German Language Exchange Erasmus Project

Project Title

German Language Exchange

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: Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

The German Language Exchange project aims at getting more students interested in learning a second foreign language and engaging in intercultural exchange. We will use the project to explore and showcase how we can integrate international activities into our teachings through both virtual and face-to-face meetings. The activities will train the students’ communication skills in an authentic setting which gives them real life practice with intercultural communication. Through expanded knowledge of German language, the project will provide the students with an understanding of how to communicate internationally. Knowledge of foreign languages goes hand in hand with knowledge of culture and the project aims at providing the participants and our schools with practical experience and tools to facilitate intercultural dialogue. As a result of the project we will produce new teaching material for German B2 level classes on intercultural competencies and language skills and we will give recommendations on how to integrate global citizenship in schools’ strategies. The project will also strengthen the partnership between our schools and can be used to start an exchange programme between the schools.

The project activities will be aimed at developing students as global citizen through German language skills (B2 level) and intercultural dialogue. To structure the project activities we will work with three themes 1) Our city (where we come from) 2) Youth Culture (differencies and similaries between Denmark and Estonia) 3) Intercultural Meetings (how to make positive encounters across cultures). The project includes two mobilities and virtual exchange and collaboration before, between and after the mobilities. The participants in these activities are 20 students who have chosen B2 level German classes and their teachers. The participant all have a particular interest in language which will be used as a kickstarter for the intercultural dialogue in the project. The activities will be building students competences gradually by increasing the complexity of the activities. This will culminate with investigations in international groups of self-formulated research questions about intercultural meetings where the results are presented as video productions. The students will also get a feeling of the everyday life at the two schools by for instance participating in lessons at the school. We will include home-stays in the activities in order for the students to get close to the local culture by staying with families. As part of the project activities the students will engage in learning activities which expands their vocabulary and understanding of gramma. They will also practice German conversation skills. These activities aims at improving the students academic level with in German.

The intercultural dialogue between students (face-to-face as well as online) will to be an important factor in the project. Participation in international learning activities gives a better understanding of both others and ourselves. This is an important part of the international formation of the participants. The project will give both teachers and students opportunities for positive intercultural encounters. It is our experience that such intercultural activities contribute to changes in the self-image of the students – they get a different perception of what is possible for them and they get the courage to venture into new international experiences in the future. It also prepares the students as change agents who can have a positive impact on their surroundings, influence the future, understand others’ intentions, actions and feelings, and anticipate the short and long-term consequences of what they do.

The project will be interesting for all students at the schools, teachers (at the participating schools and beyond) and the local populations. In our communication to these target groups about the project we want to show the benefits of learning a seconds foreign language and engaging in international activities. We will collect teaching material, student productions etc. on the schools’ webpages and will use social media and local media channels and our schools’ networks with other schools in order to have a broad outreach.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 22715 Eur

Project Coordinator

Kalundborg Gymnasium og HF & Country: DK

Project Partners

• Kuressaare Gümnaasium