Engagement Equals Inclusion for all Erasmus Project

Project Title

Engagement Equals Inclusion for all

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Access for disadvantaged; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

Under-achievement, lack of engagement, early school drop out rates. This is an issue for mainstream and special needs schools across Europe but what can educators do to re-engage their students? This is the question we hope to answer by the end of this project and provide educators with a tootkit and set of methodologies to raise progress in schools across Europe. The key priorities for this project are to support an inclusive educational environment and to research student engagement and student inclusion as key factors in tackling student under-achievement in a number of schools across country, culture and special need. Kliewer and Biklen (2001) found that inclusive groups can have a positive effect on progress levels in both students with special needs and mainstream students. This project has a number of students with special needs, some who are already educated in a mainstream environment, some who are undiagnosed due to poor social backgrounds and some who are educated in a special school setting. This study will research the discrepancy in curriculum progress between a group who are educated in a mixed group of culture and need and a group who are educated in their own school setting and peer group. The project will also focus on the benefits to mainstream students who are educated with special needs peers. “Enhancing student engagement has been identified as the key to addressing problems of low achievement, high levels of student misbehavior, alienation, and high dropout rates.”–Professor Ming-Te Wang,2013. After studying student engagement in many school settings, we felt engaging activities fell under the umbrella of 3 strands; ICT innovation, outdoor learning and physical activity. This study will research the engagement levels and the progression of 2 main groups; one who are educated in their standard peer group or in a mixed group of special needs and mainstream students from different countries and cultures. The project is building on programmes and research such as MOVE, Youth Sport Trust, Forest Schools, Outdoor Learning and 3rd Millennium Learning (Naace) as well as taking into account an ever developing world of culture and technology. By developing and trialling different innovative methods, we will be able to determine how to engage a range of students in a modern world.This study is innovative in it’s approach as previous studies have researched engagement or inclusion effects but usually within one main setting or area, meaning that the findings cannot be extended to a different social background, class, culture or need. This project involves a range of social backgrounds, classes, culture and special needs which will provide the study with a breadth of data unseen so far in research. By using an Engagement chart and scale developed by SSAT, from their study of effective teaching and learning strategies, and adapted by the educators involved in this project, we shall quantitatively measure the engagement of a range of students each term over a 3 year period. This engagement score will be compared against the level of academic progress the students make in each term. By measuring 2 specific groups; an inclusive education group and a group educated in their own school setting with their regular peers,we shall determine whether being educated in a group inclusive of different culture and need enhances or inhibits progress. All findings along with tools and video analysis will be provided on an open website enabling other educators to make use of the findings and tools as well as contribute to the findings in their own right. Together, we shall tackle under-achievement, explore inclusive education further and find what really engages our students to take charge of their own learning in a modern world.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 80450 Eur

Project Coordinator

Woodfield School & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Scoala Gimnaziala Geo Bogza
• Gimnazjum Publiczne w Zespole Szkol w Stubnie
• Ecole communale Andenne 1