Sounds Around Us Erasmus Project

Project Title

Sounds Around Us

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 : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Inclusion – equity; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Our project called ‘Sounds Around Us’ combined Science, ICT and the Arts to challenge our children to plan, design and create a range of open ended projects that foster and develop their creativity and innovation. We are proud to say that the main target has been achieved. All children took part in all parts of the project developing their creativity.
In this project we combined and used expertise from our partner school to build on previous experience of our partners. The school-partner from the UK shared their expertise in teaching Science and ICT. Our school-partner from Latvia is an expert in teaching Music, but at the same time by taking part in Erasmus+ project the school gained more experience and knowledge in better inclusion of all children irrespective of their needs. The school-partner from Lithuania has got a lot of experience to share with regards to working with pupils from dis-functional families, with low income, low education or single parent families, students coming from foster care, from placement centers for orphaned or abandoned children. The school-partner from Poland has got specialist teachers working with SEN students using new approaches and innovative methods in Mathematics and Computing. They have a wide experience in the area of using ICT. All teachers participated in the project received invaluable knowledge and understanding of various new approaches in using and teaching Science, Music and Computing and combining these subjects to enhance pupils’ learning.
We brought together different types of schools – some specialise in Special Education Needs, one is a mainstream school with designated special provision or inclusion and one school without any experience in SEN provision, though having children with learning difficulties. We compared special needs provision in different European Countries as well as shared best practice and special knowledge and experience.
Some schools have previously been involved in Comenius Projects. Through their knowledge of eTwinning the teachers collaborated via eTwinning to plan and discuss a future project. All the partners were equally involved in the preparation of the project providing a common base for cooperative work so that benefits of the project outcomes can be maximized.
We have planned five learning activities for children. Each school has been given responsibility for organising and taking the lead on one of the activities planned. In Poland there was a mid-term evaluation of how the project was progressing.
The activities that have been planned were –
– Exploring the links between electricity and sound/ Sound inventions. Children in each country took part in three different activities involving sound exploration. All the activities were differentiated to be available for all the children. Partner schools shared their ideas and the ways they did the activities. In Poland all this work was presented as PowerPoint or real experiment or video or photos. The teachers discussed best methods and uploaded the results on twinspace. Teachers were also provided a training on how to use Kniess Method effectively. They disseminated this when they came back to their school.
– Music powered by electricity – exploring music as a form of communication that can change the way of feelings, thinking and acting; exploring and creating sound using new technologies. All partner schools organised lessons about feelings, children used musical instruments to describe their feelings. All this have been recorded and shared with the partner schools during the mobility to Lithuania. We compiled a CD with various feelings expressed through music by our children.
– Programming rhythm. All partner schools organised lessons using rhythm; we shared best lesson plans and useful ideas. The lessons have been recorded and during the mobility the has been a discussion around how best use ICT when learning about rhythm. At the same time teachers had a training on logorhythmics. They shared their knowledge with their colleagues when back at their schools.
– Composition – write a song about sounds. All partner schools organised a competition. We involved parents and local community into the competition. Each child could create a verse for our Anthem. We then locally did our votes using School Councils and chose 2 verses to take with us to Latvia, where we combined the verses and sang our anthem altogether, using all 4 languages and sign language. We recorded our anthem and shared it with all partner schools.
– Music appreciation – exploring and responding to work of famous composers using electronic instruments. Each partner school chose 1 famous composer from their country to learn about. This has been differentiated for all children to be available. This has been shared during mobility to UK.
We achieved our target in including all our children and engaging children in less-exciting lessons through combining the subjects, motivating pupils to learn.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 93250 Eur

Project Coordinator

Rowan Gate Primary School & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Szkola Podstawowa nr 58 z Oddzialami integracyjnymi im. Marii Dabrowskiej w Katowicach
• Daugavpils 13.vidusskola
• Kelmes specialioji mokykla