RECENTERING LEARNING -THE FOUR A’S OF MODERN LIFE Erasmus Project

Project Title

RECENTERING LEARNING
-THE FOUR A’S OF MODERN LIFE

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 2020

Project Topics

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

Project Summary

Our Erasmus+ KA229 project focuses on Learner-Centred Approach (LCA). The project title is RECENTERING LEARNING – THE FOUR A’S OF MODERN LIFE. RECENTERING LEARNING refers to the hoped transition from Teacher-Centred learning to Learner-Centered learning. THE FOUR A’S refer to Arts, Athletics, Academics and Autonomy. These are the core parts of The National Curriculum for Education in each partner country and represent subjects studied at school. We have chosen these themes so that the LCA could be, as easily as possible, integrated to the everyday life of the school and the approach would support the learning of subjects.

The six partner schools are Varpaisjärven koulu in Lapinlahti Finland (coordinator), Templemichael College in Longford Ireland, III. gimnazija Zagreb in Croatia, ZS s MS Skolska 49 in Zilina Slovakia, Fortes Lyceum in Gorichem The Netherlands and Colégio Militar in Lisbon Portugal. The representatives of each partner school met at an Erasmus+ contact seminar in Bratislava, Slovakia in October 2019. The theme of the seminar was the Learner-Centred Approach. This contact seminar was an excellent way to form our project group because all the partner schools were already interested in the same topic and wanted to further work on it.

The main objective we would like to achieve with this project is the transition from teacher-centredness towards learner-centredness in all our partner schools. This is also the concrete result that we are trying to achieve. From the part of teaching staff, this means , first of all, the enhanced knowledge of the Learner-Centred Approach. Secondly, the idea is that the project will provide the necessary steps needed for this transition. This main objective also meets the priorities we have chosen for the project (‘Supporting individual in acquiring and developing skills and key competences’, ‘Supporting educators’ and ‘Reinforcing the development of key competences)’. The second important objective is the European Dimension this project will bring to the partner schools strengthening teachers’ and students’ sense of European citizenship.

The key participants of the project will the staff and students of these six partner schools. Because our project has two levels and our goal is to develop both teacher and student competences, we want to launch the idea of ‘teacher-learners’ and ‘student-learners’. This means that we expect both parties to equally learn during the project. The partner schools have jointly agreed that the students actively taking part in the project activities (either working only in their own school or also taking part in transnational meetings) are going to be between the ages 14-16.

The seven principles of Learner-Centred Approach (1.active learning, 2.content (relevant knowledge), 3.cognitive + affective domains, 4.approach to learners (acceptance, encouragement), 5.positive learning atmosphere, 6.teacher’s role and 7.learner’s role) define the methodology used in carrying out the project and its activities. Along with activities done on eTwinning and through ICT, we are organizing six transnational meetings during the two-year project period. There will be two short-term joint staff meetings, one at the very beginning of the project in Slovakia and another at the very end in The Netherlands. In between, we are organizing four short-term exchanges of groups of pupils (in Finland, Portugal, Ireland and Croatia). This way each partner school will be visited once. Each school will have an Erasmus+ club for the students involved in the project.

We hope that this project will have a long-lasting impact on the partner schools and their view on teaching. This project is an integral part of the long-term strategy of the partner schools to make the principles of LCA a standard practice in our everyday teaching as required by our National Curriculums. The final results of the project will be, for example, a material database on LCA on eTwinning, a booklet ‘Ideas and materials for the use of LCA in classrooms’ and reports on the learning processes of both students and teachers. These will be available to everybody interested in LCA.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 185569 Eur

Project Coordinator

VARPAISJÄRVEN KOULU & Country: FI

Project Partners

• Templemichael College, Longford and Westmeath ETB
• Colégio Militar
• Fortes Lyceum
• III. gimnazija Zagreb
• ZS s MS Skolska 49