Coaching talent-based mixed-age primary schoolprojects in the 21 century Erasmus Project

Project Title

Coaching talent-based mixed-age primary schoolprojects in the 21 century

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: Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Coaching talent-based mixed-age primary schoolprojects in the 21 century:
New schoolcurricula challenges teachers to let children develop themselves in a harmonious way. In order to successfully prepare the children for their personal life, for the labour market and to play a meaningful role in society teachers need to focus on developing the 21st century skills and entrepreneurship skills of children:
– Self- and peer evaluation
– ICT-competences
– Development of initiative and responsibility (= self-regulating capacity, research competence, entrepreneurship and commitment to a sustainable life).

It’s a huge task for a teacher. A real challenge to implement these competences in their schedule.
It’s fair to say that there is no manual for this. Teachers can’t become coaches for these competences just by reading a book.

In this project, 4 school institutions work together to professionalize and support their teachers. They want to challenge them to become coaches for our 21st century children. They are convinced that they need to invest in teachers, because by making them more competent, they can be influential for a lot of children to come. It’s an investment in a lot of generations to come.

They notice that there is a lack of expertise on how to put this ambition into practices. The schools lack methods, tools, approaches, … to effectively train the pupils for this. Children are very enthousiastic to work together and show a lot of entrepreneurship beginnings, but they don’t know how to do it properly. Kids are eager to learn from each other, but can’t find the right attitude to listen to each other in a meaningful way. Kids show a lot of initiative, but they get lost in their enthusiasm. Schools and staff are searching for the most ideal ways to give children the tools and competences to make the most out of it.

Through this project teachers can become better coaches for children. As they are strengthening their didactic competences and are provided effective tools to implement talent-based 21st century skills education.

Elementary school Sint-Camillus (Belgium), educational institute vzwSGSNBaONoord (Belgium), Saint-Nicholas Montessori School (Ireland) and Escola Lloriana (Spain) are working together in a project where they will develop talent-based mixed age schoolprojects (TBMA) for young children. Children are challenged within this project in realistic situations (for example: organizing a neighbourhood happening, organizing a food evening for parents, set up a mobile library for the street, develop an awareness campaign about global warming for the city, organize a nature and / or cultural walking tour in their own environment, …). In the last fase, a closely selected group of children will be mobilized to present their school project to other children of the participating schools. As they are real entrepreneurs, they need to present their project abroad in a creative way.

The main objectives of this project are:
– to strengthen talent-based 21st century skills education in primary school
– to create rich learning environments that strengthens the development of 21st century skills of pupils.
– to develop a high quality, child friendly and visual way for self-and peer evaluation, based on the “Talentenarchipel’ (by CEGO).

Objectives for the pupils:
– To give pupils a clear view on their talents
– To give pupils ownership of their own learning process
– To strengthen the involvement of pupils in the learning process through self- and peer evaluation

By exchanging good practices among each other, they develop a shared and adaptable document with a listing of good practices of each school. By visiting each participating school, they will have clear insights in the different school systems from Belgium, Ireland and Spain. They learn more of each other and learn more about the different school environments and schoolcultures.

The target groups of interest of this project are primary schools and advisory teacher-organizations in Europe. At the end of the project they will develop a presentation about the whole project and its outcomes, there will be a visual evaluation model for young children and there will be a list of good practices from each country with the pros and cons. These are 3 outcomes that can be spread easily. All of the participating schools have plans to disseminate the project and its outcomes in their own school community and region. By inviting other schools to visite them and by providing the outcomes to school counsels. The project and outcomes are available on eTwinning and is accessible for everybody. All participating schools have close connections with teacher academies and universities, willing to facilitate spread and publicity at a wide range.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 37574 Eur

Project Coordinator

Vrije Basisschool & Country: BE

Project Partners

• ESCOLA LLORIANA