Innovation in Language Teaching Erasmus Project

Project Title

Innovation in Language Teaching

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The rationale for this project was initially established following discussions between partners who had worked together in previous successful projects. Partners identified successes of a transnational project in improving the quality of teaching and raising pupils’ motivation, achievement and success. These partnerships had allowed our organisations to develop and reinforce networks, increase our capacity to operate at transnational level, share and confront ideas, practices and methods. It was agreed the emphasis of an Erasmus+ project should be to work with and learn from each other to support the development and implementation of innovative teaching and learning practices in our schools.
Following audits of our school priorities we agreed a project based on learning about and sharing innovative teaching and learning methodologies and approaches in language and literacy in our partner schools. These included emergent native language and writing, oral competence, reading, teaching language to pupils from foreign countries, creative writing and teaching modern foreign languages. The project aimed to share, disseminate and develop tools for assessment of such competences.
The primary objectives of the project were:
– to work with and learn from each other to improve language and literacy through the development and implementation of shared and innovative teaching, learning and assessment practices in our schools, improving the competences and skills of our teachers and leaders;
– to address under-achievement in literacy through a range of effective, innovative teaching methods;
– to support the development and effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the teaching and learning of language in our schools.
Other objectives included creating a project that motivated and included all pupils including those with special needs, language difficulties and from different cultures and backgrounds, providing opportunities for pupils to collaborate ‘virtually’ and in a ‘face to face’ context and to create resources that can be used throughout the school and after the length of the project.
There have been eight schools of various sizes and environments in our partnership from five countries, with pupils age from 4 to 12. Six have had experience with successful European Comenius partnerships and have worked with the coordinating school previously. Two were new to European school partnerships – the infant school from the federation of the coordinating school, and a Swedish school where the school coordinator had had experience of a Comenius project in a previous school. All partner schools had been involved in the planning of the project and the identification of priorities.
At each stage of the project a range of teaching and learning methodologies were introduced, demonstrated, reviewed and analysed. Partners tried out these approaches in their schools and fed back to the group what had been successful and how it might change the way they teach. The project focused on what is taught and how it is taught and assessed. We learned about and used a range of innovative ICT programs to support the teaching and learning of language. There have been a wide variety of activities and tasks for our pupils. We made full use of our eTwinning website for preparation, communication, and for the activities and their results.
Our main results are that all partners will have shared, learned about, experienced and carried out a range of different or innovative learning and assessment practices in the various areas of language and literacy; that teaching staff in our school have gained a greater understanding of how children develop language and literacy skills; the implementation of best practice using these new and innovative teaching practices in our schools, improving the competences and skills of our teachers and leaders; an increase in the levels of language and literacy throughout our schools with a reduction in disparities in learning outcomes affecting disadvantaged learners; and that schools will have improved their use and understanding of ICT embedding a range of innovative ideas and technologies as a medium to communicate and in the teaching and learning of language.
Throughout the project we used the ‘Impact+ Exercise tool’ to ensure the maximum impact of our work. We plan that our project will have a lasting impact in our schools. The development of language and literacy is key for all subjects. Staff across the schools have been able to see the benefits of delivering their subjects in innovative ways, using a greater range of effective ICT programs. Strong bonds have been established between our schools with online links between classes and teacher exchanges.
We have and will share our results of with groups of other schools and organisations and in a wide variety of ways including eTwinning, school websites, Facebook, Twitter as well as the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 150190 Eur

Project Coordinator

Hanham Abbots Junior School & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Mårtenskolan
• CEIP Nuestra Señora de Belén
• Ash CEVC Primary School
• Samuel White’s Infant School (South Gloucestershire Council)
• ICS VIA MOISE’ LORIA
• Vrije Basisschool SLHD Brugge A
• IC “Marconi-Frosini”