational context of the participating countries. (Only one exchange between professionals was carried out due to the health situation).

Two school exchanges were also planned (of five days allowing thirty five pupils to live a mobility and intercultural experience will take place in France and Germany; in third places at the rate of one per year), but which could not be carried out because of the health situation.

Despite the fact that some of the project’s actions were cut back, the impact of this project was multiple:
Firstly, for the participating teachers who improved their pedagogical and linguistic skills as well as their approach to diversity in their schools.
Secondly, for all the educational partners, who, by learning about the project and/or by participating in it, became aware of the feasibility of such an approach in primary schools.
Finally, for the pupils who, by discovering and integrating interculturality, have become open to difference. The active participation of the children and the educational teams as well as the involvement of their families in this project contributed to the prevention of school drop-out, a situation that many pupils may face. The learning of foreign languages has been facilitated by real communication situations. In the same way, the use of digital tools through the E-Twinning platform took on another dimension, more anchored in reality.
On the other hand, parents have discovered that these exchanges are possible.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 25779 Eur

Project Coordinator

Ecole élémentaire Gaspard Monge & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Grundschule Grünhain-Beierfeld
• Ecole élémentaire Tardy