Our Common European Tale Erasmus Project

Project Title

Our Common European Tale

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The “Our Common European Tale” (OCET) project ran between 01. 09. 2017. and 31. 08. 2019. There were 6 partner countries: Hungary (the European Coordinator), Croatia, Denmark, Italy, Portugal and Romania. All the partners had been involved in common projects before this one, so the make-up of the partnership was ideal.
The main idea of the project was to examine the common cultural roots of the partner countries by studying their folk-tale culture using drama, drama pedagogy and the latest multimedia platforms available.
The partners worked with the Aarne-Thompson-Uther classification of folk-tales and each of them presented that given section of their folk-tale culture to the partners:
1. Animal Tales – Hungary
2. Tales of magic – Croatia
3. Religious tales – Denmark
4. Realistic tales – ITALY
5. Tales of the stupid ogre – Portugal
6. Anecdotes and jokes -Romania
The partners had to choose a national folk-tale, adapt it for stage and during the short-term student exchanges, the participating students rehearsed and performed the play in front of an audience.
The objectives of the project were to:
– create teaching materials based on the folk tale culture of each partner country;
– write scripts and stage 6 folk tales from each country;
– compile the materials created (teaching materials, interviews, essays) into a book;
– create a DVD containing the recorded materials (e.g. videos of the performances, vlogs, short movies);
– organize OCET clubs in the partner schools where students could share and discuss their experiences;
– create multimedia platforms for the materials (website, vlogs, blogs, Facebook page, YouTube channel);
– write the „Our Common European Tale” a contemporary fantasy based on the common characteristics of the folk tale cultures of the partner countries;
– shoot a short movie based on a national folk-tale;
– increase students’ motivation towards folk culture, English language, Literature;
– increase students’ performance at national exams and PISA evaluations;
– increase teachers’ skills and competences, as well as develop their professional attitudes
The participants were students and Drama/Literature/Arts teachers from the partner schools. There were arond 700 participants of the project. Many of them came from underprivileged socio-economic background facing economic, social, geographical, educational obstacles or having health problems. The project favoured those who are having any of these obstacles or problems and with the diverse project activities, they had the opportunity to take part in the project. Outside the partnership, the most important participants were the families who hosted the foreign students during each mobility, the local drama or theatre companies who helped the students to stage the play, local universities from where lecturers came to talk about the actual topic during mobilities and local businesses (e.g. hotels, restaurants).
The project activities were methodical and cyclical. Each period started with the short-term student exchange, during which the participants rehearsed and performed play based on a folk-tale of the host country. The tale was adapted for the stage by the students of the host school. During the mobilities, the participants attended workshops, lectures and visited museums or related sites to immerse themselves into the folk-tale culture of the host country. There were 6 short-term student exchanges, each partner hosted one (3 in the first year and 3 in the second year).
After the mobilities, at home in the so-called OCET Clubs the students studied their folk-tale culture and compared it to that of the host country. They created quizzes about their folk-tale culture using Kahoot, Redmenta or Socrative and sent it to their pairs (there were 3 pairs and the pairs changed after each mobility). Based on their findings the students prepared a short presentation for the next mobility. During the 2nd year, the partners wrote the “Our Common European Tale” together. They divided the structure of a tale into 6 sections and each partner wrote 1 section. The tale incorporates the common elements of the folk-tale cultures of the partner countries. Also, during the 2nd year, the students shot a short film based on a national folk-tale. All of these are edited into a book with a DVD booklet published at the end of the project and also uploaded onto the project’s website and social media channels (Facebook, YouTube). The project has an eTwinning site as well. These sites are available for anybody who is interested in the work the project.
We, the partners believe that apart from the concrete results (e.g. better grades in Literature, better performances at exams, etc.) the project has long-term benefits which cannot be measured: the participants worked harmoniously together for a common goal, proving that it is still possible to built real, trans-European communities in our fragmented and troubled old continent, called Europe.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 118440 Eur

Project Coordinator

Budapesti Müszaki Szakkepzesi Centrum Petrik Lajos Ket Tanítasi Nyelvü Vegyipari, Környezetvedelmi és Informatikai Szakgimnáziuma & Country: HU

Project Partners

• Agrupamento de Escolas Anselmo de Andrade
• I Gimnazija Osijek
• Borupgaard Gymnasium
• liceo scientifico statale “B.Rosetti”
• COLEGIUL TEHNIC ANA ASLAN