Share our similarities, celebrate our differences; School Diversity for Students with Special Educational Needs Erasmus Project

Project Title

Share our similarities, celebrate our differences; School Diversity for Students with Special Educational Needs

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: Disabilities – special needs; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

Context and Background of the Project:
The necessity of this project has its origins in the need of enhancing the motivation of the students with special educational needs (SEN) for learning to become more active citizens of European and overcoming barriers between children with and without special needs in educational and daily social life. Because of the lack of moral values like respect and tolerance, students with SEN can lose their confidence and become anxious, withdrawn or aggressive, which affects negatively their social lives and career in the future, therefore we aim to create a school atmosphere in which students respect other people’s differences. Through the project, we will promote positive attitudes towards European Union values like social inclusion, non-differentiation, human rights, equality, democracy, and human rights.

Objectives of the Project:
-creating an inclusive school by providing a positive educational and friendly school environment without discrimination and unconfidence
-supporting the integration of the students with and without special educational needs
-motivating the students for learning and increase the students’ self-esteem and self-confidence
-improving students’ communication competence in foreign languages
-raising respectful individuals towards democracy and human rights
-promoting an active Euporean citizenship and intercultural understanding, tolerance.

Number and Profile of Participants:
The project will last for 2 years and involves 6 schools from Spain as a coordinator, the United Kingdom, Turkey(Çorum and Afyon), Germany, and Iceland. The project activities will be performed with the students aged 11 to 18. Most of the students who will play the lead in the activities are with special educational needs like educational difficulties and mental deficiency in order to make them taste for the success and develop their self-esteem We will make a bridge between the students with and without SEN thanks to activities in the project like peer-work and team-work.

The Schedule of the Project:
We have 5 LTTs planned.
1st Mobility in Turkey November 2020/with teachers and pupils
2nd Mobility in Germany March 2020/ with teachers and pupils
3rd Mobility in the United Kingdom May 2020/ with teachers and pupils
4th Mobility in Iceland October 2020/with teachers and pupils
5th Mobility in Spain April 2021/with teachers and pupils

Description of the Activities:
Through the project, we will create a positive school atmosphere in which all the students especially the ones with SEN feel safe and show their real potential. In the meantime, we will help the students show respect to others and promote positive attitudes towards European Union values like democracy, human rights, nondifferentiation, and critical thinking.

Methodology:
During the project activities and students exchanges: organizing an Erasmus+ Day, street interviews and surveys, organizing an Entertainment Day, democracy workshop, preparation of school magazine, organizing career days, watching empathy films, fun activities, social activities, creating short films, activities in school garden like yoga, role plays, group/pair work

Approach:
– creation of an Erasmus+ team and distribution of the tasks
– project presentations in various institutions
– creation of logo and slogan, website, eTwinning – Facebook page
– preparation of Erasmus+ corner in each school
– holding seminars, workshops
– interviews
– campaigns and exhibitions
– building a power generator on renewable energy sources;
– creation of project magazine, and various materials such as booklets, brochures, posters with EU logo for the dissemination of the project

Results and Impact:
In terms of results and impact, we are aiming at raising more conscious students about their life and position as individual and help them develop their full potential and build a more better future enhancing their motivation for learning. By increasing positive interaction between students with and without SEN, we will create opportunities for a good school atmosphere in which students put themselves in other places and respect one another’s differences. This project will create international cooperation among not only students but also teachers. Teachers will develop themselves professionally thanks to training, seminars, meetings, and conferences. They will observe the education system of their partners and integrate the positive sides to their lesson plans for the next generation.

Long-term benefits:
As a long term benefit, we aim to strengthen the European dimension in the school and community. We will support our curriculum in terms of diversity and rights for disability students, and we will maintain a positive educational atmosphere especially for SEN students in and around the school with the help of families and communities.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 125500 Eur

Project Coordinator

IES BEZMILIANA & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Dr.-Jaufmann Mittelschule Bobingen
• Smáraskóli
• St Bede’s and St Joseph’s Catholic College
• Mehmetçik Anadolu Lisesi
• Sulumenli Imam Hatip Ortaokulu