Sharing through Storytelling Erasmus Project

Project Title

Sharing through Storytelling

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: Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Creativity and culture; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage

Project Summary

Delivering the Modern Foreign Language Curriculums has given both schools a desire to better understand each other’s culture and place within the European Community. The optimum way to explore this was felt to be using a medium popular and common amongst people around the globe: story-telling. Through Sharing Through Story-Telling, the two schools investigated how joint cooperation and collaboration could develop innovative ways to provide students with cultural enrichment, exchanging ideas and good practice along the way.

The project’s key objective was to gain knowledge of each other’s culture and heritage whilst deepening the understanding of their own. The exchange of three specially-selected story books from both countries enabled children to gather information about each other’s customs and traditions whilst also considering their own. This was further developed by the year-long topic learning about the history and geography of the other school’s country; it focused on comparing and contrasting the countries’ cultures, reflecting upon how they were united by being part of the European Union. The learning was delivered via cross-curricular activities which enthused the children about the priority to promote the acquisition of skills and competencies.

Varied and stimulating activities were prevalent, but the primary focus was on the schools’ participation in the highly-successful mobilities; first-hand experience was the best way to fully understand the cultural roots of the partners which was then shared with the rest of the school community. Carefully-selected excursions and activities provided cultural learning opportunities in which everyone fully immersed themselves. They provided an ideal platform from which the main priority of the project could be addressed: to explore the social and educational value of European cultural heritage.

Another objective was to stimulate writing to enable children to understand its value in exploring and sharing their interests, beliefs and upbringing. Stories were the key form of writing explored; as well as considering the printed books exchanged, they were encouraged to produce their own material both in and out of school. However, this project also emphasised the benefits of collaboration; exchanging ideas, explaining thoughts and sharing experiences could help to develop material that conveyed a more thorough understanding of how personal experiences were drawn from heritage and culture. The joint story book produced clearly reflected the project’s impact; the children’s decision to base their story on the cultural experiences provided by the venture highlighted their engagement with the project’s objectives.

The project’s final main objective comprised increasing confidence in inter-cultural communication. Although, both schools had been studying the other’s language, the majority of both children and adults involved were at a very early stage of this learning; as such, it was a major step to exchange thoughts and ideas. Throughout the year-long activities, this communication was developed in both traditional and digital forms; these interchanges laid great foundations for the mobilities. Coupled with carefully chosen activities designed to encourage bonding and familiarity, barriers were swiftly overcome as the two groups focused on increasing their understanding of each other’s lives and backgrounds.

As planned, the project was documented via a blog, the principal platform on which its progress was commemorated and shared with the schools’ wider communities. This permanent record of the partners’ cultural journey clearly reflects how they have broadened their knowledge both of each other and of their common ground as part of the European family. Whilst the blog is the key tangible result from the project, the creation of the joint story book, performance of cultural plays and songs, the development of the logo and various leaflets and topic learning were further outcomes. These were produced alongside a selection of significant intangible results such as improved communication skills and confidence, community spirit and increased awareness of culture and European commonalities.

The principle benefit gained from these results is that significant cultural enrichment has clearly taken place, which will have a lasting impact; it has stimulated a desire to understand more about belonging to the wider European community and to be more open to communicating with and learning about those from a different culture. The blog will serve as a point of reference for such exploration, providing ideas of how to stimulate cultural learning both within and beyond the classroom. Furthermore, it is a constant reminder of the power and importance of collaboration: how coming together to share thoughts, ideas and knowledge can provide a deeper understanding of our own and others’ lives and how they interconnect by being rooted in the common European family.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 25130 Eur

Project Coordinator

LB Barnet St Johns CoE Primary School N20 & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Puigsoler