SCHOOL+ (Sustainable, Creative, High tech, Open-minded, Outside the box Learning) Erasmus Project

Project Title

SCHOOL+ (Sustainable, Creative, High tech, Open-minded, Outside the box Learning)

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: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Creativity and culture; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

S.C.H.O.O.L.+
The title of the project is an acronym that stands for Sustainable, Creative, High tech, Open-minded, Outside the box Learning, representing the idea and vision of the education of the future. The “plus” (+) stands for the idea of bringing education further. In this project we would like to provide our students with the unique opportunity to become the protagonists of their own learning process, to engage them in the development of the curriculum, methodology and spaces, to stimulate a proactive attitude of teachers and students. Why?

The modern society faces continuous, often traumatic changes. Youngsters must learn to lead and to create plans related to a future point in time, with a mind-set that assumes that one has already arrived at that point of time. In British School of Sofia, Lope de Vega and IIS C. E. Gadda we, teachers, strongly believe in, encourage and constantly try to enhance our students’ creativity, open-mindedness, critical thinking, social responsibility taking into consideration all cultural backgrounds, etc. It is our drive to continuously improve the learning-teaching process that motivates us to implement innovative teaching methods, introduce digital competences and implement the lifelong use of the latest technology. Self actualisation is a lifelong journey. As we are convinced of Benjamin Franklin’s words: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”, we are always engaged in the sustainable development of the educational process.

We have all agreed on the idea that our school has to be an organisation where the uniqueness of the person and the potential for self-direction is the centre of the focus. Furthermore, our understanding is that learning is not the product of teaching, but of the activity of learners. Our main focus is to implement all these life changing beliefs in the educational process, spaces, curriculum and methodology. But why not push the limits further? Let us allow the students to become the designers of their own future as they are the ones who will be living it.
The famous Persian poet Rumi said: “Yesterday I was clever, so I changed the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” So instead of keeping on trying to change the world for our students, we have agreed on changing our attitude, our perception and even ourselves and give them space to speak up for themselves.

Our first task as teachers is to aid and facilitate the process, to let them feel they are able to assert themselves, to push their interests, to express their opinions, to take the risks and the challenge. An add-on to the competences and skills they have already acquired at school will be the various additional training of teachers and students. As we consider that the personal and social development is the key to effectively facilitate and enrich the outcome of the educational processes, we will put into practice a variety of instruments and methodologies that have become increasingly popular over the last few decades such as Habits of Mind, Design Thinking, Suggestopedia, Brain based learning, Thinking Based learning, Mental Fitness, etc. The teachers open the door to the new mind-set and the students should continuously read, research, learn and constantly challenge themselves and their skills, perceptions and attitudes.

The S.C.H.O.O.L. project will be promoted through numerous indoor and outdoor activities. The members of the three schools will actively be engaged in the process through several activities via eTwinning platform. As it is a “From the Mind to Hand” process, the student will visualise the idea of the School of the future by making prototypes, installations, videos, photographs, etc., which they will exhibit to the local community in Bulgaria, Italy and Spain in the end of the project to share the achievements with their fellow students, teachers and all the European community.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 93996 Eur

Project Coordinator

C.E. Lope de Vega SAU & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Istituto d’Istruzione Superiore Statale “Carlo Emilio Gadda”
• “British School of Sofia” LTD