Other Countries – other conventions? – an intercultural exchange between traditions Erasmus Project

Project Title

Other Countries – other conventions? – an intercultural exchange between traditions

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: EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

The exchange and comparison of traditions between different cultures creates an increased awareness of a tolerant and cosmopolitan action and strengthens the basic idea of ​​a democratic Europe. Through an active exchange about these traditions with our partner school in the Czech Republic we can sustainably gain new knowledge and social key competences for your daily life. Based on past experience, we have realized that pupils are given an enhanced willingness to learn and informal knowledge, especially through extracurricular content and innovative methods in the classroom. Extensive activities are planned to implement the project, which will be documented in a blog in eTwinning. At the beginning, the students get to know each other by means of a profile and videoconference and express their ideas and ideas about the project idea. All students identify with the project, participate actively and know their rights and duties in the project. In a training for the responsible teachers, we work on the subject of customs, customs, festivals. In workshops, the teachers develop a mutual understanding of the concept and develop ideas for the implementation of the lessons. Each participant has a permanent exchange partner in the respective other country. At traditional festivals such as Christmas and Easter, other school students also use videoconferences to show what they cook and bake. Decoration and customs also to local festivals are compared. The Czech students can watch by video how the traditional school carnival is celebrated. Each participant receives a birthday greeting or a song per video from all participants during the project. The result is a “culture in the box” about the partner country. To do this, students must gather information about their own country and send it to the partner school responsible for designing a PowerPoint presentation on the cultural merits of the partner country. In small groups a personal music video is shot and rehearsed for a dance performance for presentation. At the end of the project, a German-Czech cooking and baking book was created. The highlights for the 10 active participants in the 24-month project are the 11-day student exchanges in Germany and the Czech Republic. During this time the guests live in the family of the other country, whereby the parents act as experts in the project. By reflecting on one’s own and foreign culture in all areas of life, the students learn to take responsibility for their own lives and to set goals for their own future. For this purpose, we have developed a before-and-after questionnaire with objectives that reflects the longer-term benefits of the project. By expanding innovative teaching methods using the eTwinning platform, we would like to see active collaboration with the partner school throughout the project. In addition, new teaching methods are implemented and applied to the curriculum. The project has a long-term impact on the positive development of school communities.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 43230 Eur

Project Coordinator

Carl-von-Ossietzky Oberschule Werder & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Gymnazium Chotebor