Games to Empower the Minds and Souls of Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Games to Empower the Minds and Souls of Europe

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: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

Games to Empower the Minds and Souls (GEMS) of Europe is the title for our project as we aim at employing game-based learning to develop participants’ competences and skills with the help of New Technologies and innovative approaches such as Inquiry-based projects and gamification while providing tools for self-reflection as well as mental and physical acuity. We want to create modern, dynamic and professional environment inside our organisations and integrate good practices and new methods into daily activities to raise students’ motivation and prepare them for lifelong learning. Also, we wish to contribute to the strengthening of the teaching profession by seeking tools for continuous professional development and job satisfaction, hence preventing burnout. We w nhance the quality and effectiveness of education through Game-Based Learning and games; improve skills such as multitasking, critical thinking, risk taking and other 21st century skills; encourage the use of GBL with regards to interdisciplinary approach, and develop learners’ collaboration, creative and critical thinking through digital literacy; generate ready‐to‐use materials and practical ideas on how to use current online digital applications, in order to foster educational development in the field of GBL, and also promote universal access to education; apply the large learning effect of games on intercultural communicative competence; incorporate the dynamics of games into learning activities in class;
show how to use open educational resources and how to implement GBL strategies into the lessons, gain new skills and simplify the teaching method; and motivate competition and enhance students’ stimulation.

The partnership involves teachers and students (aged 14-17) from six schools from Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. We want this project to teach our students to become tolerant European citizens with better competencies and skills to have better opportunities in the European market as well as a sense of responsibility and awareness of social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity. Through continuous collaboration in an international team we wish to promote cooperation, peer learning and develop critical thinking and logic through games such as Escape rooms, puzzles, quizzes and Webquests. Within a gamified learning framework students will engage in non-formal learning activities promoting cross-curricular collaboration, creativity and innovative learning approaches and environments.

We have set up our project team in a way that all partners share the same needs and all partners have expertise and good practices in various topic areas that other partners need improvement so they can learn and adapt.
We have a concern for disadvantaged students and underachievement, so we need to improve our teaching skills to develop innovative approaches and practices that contribute to inclusive methodologies and to a greater achievement of students’ basic skills. We want to enhance our digital skills and methods to motivate our students and address diversity with the use of innovative ICT tools and methods.
The project activities cover multiple subjects, so they contribute to the cooperation among teachers from different departments leading to stronger professional relationships within and among partner schools and local institutions.
We will use multidisciplinary game-based activities and projects since they are engaging and motivating for students and, when embedded in the curriculum, can be an effective way to acquire knowledge and enhance their problem-solving, critical thinking, communication and teamwork skills.
We carry out activities to strengthen the 8 Key European Competences through Non-Formal Learning approaches. Our project activities involve continuous collaboration on the digital platform of eTwinning in combination with physical mobilities to create regular and richer exchanges between pupils and teachers in different countries.
Project activities will involve students, teachers, students’ families, volunteer students, outside partners, local authorities and communities for a better impact and dissemination.
We expect tangible and intangible results. Students will have online portfolios, self-reflective journals for personal development and will create a common project website to collect all materials created and it will later be used for other students and incorporated in the curriculum. Students will take part in regular online and live game sessions based on topics related to project work between and during student exchanges.
Teachers will learn new ways to motivate students through game-based learning and cross-curricular activities supported by ICT tools and they will also create a curriculum for incorporating Inquiry-based projects and Content and Language Integrated Learning. They will create a manual of their teaching practice on developing key competences and a framework for gamified learning.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 190556 Eur

Project Coordinator

Százhalombattai Arany János Általános Iskola és Gimnázium & Country: HU

Project Partners

• Bernoulligymnasium
• Srednja skola Hvar
• Agrupamento de Escolas de São João da Talha
• SOLSKI CENTER SLOVENSKE KONJICE-ZRECE
• Instituto de Enseñanza Secundaria Aldebarán