STAND UP, SPEAK OUT! Erasmus Project

Project Title

STAND UP, SPEAK OUT!

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: Access for disadvantaged; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage

Project Summary

CONTEXT: “STAND UP, SPEAK OUT!” has tried to respond to the need to reduce early school dropout, as established by the European Strategy 2020. For this, our project focused on pupils as agents of social change, with a series of educational strategies.
OBJECTIVES: During the development of the project, the main objective has been maintained: to improve the inclusion of students with special needs. In the same way, the specific objectives of this program have been maintained: to design strategies that prevent early school dropout (O1), strengthen skills and competencies that favour social inclusion (O2), learn about the achievements of European youth throughout history (O3), train teachers in innovative methodologies that favour the cooperation of students and their empowerment (O4), promote the use of collaborative tools in Project-Based Learning (O5), create a collaborative network of students (O6), improve language and communication skills of students in English (O7) and evaluate and disseminate the project (O8).
ACTIVITIES: The initial project raised four mobilities. The first three have been carried out as they were initially planned: training meeting for teachers in PBL and other collaborative methodologies and tools (C1), students meeting to strengthen social and civic competence (C2) and critical thinking case study to foster social entrepreneurial mindsets and ICT training to create a digital magazine (C3). The last meeting (C4) had to be suspended due to the health crisis caused by COVID-19. However, this last meeting was held digitally through E-Twinning (C5).
PARTICIPANTS: The main participants in this project are the students of the four schools that formed this partnership.
METHODOLOGY: Teachers from the four countries have benefitted from this project by learning, practising and implementing active methodologies, such as Project-Based Learning, Cooperative Learning, Gamification or Problem Solving methods. As well as this, they also trained their ICT skills and had the opportunity to show their improvements in this field in the last meeting, that took place online.
Regarding the students, they learnt the practice of those methods, too. They experimented with them within the class by creating innovative activities whose aim was to discover European history and identity and to show how to develop a European active citizenship. They were encouraged to share their works and results with the students from other countries in each Learning, Teaching and Training activities. Besides that, they showed the project and their participation in front of their teachers in a board meeting, at the local radio and in many other ways.
RESULTS: the project results can be measured in many ways, quantitative and qualitative ones. The Erasmus+ was a life-changing experience for some of the students, that will treasure those moments for their entire lives. The opportunity of working in a relaxed environment was appreciated by their classmates. As well as the fact that their teachers urged them to be creative and curious enough to develop their research and that they showed that heir young voices deserved to e heard at school but, above all, in their local communities. The involved teachers felt lucky to have the opportunity to show the way they feel education and share other viewpoints with colleagues from other countries. Families proved that they are the core of every educational project. Hosting families dedicated their time and their private space to the foreign students, and they did it with tons of love. We must highlight the importance of those everyday-life moments which usually are the memories that will last longer in our minds. In terms of material results, the project has concluded several works, such as: “Logo creation”; “Mythological creatures”; “‘Game of goose’ for recycling”; “Letters from the past” and “Vestigia Humanitatis”, History, Modern and Classical Languages and Literary contests; “Human Rights and black light” Art project; “Human Rights history research”; “Peer tutoring between equals”; “European identity through its cultural heritage”; History and Art project; “Universal Declaration of Human Rights mural”; Art, History and Philosophy project, the digital magazine,
LONG-TERM BENEFITS: In general terms, it can be said that “STAND UP!, SPEAK OUT!” project has been a great motivation for the students and the educational centres that have participated. We hope that this experience will translate into lower dropouts. Similarly, they have developed civic skills and competencies, as well as their knowledge of European history and cultural heritage, will help them as citizens. On the other hand, both teachers and students have learned to work in Project-Based Learning and different collaborative methodologies, and the opportunity for language exchange has improved their communicative competence. Finally, collaboration in future projects between the four educational centres is open.

Project Website

https://erasmus.ieszapatero.es/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 75824,56 Eur

Project Coordinator

IES Dr. JOSÉ ZAPATERO DOMÍNGUEZ & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Cesu Valsts gimnazija
• IS “Duca Abruzzi – Libero Grassi”
• Scoala Gimnaziala Mihai Eminescu