Exchanging good practice of non-formal learning strategies to increase learning opportunities . Erasmus Project

Project Title

Exchanging good practice of non-formal learning strategies to increase learning opportunities .

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: Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); Health and wellbeing; Social entrepreneurship / social innovation

Project Summary

With this project, both schools want to strengthening (the scope and quality of) non formal learning and thus trigger the intrinsic motivation of the students (16-20 years old) to develop their full potential. There will be an exchange of good practice focussing on the digital, lingual, scientific, social, individual and citizenship competences. To make this combination, formerly successfully completed local projects of both schools will be combined into one joint project of 2 school years. eTwinning will be used intensively, giving structure to the project. Physical activity is used as a starting point, universal language and binding factor between both countries. The partners chose each other on a basis of differences in experience. The Belgian school has a lot of experience, but is limited to the school department of Sciences and Sport. The Portuguese school was fully reformed and just took its first steps in the direction of socially relevant, non-formal learning. This creates a strong learning environment. The Belgian pupils are of mainly of a technical level in the department of Sciences and Sports of the governmental school in Eeklo. The Portuguese pupils will be of a mixed level, aiming for maximal learning opportunities. 10 to 15 Students of each school will be mobilised, supported by 15 to 20 students in each country who will participate in the local activities and be responsible for the follow-up of the second stage of the project. Specific tasks will be given to every participant.
The input of the project consist of a test day where the pupils complete and combine their formerly executed activities with 9 year old local children. For Belgium this consists of the SportKompas tool, developed by University Ghent and its spin-off partner Sportamundi, probing for the physical and motivational ideal sport area of the primary school children. These qualitative results will then be used to create high standard multilingual reports of the test results, apply scientific principles and set up a symposium where the pupils discuss the results with the primary school children and their parents. This unites and hereby exchanges and implements the good practices of both schools.The preparations, mobilities and debriefings of these activities are extensive and cover the first school year of the project.
The activities in the second school year consist of local follow-up, retesting, local meetings, high qualitative reporting and web conferences in and between both countries. This was a deficiency when the project was formerly executed in a local context. Being used as a test environment, we herefor have the support of Sportamundi and University Ghent. We will also report to them when it comes to comparing the test results of both countries.
When the Portuguese pupils complete this socially relevant project, they will develop their social, individual (ex. healthy lifestyle) and citizenship competences and become aware and more confident about their strengths and less dependant of the present extrinsic motivation (from parents and the school). The Belgian pupils must be triggered by the integration of the related departments when it comes to aiming for higher quality in digital, lingual and scientific tasks, increasing their chances and ambitions in higher education. The results will be monitored by working together and evaluate with the other involved school departments. Teachers become empowered with expertise, competences and tools to enhance (the scope and quality) of non formal learning. The students will complete introspective questionnaires and be followed when it comes to their choices and performances in higher education. These results should increase significant due to the project.
The selection procedure focuses on motivation for the exchange, basic interest in physical activity (because the Belgian students come from the Sports department), diversity of the exchange group (integrating pupils with difficult backgrounds) and willingness to host with local families.
Other activities involve peer guided, active city visits of Porto and Ghent and activities with nearby universities. The staff will make a tutorial about the essentials of possibilities of non formal learning and setting up strong learning environments. It is our ambition to continue this project in a next level in a KA202 structure in the future, making the universities, local governments and local sports clubs equal partners.

Project Website

https://twinspace.etwinning.net/93592

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 22449,8 Eur

Project Coordinator

GO! atheneum en leefschool De Tandem Eeklo & Country: BE

Project Partners

• Agrupamento de Escolas de Fornos de Algodres