Language – culture – humanity Erasmus Project

Project Title

Language – culture – humanity

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Pedagogy and didactics; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage

Project Summary

The project is mainly aimed at pupils at the age of 15-18 years learning Italien/German as foreign languages at„Heinrich-Heine-Gymnasium“and „Istituto Superiore A.Volta“,but also pupils and teachers who are interested in cultural exchanges/Erasmus+ – projects.The title „Lingua-Cultura-Humanitas“ includes and summarizes the main priorities and principal aims oft the project,which are using foreign languages as a communication medium to implement an access towards cultural aspects of the destination country,to educate oneselves and develop personality.Authentic speech occasions of different kinds–such as lectures,presentations,creative writing,text production,explanatory notes of self-created artworks,blogs/videoclips,roleplays,theatre plays,the authentic communication with the students in the other country–extend the competences in the field of foreign language learning and awareness,multilingualism (German-Italian-English),intercultural learning by comparing the country of origin with the country of destination.The object through which communication takes place is always culture,such as arts,architecture,history,culinary delights,music, by making communication not only experienced as a means to an end or self–purpose (like mainly correct, functional and situative speaking),but also is filled by appealing cultural contents,which ultimately does justice to the holistic aspect of language learning.Education and humanitiy,both semantic categories of the latin expression „humanitas“,are achieved by succeding in not only to receive knowledge and content,but also to apply,to link,to transfer.All project results follow the cycle of knowledge acquisition (input orientation),its internalization and then transfer towards an own new and innovative product(output orientation-like an artwork or play).The excursion destinations were chosen in such a way that they should offer as many different speech and writing occasions as possible and that they should provide the opportunity to transform cultural input and language application into creative artworks.The project bases on the curricular learning objectives of the higher secondary level (German„Gymnasium“),but also pursues innovative and atypical goals.For the realization of the project,mobilities and teachers‘ meetings are planned,during which presentations,activities,seminars and discussions will be organized and students‘ project results will be created.C1/C3 are taking place in CastelSanGiovanni/Italy,C2/C4 are taking place in Wolfen/Germany.As for the first student exchange(C1)in Italy,the final logo competition will be taking place and the evaluation of creative writing(based on the short story „Anna torna a casa“, the protagonists of which are reminiscent of figures of the painting „Sistine Madonna“from Raffaello),guided tours in Piacenza/Milan,creating brochures,doing a watercolour painting of the wine-growing landscape around CastelSanGiovanni,lectures about Heinrich Heine,German Romanticism and GDRhistory.During the C2 project week in Wolfen, the famous Bauhaus architecture in Dessau will be visited and also Lutherstadt-Wittenberg,another artwork and its presentation in Italian/German will be done, as well as a lecture about the novel „I Promessi Sposi“by A.Manzoni will be organized.During C3 in Italy,excursions to Parma/Genova will be realized while focusing in Parma on music/Giuseppe Verdi and getting some input about the songs of Fabrizio de André in Genova whose song element/key expressions will be found again in students‘ drawings/hatchings.During the C4 exchange week,Dresden/Potsdam will be visited,reflecting on the original„Sistine Madonna“and developing an artwork.A play about August the Strong/Frederic II will be created and performed.The twinspace founded during the kick-off-meeting will be updated permanently with created students‘project results and artworks.In addition to the optimization of foreign language teaching,multilingualism,learning autonomy and intercultural learning,the students are encouraged by authentic speech occasions and input about the local areas to reflect and perceive the economic and social situation of their regions,to identify strenghts/weaknisses of their region and to use this knowledge process as a basis for expanding professional career- orientied potential.During all phases,the personal commitment of the students is in demand,they organize and manage all materials referring to the knowledge about their local areas,which is therefore important for a future workplace.Artistic creativity and personal initiative are promoted,which strenghtens the creative capacity.A continuous,fruitful cooperation between both schools is implemented,whose teachers have partly already got to know each other and established friendly contacts,which enable the establishment of a lasting school partnership.The aim of both partners is to establish this long-term school partnership and at the same time optimise the professionalism of the teachers.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 65970 Eur

Project Coordinator

Heinrich- Heine- Gymnasium Bitterfeld- Wolfen & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Istituto Superiore “Alessandro Volta”