Pedal for Better Learning Erasmus Project

Project Title

Pedal for Better Learning

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

Pedal for Better Learning

“Pedal for Better learning” is the title of our project while our project integrates the use of short bursts of exercise in the classroom alongside the usual learning to help motivate students whom have lost concentration. As a school we have experienced that a 10 minute exercise pause on the indoor-bike-trainers gives students a learning-pause and after they are able to sit down and concentrate better. This project support all students but especially the inclusion of students with various behavioural difficulties.

The pedagogical methodology is backed up by a study from the Sport University in Cologne, and this links the theory to the outcomes that we have experienced.

It is our idea to bring this innovative pedagogical aid “Pedal for Better Learning” into other schools and classrooms around Europe so that other students that struggle with prolonged concentration difficulties have access to this unique idea.

The micro-environment can experience greatly from the inclusion of bike-trainers in the classroom but we want to expose students to the macro-environment too. Therefore the bike-trainer is linked to a virtual-bike-track which allows the students to experience a bike ride in all sorts of terrain and countries and their cultural heritage. It is then a pinnacle aim that we work with other schools in the EU macro-environment so that students are able to have a deeper experience with other countries, in a geographical and cultural manner. This will be achieved because each school is able to plan, ride in real life, film and upload their own tracks for the use of other schools and the public. This process involves students and teachers and creates a whole new set of life skills including international communication, enhancement of technology skills, and use of varied technology, also they will learn about the limitations faced in filming on a legal front.

Our project includes 3 schools and a total of 30 students and 10 teachers for travelling activities and can involve whole classes for virtual activities.

The short term and long term results will be that every school uses the bike trainers in classrooms and that the students accept them as a help to be able to concentrate better. On the way, the students will have a better knowledge of the various means of technology that are included in the project which is important in our digital era. Another long term benefit is that the concept of health, fitness and wellbeing will be integrated into the standard classrooms and not only reserved for sports lessons.
We are very happy that the project results corresponded very well with our plan. It was our short term plan that each school will use the bike trainers in their classrooms or in addition to their every-day school activities and this has been achieved. Our long term plan is that the schools will continue to use the bike trainers after the project end date, so far this is also the plan with our partner schools and the Nardini school. Another result that aligns with our plan is that the students shall have gained knowledge of various means of technology, which we find important in this digital era. This has also been achieved. Finally, a long term plan was that the health and well being of the students would be improved, and this has been seen in our students that now have more endurance in regular lessons as they are able to concentrate longer or to detect by themselves when they need a break from their sedentarism but also they are able to move better during our sports lessons because of the project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 60392 Eur

Project Coordinator

Nardini-Schule Gerlachsheim & Country: DE

Project Partners

• IES MONTESCLAROS
• Grundzales pamatskola
• Soenderotting Skole