Teaching and learning chemistry in a European classroom Erasmus Project

Project Title

Teaching and learning chemistry in a European classroom

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 : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Natural sciences

Project Summary

In our globalized world communication skills in foreign languages, especially English, have become essential in the professional as well as the scientific world. For our students in Meissen (Germany) and Cittadella (Italy), small towns with little ethnic diversity, foreign languages are mainly school subjects or at best the languages of pop songs and computer games. Our project has made them aware of their foreign language communication skills and the need to use them while improving them at the same time. For 16 days each year ((8 days in Cittadella and 8 days in Meissen) we created a European classroom where students from Italy and Germany came together to study part of their chemistry curriculum together using English as the classroom language. The method employed was Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) with a high percentage of activities that require cooperation and communication among students. Teachers from Freie Werkschule Meißen were new to the CLIL approach while our partners at the ISTITUTO ISTRUZIONE SUPERIORE TITO LUCREZIO CARO had already gained some experience over the previous 5 years and could help their colleagues to get started. Through their cooperation chemistry teachers at both schools developed their skills in this area by planning and teaching CLIL lessons, creating and evaluating teaching materials, observing each other in lessons and giving each other feed back. At the end of the project the teachers had produced teaching resources for CLIL lessons that will be available to all teacher across the globe from the project results website.
Another dimension of our project was the experience for students and teachers alike of another European culture mainly through cooperation inside and outside of the classroom, staying in host families, and cultural visits during exchanges as well as 20 lessons studying the partner’s language.
Participants in our project were chemistry and English teachers from both schools and about 30 students aged 15-16 each year from each school, a total of about 120 people participating directly. Others, like colleagues and host families also benefitted from the project activities.
At the end of the project teachers and students alike were more aware of another European culture, had more confidence in their language and communication skills, were more motivated to keep improving their language skills life long, saw the subject Science in a new light, had reflected on their own culture and were more open to other cultures. We expect that the project will have a lasting impact on both school communities and be a starting point for future cooperation at different levels and in different areas.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 46880 Eur

Project Coordinator

Freie Werkschule Meißen & Country: DE

Project Partners

• ISTITUTO ISTRUZIONE SUPERIORE TITO LUCREZIO CARO