Learning outside the classroom – enhancement by cultural and democratic experiences Erasmus Project

Project Title

Learning outside the classroom – enhancement by cultural and democratic experiences

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: Creativity and culture; Pedagogy and didactics; Open and distance learning

Project Summary

Learning outside the classroom – enhancement by cultural and democratic experiences

Today’s education is mostly theoretical and strongly connected to the curriculum. There are very few occasions for students to learn outside the classroom even though this proves to be a very rewarding teaching objective and great potential for learning. Therefore the project „Learning outside the classroom – enhancement by cultural and democratic experiences“ aims to enable students to gain meaningful experiences outside the classroom and make history alive and interactive. Gaining experiences and making history alive and interactive are in the focus of learning outside the classroom.
Our project includes four different branches or rather sets of activities, most of which are mainly based on regional (and European) history and culture.

The project`s basic idea is to support the pupils’ enhancement of cultural and democratic qualifications. The intention is to get to know characeristics of each region and thereby developing a feeling for the history and culture of the participating countries. This can be achieved through the intensive contact among the pupils but especially through visiting the historical places and feeling the spirit of the past.

One further aim is the work on and with museum education, commemorative culture, the past`s politics as well as its history. Thereby it is very important to include the former context.

In addition to this the student groups develop qualifications in a self-determined engagement with digital media. They will design a guide about the topic „Learning outside the classroom“. This guide should be available as a print product as well as an e-book.
This project serves as an example and illustrates the basic information about „learning outside the classroom“ and shows possibilities of different ways of learning.

The information gained can be used by other teachers as a basis for further projects or as an input for own ideas.
Moreover, the guide can be used as an additional element during classes. The guide`s additional value conveying an authentic sense of historical experience to following classes. In this respect it is not only the regional and European history that is in focus, especially the development of historical regional and furthermore European culture.

All together there are four participating schools in this project: Aldegrever-Gymnasium Soest (Germany), General High School of Chrysoupolis (Greece), Istitutio di istruzione superiore „Giacomo Leopardi“ (Italy), Eitminiskiu gimnazija (Lithuania).This means that there are 24 pupils at the age of 15 to 17 years who are going to work on the project in two years.

At the project meeting in Germany there will be a focus on analysis of the time of the Nazi regime. The place of interest is the „Wewelsburg“ near Paderborn. One principal point is the commemorative culture and the confrontation not only with the victims but also the offenders.

The meeting in Lithuania will deal with the development of a national history in Lithuania. Therefore the pupils will visit historical places and learn about the protracted and strenuous way in the founding of a state.

The meeting in Greece will give the students a chance to learn about the integration of industrialization and urbanization as well as the social development in the 19th century. The aim is to analyse this connection by visiting relevant locations in and outside the town. In the north of Greece, near the town Chrysoupolis, there is one of the most important centres of the Greek tobacco industry., an example for the phase of industrialization.

The influence of the sea was and still is enourmous in the development of the town San Benedetto del Tronto and its population. It leads to a special und unique historical and cultural identity. To learn about this development and the life of humans through and with the sea is the main aspect during the visit in Italy.

In the long term this project strenghtens the European connection and leads to a consistent European community of values.

The intensive work with historical, cultural and regional aspects allows a sustainable understanding of the neighboring nations and results in a concordant way of acting. Extracurricular situations of learning should be used to enable pupils` enhancement of social skills and participation and acting in democratic structures.
In conclusion, the project’s value lies in an individual, a social, a national and a European way of living in a European community.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 49800 Eur

Project Coordinator

Aldegrever-Gymnasium & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Eitminiskiu gimnazija
• Istituto di istruzione superiore “Giacomo Leopardi”
• General High School of Chrysoupolis