A holistic journey through Europe: approaching cultural heritage by games and Outdoor Activities Erasmus Project

Project Title

A holistic journey through Europe: approaching cultural heritage by games and Outdoor Activities

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: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

A holistic journey through Europe: approaching cultural heritage by games and Outdoor Activities
TARGET GROUP: Group of 60 special need & regular students: Poland, Belgium, Italy & Turkey ag.d 15-20 facing serious learning difficulties will take part in serious of ACTIVITIES in their schools & 4 short-term exchanges in partners’ schools.

BACKGROUND
Documents analysis, students & teachers’ interviews, internal evaluation proved that for our target group students academic learning is inefficient & demotivating. They benefit more by learning through experiments, movement & other scaffolding strategies, combining theory & practice which is what that project can offer.
The majority of our students derive from low income & education, narrow horizons families which puts them in a position of unequal opportunities to travel or gain knowledge & experience. Because of their passivity they do not try to experience or overcome difficulties because of the fear for unknown & lack of skills. The project helps to break the vicious circle of parents’ choices, background, job pattern & gives opportunity to develop key competences for life long learning: communication in foreign languages, learning to learn, social & civic competences, cultural awareness & expression.

Additional motivation for this project is:
THE FACT that SEN students is a group overlooked in EU projects, partly because it is a challenge for them to travel or overcome the obstacles,
TO PREVENT creating ghetto around disabilities. Belgium, Turkey, Italy include some regular students in the mobilities to promote inclusion.
The main concern of our project is cultural heritage as being in the EU gives opportunities to benefit from diversity. On the other hand in-depth interviews showed students’ limited knowledge of culture & heritage.
MAJOR OBJECTIVE
RAISE CULTURAL AWARENESS & KEY COMPETENCES within the group of 60 SEN students & 12 regular.

We want them to:
COMMUNICATE in mother tongue: understand, interpret, express feelings, facts, concepts concerning project’s subject area;
INCREASE awareness of importance of common language English;
EXPLORE other ways to communicate: pictograms, gestures, ICT;
DISTINGUISH foreign languages through multi-linguistic environment, understand basic statements & expressions in partners’ languaguage;
USE ICT concerning project activities & dissemination: blog, social media, video, eTwinning, Google;
SHOW initiative, express openness, share ideas;
REACH European dimension & insight into cultural heritage.

-Develop social & civic competences:
INTERACT with other people on different stages of the project,
ADAPT TO situations & work under pressure in the project & throughout the trip;
WORK in international team.

-Gain cultural awareness & expression:
BE AWARE of European cultural diversity & heritage;
EXPERIENCE & LEARN by visiting Europe’s towns, cities, landscapes & archaeological sites;
EXPERIMENT with crafts, stories & food from different regions -hands-on approach.

-Develop sense of initiative & entrepreneurship by full engagement in activities on all stages: preparation, mobilities, dissemination, evaluation.
In a long distance we want to improve chances for students to become fully engaged participants in the society by enhancing their opportunities on the job market & in social life.

During external visits participating students & teachers aquatint with most outstanding features of cultural heritage using multiple intelligences & senses. Each meeting consists of wide range of activities that stimulate their learning & development. Diverse methodologies & activities meet the SEN students’ needs. A key role in the implementation play:
-visits, workshops, tutorials & games as being highly motivating for our students & to enable students to learn by doing which is the particularly efficient;
-movement & open air activities to stimulate students’ healthy habits.
-cooperation as an important aspect of international project.

All activities focus on learners active participation & incorporate student-centred methods based in the Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence + problem solving, cooperative learning, project work.

Thanks to its innovative approach the project has a strong impact on all participants:
SCHOOLS which reach European dimention and get innovative methods for Special Needs Education;
TEACHERS who develop & apply motivating methods & tools to overcome problems & transfer newly acquired competences to other learners;
STUDENTS who overcome problems & difficulties, improve academic results, acquire personal, social, communicative, ICT skills to stay full confident & self-aware citizens.
PARENTS open to new experience, find out about European Funds possibilities, European integration, challenge prejudices and stereotypes,COMMUNITY also invited to take part in project’s activities, will benefit by winning confident, socially included & communicative citizens.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 117174 Eur

Project Coordinator

Specjalny Osrodek Szkolno Wychowawczy Nr 1 & Country: PL

Project Partners

• ARIF MOLU MESLEKI VE TEKNIK ANADOLU LISESI
• IIS “S.Pertini” – Alatri
• ÓSCAR ROMEROCOLLEGE 2 (ORC2)