So far, so close Erasmus Project

Project Title

So far, so close

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

● “So far, so close”… in time and space. From the 5th century BC to the 21st century. From Greece to France. What keeps you apart and brings you closer at the same time, 2,000 km apart and 16 centuries apart, when you are a Greek or French teenager today? When you live in the countryside, far from cultural structures or historical monuments of a common heritage? When you don’t necessarily have a lot of ambition?
● The objective of this project is to bring together thirty 15-year-old teenagers from rural or isolated areas, sometimes from disadvantaged backgrounds, learning French as a modern language on the one hand and Ancient Greek on the other as an optional subject. The project is designed over two years and will be enriched by the work of two additional groups of 15 students the 2nd year. It is supported by two transdisciplinary teams combining French, Ancient Greek, physical education, history-geography, arts and English. Students will first meet in virtual exchanges through the eTwinning platform and then through the creation of a digital photojournal during 5-day transnational exchanges on site (excluding travel). Giving priority to the “Social and educational value of Europe’s cultural heritage, its contribution (…) to social cohesion”, these exchanges will put into perspective the sites, monuments or works seen first in class as part of the school curricula of both countries, then seen in person in Greece and France, around themes that are meaningful both yesterday and today (democracy, citizenship, architecture, mythology, sport…). The photo essay will be finalized via AdobeSpark and shared on the eTwinning platform, but the students will have previously worked in teams to develop the model of the newspaper, write the articles, take pictures, and choose the criteria to be used for the photographs. Each meeting will be one more step towards achieving a final task that we hope will be ambitious.
● This project was born from a first connection between the two classes of two colleagues in 2018-2109 via the eTwinning platform, around the unifying figure of the hero Ulysses from yesterday to today. Soon after, there came the desire to broaden the possibilities opened up by “open and innovative practices rooted in the digital age”, by extending this first exchange to a team of teachers who want to advance in their practices and in the hope of reaching more widely the other students of the schools (via clubs, workshops or the sports association) or the trainee teachers attached to the tutor teachers who will be involved. The tasks will be shared out between the teams : the French colleagues will take charge of the digital communication part (eTwinning tools, coordination of meetings, steps to be taken by students, sharing of work, dissemination outside schools, on websites); the Greek colleagues will manage the production part of the journal (from writing articles to inserting photographs).
● Give a living reality to history. Give meaning to the teaching of languages, whether living or dead. Stimulate students’ curiosity and interest in Greek culture and heritage both in Greece and in France. Make them actors in their learning. Encourage autonomous AND collaborative work through today’s digital tools. Make them more confident. Make them think about their own identity in the world of the 21st century. These are the expectations for both teaching teams. The number of students who choose to present this project orally at the DNB (Diplôme National du Brevet des Collèges), the increase in the validation rate of the Common Base of Skills and Knowledge, the increase in the number of merits obtained at the DNB, the increase in the number of students graduating with KPG certification, the increase – the following year – in the number of students choosing Ancient Greek or French as a modern language and the continuation of these languages at high school will be seen as guarantees of success. And why not win the Hippocrene Prize for Education in Europe!
● The project will be carefully prepared in advance with parents and administrative officials. Downstream, it will be disseminated on several levels: within schools (during “Open Days” or on their websites), in the local press, on academic platforms, in order to reach the students involved, their families and future students. This project is in line with the recommendations of the European Education and Training 2020 strategic framework. It is also fully in line with the educational policies of both countries and with the projects of the two schools, which encourage students to develop their ambition and open up their cultural horizons. “Closer than far”, after all!

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 17085 Eur

Project Coordinator

Collège Paul FORT & Country: FR

Project Partners

• 2nd GYMNASIUM OF KALYVION-LAGONISI