Experiencing New Educational Tools Erasmus Project

Project Title

Experiencing New Educational Tools

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Lots of students find language learning at school difficult, discouraging, and boring. They see learning as the teacher’s responsibility. Choosing right methods, to make students use the language in any way they enjoy through speaking, writing, reading, listening, and even playing and thinking, will teach students to take responsibility for their own language learning. The main objective of the project is to help teachers to become motivators and students to become motivated learners. We want to change our teachers’ attitude towards teaching.
There will be five schools from five countries participating in the project:
Istituto Comprensivo Statale Amaseno (Italy), Agrupamento de Escolas de Avis (Portugal), Pirtin koulu (Finland), Furness Academies Trust (the UK), Valgu Põhikool (Estonia). The target group in the project is students aged 10 – 14. This is the age when it is really difficult to keep students motivated in learning, especially in learning foreign languages.
Throughout the project, several surveys will be carried out among the students of five partner schools to monitor students’ progress in their language studies and work habits. Students will point out their expectations on language studies, give active feedback on methods used in classes.
Every project partner will work out a lesson plan with suitable students-activating methods on a given topic. The methods will cover four language skills. Every partner will also compile a test to be carry carried out at the end of the topic. There will be five topics altogether:
– school, daily routine, and free time (the UK);
– hometown, shops and other local places, and giving directions (Finland);
– food and healthy lifestyle (Estonia);
– holidays and travel (Portugal);
– smart devices, Internet, and students (Italy).
Partners will share their lesson plans with each other. Before every project meeting, the same topic will be handled in every partner school and the test will be carried out. On project meetings, partners will discuss the approaches to active learning, analyze outcomes of the learning session. Students will give their opinion on methods used in classes.
Throughout the learning process, students will need to make contact with their peers from partner countries via the internet to find out some special information on the topic. Students will be encouraged to communicate and collaborate with the students from partner schools via the emails and eTwinning chatroom by giving them different relevant little tasks.
In their foreign language classes, students will write mini-plays and exchanges and act them out. Students search for information about the connections with their partner countries and they prepare presentations using different web-based tools. The search for information will be integrated into everyday studies of different school subjects. All outcomes will be shared with partners.
During the three first project meetings, students will write a script of a play and in the last project meeting, students will produce their play.
Students collect information about their partner countries. They broaden their knowledge of partner countries, one country at a time. Students look for all kinds of different connections between their home country and their partner countries. The search for information will be integrated into everyday studies.
The project carried out transnationally gives students a chance to experience cooperation between different nationalities. They need to think about the cultural differences while working together. Also, being engaged in a transnational project motivates students’ better commitment to their language studies. Teachers with different culture background give a new perspective to teaching.
The project aims to produce lasting results within the cultural approach that families, teachers, and students adopt in their relationship with other cultures, teaching and learning techniques and, generally, towards EU integration. Participation in the activities planned will take effect, hopefully, throughout the life of our teachers and students on developing their ability.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 63325 Eur

Project Coordinator

Valgu Põhikool & Country: EE

Project Partners

• FURNESS ACADEMIES TRUST
• AGRUPAMENTO DE ESCOLAS DE AVIS
• Pirtin koulu
• ISTITUTO COMPRENSIVO STATALE AMASENO