NTC for ALL – All I really need to know I learned in a kindergarten Erasmus Project

Project Title

NTC for ALL – All I really need to know I learned in a kindergarten

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

The NTC for All project met the expectations of the project team and, thanks to two international NTC workshops, three project outputs and four national conferences, it brought a unique source of inspiration in the form of NTC activities, supporting the development of child functional thinking.
Through NTC for All project, three main outputs were created: O1 – NTC Handbook, O2 – NTC Inspirations for activities and O3 NTC Training Program. Thanks to these three outputs, the information portfolio of the NTC program has been significantly expanded, making it more accessible to a wide range of target groups.
O1 – NTC Handbook for teachers, is available for free on the project website www.ntcforall.com in five language versions (Slovak, Czech, Slovenian, Serbian and English). The English version of the handbook provides opportunities also for dissemination to other countries, not directly involved in the project. The NTC Handbook was designed to provide teachers with comprehensive information on the NTC Methodology, focusing on children aged 3 – 7. The NTC Handbook was created by the author of the NTC programme, Dr. Ranko Rajović and his team, with active involvement of all the project partners, based on many years of his experience in the field of interlinking medicine and pedagogy. It provides teachers with instructions on how to create playful activities that develop children’s intellect in a kindergarten or school environment.
The O2 – NTC inspirations are a collection of 163 practical ideas for NTC activities, published in pdf format at www.ntcforall.com, in five language versions of the project partnership.
Activities include methodical recommendation, so that reader can understand and apply them easily in kindergarten, school or home environment. Other, similar activities, based on NTC methodology, will be possible to create after a longer training and practical workshops, that teachers, interested to use this program, need to pass.
NTC inspirations and activities based on them, using NTC methodology, support development of motor skills, ability to create abstract associations, support creativity through play, problem solving, divergent and convergent thinking, functional thinking, imagination, communication skills and other important intellectual abilities of children. Activities include methodical instruction, the name, description of the activity, recommended time and frequency of play and materials and equipment needed.
The O3, NTC Training Program, provides a complex material aimed at enhancing the educational skills of teachers. It contains the NTC program methodology (O1 Handbook), database of activities – inspirations (O2) aimed for preschool teachers, as well as for all the educators and students interested in NTC. All the materials are available on the project website.
The O3 output focuses on target group of preschool teachers as well as staff of partner institutions involved in the project. At the same time, it is also opened for other teachers and students in all the partner countries. The program was pilotly tested during two 5 – days long NTC workshops, held in Prague and Lublana, with the aim to use it continuously in other regions of involved countries, too. On the project website, O3 is available through 3 online modules, in 5 language versions.
During the project, an international team of 25 pre-school teachers was trained during two NTC workshops in Prague and Ljubljana. Graduates received 1st and 2nd degree NTC certificates that entitle them to use NTC activities in their kindergartens and schools. Both workshops focused on practical training of developing NTC activities and examples applicable in pedagogical practice. The advantage was that both workshops were led by the author of the NTC program, Dr. Ranko Rajovic, in cooperation with his team. The acquired skills were verified by final tests on the basis of which the project team evaluated the success of workshops and training programme.
Another important dissemination activity were national conferences, promoting the program, held in all the countries of the project partnership. The interest in these events was high and the project team was pleased with the number of people interested. Based on the statements of the conference participants, „we obtained a database of educators interested in further education in the NTC program“. This group will be the first to address when specific NTC events in individual countries will be held after the project.
Thanks to the NTC for All project, NTC program has become more accessible to a wide range of target groups. Although its implementation is primarily based on the personal contact of the trainer with the trainees, the project website www.ntcforall.com and all the outputs will facilitate the understanding of the basics of this program, which will be further developed at the upcoming workshops planned to be held in the project countries after the project, on the long term basis.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 156781 Eur

Project Coordinator

Cesta fantázie/ Fantao, o.z. & Country: SK

Project Partners

• INAK
• AGENCIJA ZA OBRAZOVANJE NTC EDU NOVI SAD
• Modra pikica
• Montessori skoly Andilek – materska skola a zakladni skola, o.p.s