Impact of Sciences and technologies in the Lives of Europeans Erasmus Project

Project Title

Impact of Sciences and technologies in the Lives of Europeans

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 : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Our Erasmus+ project Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only entitled “Impact of Sciences and Technologies in the Lives of Europeans”
IT started 01/09/2015 and has lasted for 2 years. The applicant organisation is Lycée d’enseignement général et technologique Leonard de Vinci.
The participating schools are: SintDonatusInstiuut (Belgium), Gymnasium Südstadt Halle (Germany), Björkebyskolan (Sweden) and Hugo Treffneri Gümnaasium (Estonia).
All partner schools are secondary level schools. The working language was English.
The project has diretcty involved about 25 and 30 pupils pupils and beween 10 and 12 teachers from each country.
The target group included pupils aged 15-17 from urban areas and more disadvantaged semi rural zones as well as with migration and non-migration background.
We aimed at reducing these disparities.
The main goal of this project was to develop the interest of the pupils and their knowledge on the impact of scientific and technological progress on the life of European citizens in three major fields: renewable energy sources and new materials; communication; food.
we can objectively assert that the main objectives were reached since we gave our pupils new opportunities to enjoy sciences, develop their communication skills, encourage the learner’s autonomy and self confidence,
Moreover our pupils have been given the chance to carry out artistic experiments, widen their knowledge of European culture and develop their IT skills.

Thanks to this project , our teachers have been given the opportunity to get a different approach to their subject and chance to work with both scientist and non scientist teachers.

The planned activities helped our students acquire skills of communication. Our students also experienced cultural differences. The effects spread to the hosts’ families, the schools’ student bodies as well as the local communities.
In addition, the students learnt how different parts of Europe have advanced during the last centuries.
They have been active throughout these 2 years making polls, experiments, documentaries, presentations, have done researches and participating in workshops Group or collective syntheses were regularly carried out either orally or through different outcomes such as papers, movies, magazines, ads, exhibitions.
Moreover , the involved students discovered progress from a historical and cultural perspective.
They observed new technologies in communication (nanosatellites), renewable energy sources (solar and wind energy) and cooking devices

However , they were not able to discover molecular cooking and Monts atomic energy center ( CEA ) for safety reasons .

The project focused on the following methodology:
1) Search and share (the students used IT and take part in multi cultural activities)
2) Improve their skills in the fields of culture and linguistics (they will communicate in a target language, they discovered their European partners via ” several breaking the ice activities”)
3)” Do it yourself ” experience
4) Communicate (students interview, exchange results, share experiences, debate on burning issues, communicate via networks, blogs, skype)
5) Stimulate ( it encouraged creativity in different fields for instance in clothes making and bioplastics

This project has provided our pupils with essential skills for project management and lifelong learning skills (team work, communication and problem solving).
In this way creativity and a sense of entrepreneurial skills have been promoted. The project has also raised their awareness of the fact that technological development is natural and has no geographical borders. By experiencing the similarities and differences among fellow Europeans, these students are more mobile in a rapidly developing international community.
The mutual work of teachers, staff and school administration among all partners has had an impact on the quality and efficiency of everyone’s daily work. Teachers have enhanced their own lifelong learning process because the project has helped them deal with the key curriculum objectives in an innovative way. Participating organizations (schools and educational partners like universities) and other stakeholders (parents, administrative board) have benefited from the project not only by interacting with the participants and by engaging in formal and informal discussions concerning educational issues during our various workshops but also by hosting students in their homes.
As we had hoped , our project has inspired interest about the sciences and offers possibilities for a future professional career and entrepreneurial development in the various regions we live and work in.
Also, by involving vital subject areas such as languages, food and nutrition, materials and social sciences we have tried and prepared our students for the complexity of the issues that need to be solved.with the key curriculum objectives

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 124300 Eur

Project Coordinator

Lycée d ‘enseignement général et technologique Leonard de Vinci & Country: FR

Project Partners

• VZW Sint-Donatusinstellingen Merchtem
• Hugo Treffneri Gümnaasium
• Björkebyskolan
• Gymnasium Südstadt Halle