SIFTING KNOWLEDGE FROM ACQUIRING TO USING – 21ST CENTURY SKILLS Erasmus Project

Project Title

SIFTING KNOWLEDGE FROM ACQUIRING TO USING – 21ST CENTURY SKILLS

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: Social entrepreneurship / social innovation; Access for disadvantaged; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

Sifting presented a challenge to all the teaching actors: to analyze and discover the gems in the process of training VET students in order to increase their employability in the working world. How to conciliate this process of detailing the study process and making it an ally for VET students to succeed. At this point, they have entered the world of school in its last phase thus the ability, the skills to face, adapt, and solve problems that are not known yet and which will be visible in some years.
The challenge was to teach students 21st-century skills and the main task of our project was to develop students’ metacognition, they expanded core knowledge and skills, especially about themselves and the world around them.
The project objectives were:
To create the ground for peer learning where participants could exchange best practice examples in the VET field during a two-year project
To enhance the 21st-century skills of students of 5 EU school during this project
To build up participants’ ability to foresee career opportunities
To boost students’ life, learning, and literacy skills, as well as their professional knowledge
To strengthen cross-cultural communication, respect, and tolerance
To create the setting for participants to apply the newly acquired knowledge and skills
The project was inicialy addressed to VET students, and 20 and 8 teachers per country to be directly involved. in the activities. There were 5 LTTA planned with a common program, promoted by the posting school but with all partner’s agreement and intervention.
1 presentation (school, city, country); a comparative analysis of the VET education-economic context-work market in the partner countries; statistics illustrating the unemployment rates in the 5 EU countries; discussions about local and national initiatives and opportunities that help to face the unemployment issues.
2 seminars/lectures delivered by experts focused on discussing how and what the education should do for preparing students to face a more complex and demanding world; workshops to develop students 21st-century skills; exchanging best practices examples on the topic among the partners;
3 organizing workshops to boost students’ literacy skills; group work using ICT; exchanging best practices examples on the topic among the partners; promote the use of pedagogical booklets;
4 workshops on how to develop life skills; group work that help students to develop tenacity, critical thinking, and creativity; exchanging best practices examples on the topic among the partners; promote the use of pedagogical booklets;
5 organizing workshops on how to help students to immerse on the job market; group work that helps students to learn how to write a CV, a cover letter and prepare their personal portfolios, how to behave during an interview; exchanging best practices examples on how to help the student meet the demands of the Innovation Age
The project was based on a student-centered approach aiming to develop their life skills (Social Abilities, Efficiency, Flexibility, Initiative, Leadership), learning skills (Communication, Creative Thinking, Collaboration, Critical Thinking), literacy skills (Information, Media and Technology Literacy) so that they could upgrade their own chances to get a job when graduating. All partners were pragmatical and ensured an effective approach by asking students to apply the gained knowledge in job-seeking exercises and peer–learning activities.
The tangible results are available in the result platform and they comply with the initial plan.
The common tasks were performed by all countries and there was a visible effort to adjust to reality to serve the project goals in a better and more effective way.
All those who took part in this project have received multiple benefits expanding their VET network of contacts, exchanging best practices examples, and developing the school curricula including non-formal activities on the daily practice.
Teachers shared methodologies and tools from other EU schools. Especially in those where VET students were an important target, teachers had new approaches to enable participants to enhance their ways to organize activities. A good understanding between partners has enabled a long-lasting partnership whose results and products are being introduced into a broader dimension of education, making both targets aware of the possibilities to boost the dimension of training in Europe
All evaluation and emotions felt during mobilities convey the idea that Europe is a wider space for people to be and to participate, dimming the space division among countries.
All work done in 2 years was to provide a way to shift from acquiring knowledge to using it. It is time for schools to develop their approach adapting to the latest trends in job-related skills and to offer the necessary support to students according to their personalities and competencies.

Project Website

http://aefc.edu.pt

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 145182 Eur

Project Coordinator

Agrupamento de Escolas do Forte da Casa & Country: PT

Project Partners

• ONUR ATES ANADOLU LISESI
• IPS “P.pi Grimaldi”
• COLEGIUL MIHAI VITEAZUL INEU
• 5o GENIKO LYKEIO KARDITSAS