Sharing our Cultural Heritage to Build a Common Future Erasmus Project

Project Title

Sharing our Cultural Heritage to Build a Common Future

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage

Project Summary

In the European Year of Cultural Heritage, five high schools from Spain, Germany, Italy, Greece and Finland decided to create a Partnership to develop the project “Sharing our Cultural Heritage to Build a Common Future”.The partners, who had contacted mainly through eTwinning, had different levels of experience in developing such Partnerships, from the more experienced ones, like the Spanish coordinator, to others like the Italian one, who had never taken part in a School Partnership. Measures to support the newcomers were established.
The main aim of the project was to exploit all the educational possibilities of cultural heritage with the clear idea that knowing and sharing its different manifestations would increase the awareness of belonging to Europe as a common project. Educational potential, crosscurricular nature and motivating essence of cultural heritage would help us cope with the needs detected in the different schools, needs that went from avoiding early school leaving to increasing academic achievement of students.

So, the main objectives of the project were:
1. Increasing intercultural links – getting to know the cultural heritage of countries involved in the Project.
2. Increasing the knowledge and skills of students in different subjects.
3. Acquiring abilities to conduct scientific research: planning, analysis and inference.
4. Improvement of language terminology about the regulation and management of different forms of cultural heritage.
5. Improving the skills to use ICT.
6. Introduction of innovative teaching methods making learning more attractive.
7. Increasing interpersonal skills, including:
a) Proper social relations of pupils in international teams so that they can acquire skills necessary for personal and civic development and access to labour market.
b) Overcoming emotional, cultural and linguistic barriers through international activities.
8. Encouraging European membership awareness among students and families.
9. Dissemination and promotion of good practices and methods for the protection of cultural heritage in European countries also as jobs maker.
10. Professional development of teachers.
These objectives could be achieved only with activities within the frame of a strategic European partnership. Working in situ in the cultural heritage elements of different countries gave these actitivies a European added value. The implementation of a virtual mobility allowed more students to get involved in the project.

The project was addressed to students aged 14 -18 and teachers. Three short-term exchanges of groups of 8 pupils accompanied by 2 teachers, one in each country, took place. In addition, the virtual mobility has increased the total amount of pupils participating to 400 and 40 teachers. Apart from that, 8 Long-term study mobilities of pupils aged 16-18 were carried out, which was a new activity for all the partners. For this purpose we counted on the support of the extensive documentation published by National Agencies and of their staff. The selection of participants, which was made in public and transparent calls on the basis of agreed criteria, gave priority to students with special educational needs and economic obstacles.

The planned activities have covered all possible shapes and manifestations of cultural heritage and all its different levels of legal protection: natural sites, cultural assets, intangible items (traditions, etc.), industrial relevant sites, from UNESCO World Heritage lists to local protected assets. That’s why one main topic and three secondary topics for each short-term exchange were planned, and one main topic for each long mobility.

Some of the activities that have been carried out during student short exchanges were: lectures, seminars, CLIL lessons, guided trips, exhibitions, workshops to prepare the products (booklet, eTwinning photo gallery, leaflets, presentations, project website).
For long-term moblities of students we prepared tailor made curricula which were combined with contributions to the main expected products of the project, related to the different items of cultural heritage.
Measures to minimize all kinds of risks during mobilities were taken.

The project lasted 3 years: in the first year exhaustive and detailed teaching agreements were made for long-term study mobilities of pupils and these students received specific preparation. These long mobilities took place in the second year. The third year mobilities were cancelled due to the Covid 19.
The project has had a significant impact on the students, teachers and schools: students have developed their skills and knolewdgdes. The created products and curricular materials stay embedded in the pedagogical framework of the participating organisations and are disseminated in the regions of the partners through media, in permanent official webpages, as well as at European level through eTwinning. So, they will have longer term benefits.

Project Website

https://erasmuscultural.wordpress.com/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 175241,2 Eur

Project Coordinator

IES Alonso Sánchez & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Koulutuskuntayhtymä Tavastia, Lukioliikelaitos Tavastia, Lammin lukio
• LICEO CLASSICO LINGUISTICO STATALE ” M. T. CICERONE”
• Max Ernst Gymnasium der Stadt Bruehl
• 4th Secondary School Iraklion Crete