Geo-Explorers Erasmus Project

Project Title

Geo-Explorers

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: Health and wellbeing; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Natural sciences

Project Summary

‘Geo-Explorers’ is a project which results from previous successful cooperation of 5 high schools, from 5 geographically and geologically different parts of Europe – Czech Republic, Portugal, Finland. Greece and Romania. The previous cooperation in different project provided a platform of effective methods and approaches towards modern and innovative learning. Participants of this project will spend 5 subsequent and carefully designed weeks outdoors, exploring geological and geographical phenomena, in 5 mutually intertwined mobilities. Each of the partners will host one mobility and will play the role of an organizer, provider, guide and a monitoring body. All the activities were agreed on by all partners and will lead to meeting the following goals and objectives of the project.

The objectives are to offer the participants a chance to learn about and compare different geological formations, reliefs, geographical specifics and cultural differences. The participants will not only see, they will get a deep insight into the issue by working on short-term and long-term products of the project. These are worksheets on particular themes, comparatory materials, dictionaries, web-hosted discussions, project-website, travel guides and social media. All the products will be presented during the project duration and stark comparison of both, products and mobilities, will be clear and visible. This way, projects’ impact on indirect participants will be immense. Increasing students’ motivation to learn about cultures is also an important objective, as well as helping students realize differences and similarities between partner countries related to their cultural, social and historical aspects that will enhance mutual understanding and respect for individual cultures
It is one of project’s intentions to organise all of the above outdoors and let students and teachers work in the open air. Nowadays, too many educational activities take place indoors in front of computer screens, which, by most people, is seen as a negative by-product of modern education. This project tackles the issue by involving physical activity outdoors as a key source and provider of the desired output.
All the participants will be students of high school with interest in natural sciences. They will engage in informal chats and discussion to share opinions on issues induced by project activities. It is desired that 20 participants will directly attend each mobility. With 5 mobilities total it comes to 100 direct participants plus accompanying persons and countless of indirect ones. These will benefit by assisting with preparation processes, processing data and results, discussing project activities in classes etc. About 300 people are estimated to take part in this project

Participants will engage in clearly designed activities. Most activities will result from hiking in nature and activities taking place in nature. These are creating a set of travelguides, continuous contest for the best guide, creation of web-hosted platforms, preparation of and work on worksheets for visiting schools, creating presentations for each mobility, ongoing work on multilanguage dictionary of specific terms, writing articles for local newspapers and magazines..
The printed travelguides will be the major result of the project. They will be accessible in schools libraries and online. Some of the worksheets will also be used as a result, possibly in the long-term run, in schools curricula. The website of the project will be created and maintained, where photos will be uploaded and results presented, as well as social media site. The best travelguide will be announced annually and its English version will be signposted.

The impact we envisage is far-reaching. A strong European sense of membership is to be promoted. The importance of unity and beauty of the union we are citizens of will be strenghtened. The possibilities of such a membership and extending borders beyond participants’ countries will be highlighted. Participants’ competences in natural sciences subjects will be enriched. They will gain ability to tag or label natural, geological phenomena in a universal language. They will get a precious opportunity to compare the nature and culture of their home country with the rest of Europe. The participants will be taught a positive and responsible approach towards the natural beauty which is becoming more and more fragile.
In the long-term, the project website with all its results and products will be accessible and promoted on schools websites, as schools are extremely proud of every such project or cooperation. The project will be presented as an example of good practice on open house days. The travelguides, as a key product, will be widely accessible at each school, in both languages. The last but not least, lifelong friendships amongst not only participants but also European educational institutions will be made and initiated in the duration of the project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 85290,03 Eur

Project Coordinator

Střední uměleckoprůmyslová škola keramická a sklářská Karlovy Vary, příspěvková organizace & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• Geniko Lykeio Siteias(General High School Of Sitia)
• Agrupamento de Escolas Frei Heitor Pinto
• Colegiul National “Nicolae Balcescu”
• ITA-SUOMEN YLIOPISTO