Communicate, Share and Learn Erasmus Project

Project Title

Communicate, Share and Learn

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); Disabilities – special needs; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

Our society is becoming increasingly inclusive society and Special schools should become an active element in order to promote this inclusion. People with special needs have more social inclusion difficulties than others and the tasks of our schools are to minimize these differences.
Special Education Institution of Tukums Municipality has started implementing new model of education but we feel that we lack knowledge in some areas of our work and were looking for some specific ways or methods that could make a positive change.
All partners need to motivate and encourage their teachers to share their experience of teaching and using different methods, approaches and tools in European level as we need to develop teachers’ competencies and skills through implementation of different learning techniques that will address the individual needs of students.
Our project will support the professional development of the teachers leading to implementation of innovations and improvement of the teaching quality.
Objectives of the project are:
-To learn new methods, approaches and tools from partnerschools in Latvia, Greece, Slovakia, Turkey and Portugal improving our schools capacities to implement changes related to modernization.
-To create a space for sharing ideas and communicate in local, regional and European level about effective and motivating methods approaches and tools.
-To develop teachers’ competencies and skills through improvement and implementation of different learning methods, techniques and tools that will address the individual needs of students
Groups that will take part in the project are: teachers, special educational staff, students, organisations, other schools and authorities responsible for education, parents.
Teachers will participate in the following local activities: brainstorming, discussing at schools about effective, motivating methods, approaches and tools used at school with special needs students and publishing experience on Padlet, getting acquainted with partners experience and preparing lessons and observing lessons, sharing experience on using games to each other, doing the questionnaire on IT skills and using IT skills in the classroom, preparing and organising ARTS and CRAFTS day at school.
Teachers will develop their skills and competences during 4 Joint Staff Trainings: lesson planning skills including new methods, approaches and tools, games and activities, using IT in the classroom to motivate special need students, methods and ways of using forms of art during lessons and after-class activities.

Profile of students involved in the project: young people (12-20 years old) with different special needs. Students of the participating schools
-will be involved in local activities
-will participate in activities during 2 short-term exchanges
-will reflect and evaluate their progress after each activity

We expect to have the following outputs:
-Virtual space (Padlet wall) for sharing ideas
-Collection of lesson plans
-Lesson videos collection on eTwinning
-E-BOOK (games and activities)
-Survey/questionnaire on the use of IT in the classroom teaching SEN students
-ARTS and CRAFTS day programme for special needs schools.
-Information leaflets/newsletters

Outcomes
-Changing teachers` attitude from being passive to active
-New contacts and possibilities to share ideas experience and learn from the best practices
-New knowledge and experience gained by participants on different areas connected to the teaching of special needs students
-increased quality of education in line with individual needs and expectations
-increased capacity and professionalism to work at EU level, share and confront ideas, practices and methods

The long-term impact on all partnerschools; better image of the school, modern and professional environment inside the organisation, increased quality of education.

The long-term impact on the teachers: increased motivation and satisfaction at daily work, improved competences, linked to professional profiles, increased opportunities for professional development.

The development of all the schools in the long-term will be ensured by:
-Carrying out all activities as they will lead to enriched learning environment enabling students to become actively involved and enable teachers to personalize and adapt the activities to the students’ special needs in long-term.
-Organizing workshops/courses, where the results of our project will be used to assist teachers in teaching special needs students.
-Making the results as the source for supporting teachers in choosing methods, approaches and tools.
Special Education Institution of Tukums Municipality will become the development center of the region in 2020/2021. We will use the results and knowledge gained in our future work organizing conferences for all special schools in Latvia. Latvia will work out professional development programmes for teachers.
We plan to cooperate participating in new Erasmus+ projects.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 167977 Eur

Project Coordinator

Tukuma novada specialas izglitibas iestade & Country: LV

Project Partners

• Enieo Eidiko Epaggelmatiko Gymnasio – Lykeio Katerinis
• ATASEHIR OZEL EGITIM MESLEKI EGITIM MERKEZI OKULU
• Agrupamento de Escolas de Oliveira de Frades
• Spojena skola Piestany
• Spojená škola internátna, M. Urbana 160/45, Námestovo