The Wanderland Chronicles: Sharing of Culture, Heritage, Identity and Teaching Methodologies between Ireland, Belgium and Germany Erasmus Project

Project Title

The Wanderland Chronicles: Sharing of Culture, Heritage, Identity and Teaching Methodologies between Ireland, Belgium and Germany

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: Creativity and culture; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage

Project Summary

Context/Background:
This project will involve three second level schools; St. Brigid’s College Loughrea, Ireland (Coordinating school), Burg-Gymnasium Bad Bentheim, Germany and Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege, Belgium (participating schools). The three cooperating teachers at the heart of this project – Ger Lyons, Iris Denauw and Daniela Braun met at KA229 Conference in Dublin in December 2018. After discussing our own ideas and aims for what we wanted our students to achieve, it was realised that we shared many of the same objectives. We decided to partner up and proceed with a draft copy of a plan prior to the conference ending. Since December regular contact through email, Skype, Google Docs, eTwinning and Whatsapp has got us to the point of where we are delighted with our completed application and believe it will benefit excellently the students involved.

Objectives of the project:
There are three broad objectives linked to this project.
Firstly, to provide students with a chance to strengthen their language skills, through informal and non-formal learning, by participating in overseas trips to Germany, Belgium and Ireland.
The second objective for this project is to enhance and encourage internationalisation among all the students involved and for them to become more aware of the diverse cultures which exist with the European Union and what it means to be a European Citizen.
The third and final objective is that it aids teachers to continue their own professional development by observing various teaching strategies in the form of job shadowing whilst on the overseas exchange, and adding to their own teaching colleagues’ professional development by sharing such practices upon return home. This can only add to the overall quality of teaching and to the students’ education. The needs for the students to enhance their language in its native setting is the best environment for the students to experience and learn from the mistakes they make in the language.
By teachers experiencing the practices of other educators in various countries, they are expanding their teaching strategy and methodology base which will in turn improve the quality of learning for their own students upon return home to their native classroom setting.
A transnational approach between the three schools will allow for greater development and understanding among the student groupings for what being European means and it will also allow for the deeper appreciation for the variety of cultures and languages which exist outside of their own country. It is for these reasons that we believe the project should be funded.

Number and Profile of Participants:
The age of students from the participating schools will range from 15-18 years old. In total, 90 students and associated teachers will be involved in the three exchanges, 15 from each of the two visiting countries to the host nation each time.

Activities:
The activities will combine virtual and actual mobility in the form of eTwinning projects between students from the three schools and actual exchanges between the project participants. Each school will host a five day exchange for 30 students and associated teachers and St. Brigid’s College will host the Belgian and German teachers for a three day job shadowing and project management trip in October 2019. This will be self funded from the monthly allowance each school will get. All activities are coherently structured and explained in detail in the timetable (see attached).
Expected Results and potential longer benefits:
– Each participating student to improve their language skills;
– All participants to be culturally more aware of their own and other participating European nationalities;
– The Launching and Publication of a travel journal either online or as a booklet;
– Application for and being accredited with eTwinning quality label in 2021;
– To widely disseminate and to make known the results of the project in local communities via school website and social media platforms, local/regional newspapers and regional radio stations, on Erasmus+ noticeboards in the school corridors and within the staff room, to clearly allude to the funding provided by the programme and the notable benefits for the students involved in the school strategic partnership exchange programmes;
– Long-lasting school partnerships;
– Learning new methods and strategies for the teaching of modern languages as seen and experienced in other countries;
– The making of friends all over Europe is a mutual process in a teacher’s and student’s career, therefore the results of this project will hopefully lead to the next European projects;
– The experience of the participating schools can also help other schools in the areas to start European projects if interested. Being on several local teacher conferences throughout the year, we will be more than happy to inform about our achievements and objectives and spread the Gospel and benefits of Erasmus+.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 94264 Eur

Project Coordinator

St Brigid’s College Loughrea & Country: IE

Project Partners

• Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege
• Burg-Gymnasium Bad Bentheim