Fr-eco Teens Erasmus Project

Project Title

Fr-eco Teens

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: Environment and climate change; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

Background
Interest in foreign languages (in particular French) is declining rapidly in Sweden and Belgium. As a school subject, some foreign languages are considered difficult by students. They require a lot of effort and are often used exclusively in a school environment, which can lead to motivation problems for the students.
In this context, our two schools got in touch via the eTwinning platform. We quickly understood that we shared the ambition to open our classrooms to the outside world and to create real-life situations in which interaction can be meaningful for all students.
In addition to learning from each other’s cultural differences, we wanted to focus on a shared and meaningful content to speak the foreign language. We found this shared content in the current environmental awareness.
Although the sustainability of our planet is challenging for future generations, many youngsters are inadequately informed, don’t care or feel afraid.
Since motivation comes from a meaningful context, it was important for both schools to contribute to this environmental awareness, learning French and having fun at the same time.

Objectives
We want to make students more motivated to learn and more confident to speak French while making friends abroad and exploring the possibilities of sustainable living together.
Creating experiences in a specific language and culture enables students to identify more strongly with the foreign language, making them more likely to maintain a long-term interest in the language. By staying with host families, students will learn how to manage themselves and express themselves in a foreign language, which will give them more self-confidence.
Foreign language teachers exchange “good practices”: tools and methods for teaching, assessing and integrating digital tools into their classes, but also for getting shy or unmotivated pupils to talk and making them more self-confident. The exchange of ‘good practice’ will not be limited to French or language courses but will also include sharing good practice in pedagogy, didactics and classroom management.

Activities
In both schools, activities will be organized with an emphasis on language (French), culture and sustainable development.
There will be two student exchanges (were the focus will be on French) and two foreign language teacher exchanges.
During the student exchanges there will be a day of language activities, a day of cultural visits and a day of workshops focusing on sustainable development.
During the teacher exchanges, good practice will be exchanged both in terms of evaluation and and the integration of digital tools.
Between the exchanges we will keep in touch via digital correspondence (e-mail, flipgrid, facetime, …).

Participants
The main participants will be 25 Belgian students (16 years old – technical education – commerce/commerce-languages) and 25 Swedish students (16 years old – general education – option French), 4 Swedish language teachers, 4 Belgian language teachers.
Peripheral participants will be much more numerous since we will engage the schools in a profound way. Reaching out to the media and our local communities will create a positive attitude towards learning foreign languages.
One of the participating schools already has a lot of experience in organising exchange projects. The other is eager to learn.

Methodology
By exchanging students and teachers from two different countries and cultures with two different school systems, inspiration will be drawn from the teaching of foreign languages and from the vision on sustainable development.
By combining pupil and teacher exchanges, the project will be disseminated more deeply in both schools as all pupils have language courses and the language teachers (who often teach other subjects as well) can inspire other colleagues.

Results and implementation
Students will be more motivated to learn and speak French because of the shared experiences with students from the other country. The project will help educate young citizens about sustainable development.
Teachers will have strengthened their professionalism by sharing good practices.

And finally, both schools will gain more experience and will initiate new exchange projects, making international contacts a coherent part of their mission. In this way, they will contribute to the European idea.

Project Website

https://twinspace.etwinning.net/126970/home

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 64592 Eur

Project Coordinator

Vrij Handels en Sportinstituut Sint-MIchiels & Country: BE

Project Partners

• Nya Elementar