The Year of European cultural heritage – oportunity for future Erasmus Project

Project Title

The Year of European cultural heritage – oportunity for future

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: Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment

Project Summary

The project was based on the education in the kindergarten, primary and secondary school. The Slovak secondary school and the kindergarten and secondary school from Norway were joined into this project. The partnership of these schools was established on the base of the long-term cooperation and similar aims and requirements.
We took aim at about 400 students and approximately 10% of students had special needs. The main aim of the project was to propagate cultural heritage of the partnership schools and potential use in the future. We provided it for children to know, try, experience and check up their skills.
The project ran the whole curriculum of education from all stated levels. We carried out 25 project activities instead 12 planned. We focused on the utilization the traditions in the present.
We studied habits and traditions of our region. We also studied crafts such as beekeeping, making products in smithy, ceramics, wine-making and basket making.
We and local craftsmen organized craft shops. Students gained theoretical and also practical skills with the whole process of the individual crafts from initial preparation to the final product.
We found out that our ancestors had connected everyday working life with the folklore and habits.
We concentrated on the way of spending of individual festivals. For spring, it was burning of Morena (a goddess), for autumn, it was a harvest festival of grapes and wine and for winter, it was presentation of Christmas decorations and bakery products, carols and wishings…. All these events were connected with typical songs, dances, making fun of somebody and congratulations. Children studied some folk performancesw for these festivals. They presented them during school celebrations and celebrations in our region.
Norwegian schools devoted to their own regional traditions, for example folklore, mining, forestry, fishing, working with wood and wool…
Two planned educational and training activities which were called „Teach me what you know 1 and 2“. 10 Slovak students and 4 teachers were participated in activity number 1 in Norway. 10 Norwegian students and 6 teachers were participated in activity number 2 in Slovakia.
The programme was concentrated on gaining practical skills at individual crafts, presentations about songs, dances and habits. The students were working in the mixed international groups and they were creating materials for picture dictionary in three languages which was focused on terminology of folk habits and crafts between schools.
The Slovak students and teachers visited famous places in Norway. It was historical town Roros and its Museum of mine. Another town called Sollia is famous for its metal statue of elk (called Storelgen – the biggest from all over the world), wooden church (from period of settlement), local primary school and beautiful nature. The town Elverum and its open-air museum with historical wooden buildings and exposition of traditional life like fishing, lumbering and forestry in the valley of the river Glomma.
We and Norwegian students and teachers visited local winery called – Vína z mlyna and saw watermill and the traditional way of milling of corn. We visited Trnava and its local sights and Christmas markets. People from Norway saw our Red Stone Castle in Častá. They got to know about horse farming and they could ride a horse. When they visited the town Modra they could see historical objects and try to make the traditional products made of clay.
The whole activities were documented by camera or videos. They were transformed into documentary film as another output of the project.
The national partnership brought a lot of experiences about innovative and educational methods in the individual school in Norway and Slovakia.
We were informed about different evaluation system which is focused on verbal evaluation. Norwegian students don´t get the school marks.
These experiences helped us during teaching students at home. It was shared to all teachers from our school. We used it during the first Covid wave and also when the students got the certificate at the end of the school year.
The Norwegian school inspired us because the school is situated near nature and educational process were connected with surrounds. It helped us to create new projects based on environment. We also like that the nature is used as an educational tool and space.
All these experiences were also integrated to the new school educational plan.
Long-term benefit of our project is our students, teachers and locals are interested in traditions.
Unusual benefit is the conclusion of agreement about long-term partnership between our school and primary school in Norway. This agreement deals with preparation and realization of international projects.

Project Website

http://culturalheritageprojectcasta.home.blog/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 43748 Eur

Project Coordinator

Zakladna skola s materskou skolou Casta & Country: SK

Project Partners

• Koppang barnehage
• Koppang skole