ALL Right, Students. Let´s make Ourselves Neighbours and Great Artists Erasmus Project

Project Title

ALL Right, Students. Let´s make Ourselves Neighbours and Great Artists

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: Romas and/or other minorities; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

** Context **
The A.R.S.L.O.N.G.A. (Alright Students! Let’s make Ourselves Neighbours and Great Artists!) Erasmus+ project came as an answer to the fact of our changing world. Citizens of Europe have to be able to confront the development of industry and technology, modern education and the labor market. Also the recent trends of free movement make Europeans face challenges of quickly adapting to these changes, to new cultures and to foreign languages. In this modern Europe, people get far away from their roots and their own cultural heritage easily. Another factor that is also considered is the refugee issue, which through involuntary displacement might create substantial cultural turbulence of any kind. The cultural heritage, however, is determined and can be understood only historically. Education must develop in a way that enables cultural development and orientation towards the future, too. As a result and after conducting a full SWOT analysis in each of the participating schools, this project established the following objectives:

** Goals **
1. To introduce some innovative activities through implementing the most modern teaching methods to all of our schools, namely Problem Based Learning (PBL), and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)
2. To train teachers on new methods through seminars and in-field-application and by making the adequate electronic and in-paper publications.
3. To confront the xenophobic attitude through Art and Civilization Projects, this being the best way to ensure the surviving of the European spirit.
4. To prevent social exclusion and enhance social cohesion also through Art and Civilization Projects
5. To address linguistic problems through CLIL Teaching, E-twinning programs, in-person communication etc
These 5 main goals are linked directly with the following predefined Erasmus+ axes:
HORIZONTAL AXIS1: Open and innovative education, training and youth work, embedded in the digital era
HORIZONTAL AXIS 2: Inclusive education, training and youth.
SCHOOL EDUCATION AXIS: Addressing underachievement in the basic skills of math, science and literacy through more effective, innovative teaching methods. Except from the above, we have also set some additional (general) objectives for both students and teaching staff to accomplish:
• To assume the role of responsible citizenship,
• To develop critical thinking, independent action, collective and social spirit
• To involve students, parents, associations, community, authorities into the project activities.
• To improve the students’ skills of teamwork and cooperation
• To integrate arts in all school subjects (math,science,litterature).
• To integrate children with special educational needs through the project to finally be part of the community.
• To encourage and motivate students in the development of creativity and innovation.
** Main activities**
In order to achieve these objectives, six sub-projects were designed, which were implemented by all participants, and which were carried out on the basis of Problem Based Learning. At the same time all required actions (seminars, papers, and publications) were undertaken so that teachers were familiarized with this new method and applied it unimpeded in their classrooms.

** Participating organizations **
Participant schools came from six countries:
Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Romania, Spain and Turkey. All of them act in the primary and/or post-primary educational level and they belong both to the public and to the private sector. They were of a medium size and their choice was based on multiple criteria such as: to
have diversified experience of participating in similar European programs, to have a different area of specialization in the various learning objects, to face a variety of educational problems and to come from different European countries, with the widest possible dispersion.

** Results and impact **
All goals were achieved, while more than the planned activities were introduced for both students and teachers. In conclusion, our project aim was to show the pupils the meaning and the importance of various arts while the second part of our goal was to inform teachers about the value of PBL and CLIL methods so they could be able to apply them in practice. More than 20 organisations, not formally participating were involved in the project, around 50.000 people heard about it, through press releases, and about 300 teachers participated in all designed seminars.

** Long-term benefits **
Access to the available material is ensured by installing the relevant website to a provider supported by the Greek Ministry of Education, free of charge forever. Also, both the e-twinning and the Erasmus+ platforms are also free and long lasting, and as a result, the available material will be easily accessed by the European educational community easily and for a long period of time. This material consists of lesson plans, 3 e-books, seminar proceedings, evaluating questionnaires etc.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 122120 Eur

Project Coordinator

CEIP SAN BARTOLOME & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Szkola Podstawowa nr 8 im. Wojciecha Korfantego w Mikolowie
• Third (3rd) Primary School of Karpenissi
• Scoala Gimnaziala Ocna Sibiului
• Primary school Eng. Georgy Ivanov Valkov
• Ozel Akhisar Koleji Ortaokulu