Learn together to live together Erasmus Project

Project Title

Learn together to live together

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Social dialogue; Inclusion – equity; Access for disadvantaged

Project Summary

The Project “Learn together to live together” was developed in two Infant and Primary schools, located one of them in the flemish area of Belgium and the other in the province of Segovia, Spain.
Our goals were:
1º.- To work together the two schools in order to develop methodological strategies and resources that would help with the Inclusion in early ages.
2º.- To analize and assess (through the mobilities of teachers from both schools, the exchange of videos-photos and the management meetings the tackling of Inclusion in each of the two schools, making use of the best of each of the schools for the mutual enrichment.
3º.- To involve the families and other members of the community in the processes of Inclusion.
4º.- To help develop in the younger students an open mind to the pluriculturality.
5º.- To establish stable working lines, so that they become “school style”.

In the first 2 mobilities the teachers already observed those aspects that would serve as inspiration to improve the dinamics in both schools.

In the C1 (first mobility of spanish teachers to Belgium) the teachers observed how in Zwaluwnest they were using the space with a more educational purpose. Not only the classrooms but also the common areas of the halls and the playgrounds. They also observed that there were numerous occasions for the learning of the children to be more spontaneous, through discovery and research, and not so directive.

In the C3 (first mobility of the belgian teachers to Spain), the teachers observed that in Arcipreste de Hita they had organized a systematic participation of the families and other members of the Educative Community. This was not only a source of motivation for both the families and the students, but they also regarded it as the new and enriching perspective in education. They also saw some activities and strategies that were focused in giving an appropriate response to diversity, without the children feeling pointed at, as well as techniques to work on Emotional and Social intelligence (hence, Inclusion).

The Management Meetings (M1-M5) were essential for the following:

– Gather and analyze what was observed by the teachers in the mobilities.
– Coordinate and assess the planned actions in both schools, as a natural consequence of the observations.
– To organize the next mobility of the teachers.

We have to highlight the M3 (July, 2017) when we created a project that greatly exceeded our initial goals with “Learn together to live together”: we use the character of a Belgian inclusive story (Rikki) to dinamize a common activity with the children. Rikki is a different rabbit, because he has a flipped down ear. Despite the hard beginning, the bunny learns to deal with his difference in order to be happy and include in his group. In the management meeting we “created” a twin brother (Rikko) who would leave to Spain because “he couldn’t cope with the difference”. Through the two bunnies, the children from both countries, throughout 2017-2018:

1º.- Worked the empathy and the natural acceptance of difference. All the children greated a very strong emotional link with the two rabbits and showed clear inclination to help them. They took the rabbit to their homes in Spain (using a “travelling notebook”) and in Belgium he became the classmate with whom all wanted to be.

2º.- Linked the two schools. We had some video conferences, so that both brothers could meet. The children learnt to communicate and appreciate the others on the other side of the screen, even if they talked differently and didn’t know them personally.

3º.- Learnt many things about each other. We used the two bunnies to work with the childres on cultural and linguistic aspects characteristics from each country. The Belgian children even learnt many words and a song in Spanish. This way, we worked on plurilinguism and pluriculturality.

This Project bécame the “star” of “Learn together to live together”. But we got other goals, that will be developed in the report, but could be summarized in these points:

1º.- In El Espinar, inspired by the visits to Zwaluwnest we got a better use of the space, both in the classrooms and in commons areas of the school and the playground.
2º.- In Wachtebecke, inspired by the visits to Arcipreste de Hita, they got a higher participation of the families in the school, as well as the beginning of activities that are meant to improve Attention to Diversity and Inclusion.

The Project has lasted 26 months, with a very clear goal: during the first school year we started the observation and assessment of improvements and we had the first steps towards the changes (always slow). During the second school year we worked on fully implementation and dissemination of the changes as well as on the assessment of results. And, in the third school year, we incorporated the changes in the regulations of the school, so that they became something stable and lasting.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 31675 Eur

Project Coordinator

CEIP Arcipreste de Hita & Country: ES

Project Partners

• GO! basisschool ‘t Zwaluwnest Wachtebeke