EU Crazy labs – testing inclusion methods Erasmus Project

Project Title

EU Crazy labs – testing inclusion methods

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: Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Access for disadvantaged; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

In order to tackle the topic of inclusion in our schools and communities, our Crazy labs aim to identify innovative social inclusion approaches that can be tested and proven by our students, in our schools and for our teachers.

Our schools met with the goal to create a project to identify and work on a number of different and innovative social inclusion approaches. Our schools all identified with the need to spread knowledge and best practices about social inclusion and to create a platform on which our students could work on the subject and uncover some best practices that could be eventually transferred into classrooms and communities.

We also wanted to address those students who are at risk of ESL as a result of exclusion and discover ways and methods to better involve them in school life, increase their motivation and develop their attitudes and well being. Therefore we wanted to create a project that would be fun and engaging for our students and provide them a self of achievement in their actions. Students will create each “Crazy lab” space and be the main test agents of these inclusion approaches.

To study the topic of social inclusion each partner has identified their specific strength or point of view related to social inclusion approaches which will in turn make up the main knowledge well of the project.

Participants will take part in 4 LTTs organised in each partner school. These LTTs will form the back bone of project and provide the sharing and learning by doing environment to engage our students and teachers to study and research this topic.

The 4 LTTs will be based on the 4 social inclusion approaches that our partners have identified:

C1 “intergenerational gamification” as a means to bring generations together, learn from each and develop interaction skills

C2 Developing “multi-sensory approaches” to teaching and learning focus on testing inclusion applications of these methods

C3 Using language as a means to break down barriers, increase tolerance and understanding and learn about other cultures.

C4 The use of animals and how they can bring these new members together through activities.

We will establish 4 “Crazy labs” in our schools where students will practically create a place and environment where students and teachers can test these approaches. Teachers want to keep the project interesting and motivational for our students while also providing teachers the chance to learn and observe about these innovative approaches to social inclusion, esl and how to provide teachers new tools that can be implemented in their schools.

Community inclusion surveys will be undertaken in each community prior to each LTT. Each survey will give an insight into local communities and their attitudes towards social inclusion. The surveys will then be presented and shared during the LTTs with the students able to analyse and compare their findings from around Europe.

Each LTT will also have two workshops on the approaches of that LTT. The workshops will provide a platform for sharing and learning of new approaches related to social inclusion. The knowledge learned from these workshops will be transferred to classrooms and communities and aid in the development of greater awareness and strategies related to social inclusion.

The approach that the project is taking to social inclusion is unique and will offer knowledge an expertise that can be shared across many different platforms. The 4 approaches of the partner schools are innovative and will cover a large range of subjects and topics insuring that the results will be able to be used by a wide range of organisations who are currently dealing with social inclusion issues. The “Create your Crazy” handbook will provide information and knowledge on each of these topics and by its nature will be highly disseminatable as an online file or printed and used in schools and classrooms.

The context for the project was formed when the partners met to discuss what issues are facing our schools. Dealing with minorities and decreasing ESL were top of our list of concerns and we wished to develop a project to share information and combat these pressing issues that are prevalent in the EU. By addressing and researching these topics we aim to provide schools throughout the EU with added means to be able to deal with issues and find new solutions and innovative methods to solve them. We also hope to influence the teachers who are at the front line of these issues and provide them with tools and best practices that they can implement in their classrooms.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 91550 Eur

Project Coordinator

Merenojan koulu & Country: FI

Project Partners

• Agrupamento de Escolas Professor Paula Nogueira
• INSTITUTO DE EDUCACIÓN SECUNDARIA ISLA DE LA DEVA
• Osnovna skola Tina Ujevica