Presenting Legends Across the Continent in European Schools Erasmus Project

Project Title

Presenting Legends Across the Continent in European Schools

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

As a group of nine European schools, representing our countries – Croatia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey, and believing that ‘sharing is caring’, we did our best to share what we know and experience what we didn’t know.
Tales, myths and legends are some of the most important treasures of a nation’s heritage, a culture-related souvenir. Children need to be taught myths and legends because they are models for a way of life, they teach them about national values, cultural heritage and traditions. Owing to a rapid ICT development, storytelling and reading has become less popular. Modern students do not acknowledge the past and thier traditions as they should, reading is not „in“, and they keep forgetting about their roots.
To change that, we have imerged into a wonderful world of legends and decided to write a project P.L.A.C.E.S. – an acronym for Presenting Legends Across the Continent in European Schools. It is known that stories, storytelling and storymaking have an incredible impact on students’ imagination and we are aware that imagination can take us to any place. Bringing them into ‘life’ in the classroom leads to an objective perception of such resources which are perfect for encouraging speech, drama, writing, creativity. Our common goal was to produce different digital and material project outputs by using 21st century teaching and learning skills supported by modern web tools. We agreed to choose the best digital presentations in order to design a final product – an ebook consisting of 10 chapters. We have made a big European legend picture which was then transferred into a common, interactive digital online chain book called „P.L.A.C.E.S. – a LOT in Europe“.
Tasks among partner schools have been distributed equally. Each school has contributed to the realization of the project with their previous knowledge, experience and uniqueness. Our project engaged about one thousand students altogether, aged 7 -15, and about a hundred teachers. Our local communities have also been actively involved and have constantly backed us up. We had three transnational meetings and five LTT Activities in eight different countries. These activities included a variety of ICT, drama, language, cultural and arts and crafts workshops that have led us to a successful fulfilment of our project priorities. During those project weeks teachers participated in workshops, round tables, presentations, research activities, field trips. Students researched their host countries’ legends, took part in different ICT laboratories to support project methodology, went on field trips to see famous landmarks and legendary scenes, joined thematic quizes, contests, games, drama presentations, dancing, fashion shows with traditional costumes, cookery and public speaking workshops. We have also organized in-class learning for students and in-class job shadowing for the teachers.
Overall, participants have improved their English skills, enforced creativity by creating different products in handicraft and various digital forms, developed ICT/multimedia skills and competences, learned the basics of partners’ native languages, gained a better understanding and respect for other countries’ cultures, enhanced social, enterpreneural, managerial skills and teamwork and exchanged good practices among schools. We have also included and encouraged disabled pupils and those with economic obstacles and educational difficulties. We have designed and carried out a good evaluation and dissemination plan of all activities and project results, at local/regional/national levels.
This project has also facilitated the transition of teachers and learners through different levels and types of formal and non-formal education and training through the use of European reference tools for the recognition, validation and transparency of competences and qualifications.
To summarize, our project has brought positive and long-lasting effects on all the participating organisations, on the schools’ policy systems and on target groups directly or indirectly involved. Longer term benefits were the establishing of a more modern and dynamic environment inside the organisations, ready to integrate good practices and new teaching and learning methods into their daily activities. It has promoted enterpreneurship education, employability and new business creation in the sectors of tourism, trade, education, arts, crafts and gastronomy by supporting future learning and career paths for individuals in line with their personal and professional development. It has dealt with social, linguistic and cultural diversity with the aim of creating a modern, future-oriented, European student.
What matters most is that we all had fun working together, made longlasting friendships and developed a better understanding and respect for our own and our partner countries’ cultures and traditions.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 235735 Eur

Project Coordinator

Osnovna skola Marije i Line & Country: HR

Project Partners

• Zakladna skola
• Gymnasio Peramatos
• Behiye Dr. Nevhiz Isil Ilkokulu
• Heinrich-von-Kleist-Schule Eschborn
• istituto comprensivo leonardo sciascia
• Osnovno uchilishte “Ivan Vazov”
• Periferiako Gymnasio Pera Choriou-Nisou