Twinning/exchange Italy Erasmus Project

Project Title

Twinning/exchange Italy

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Open and distance learning; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

Dutch secondary schools are legally obligated to promote active citizenship and social integration. By giving (world) citizenship a prominent place in education, the government hopes to ensure that individuals, coming from the most diverse of traditions, develop a common perspective on their contribution to society as citizens. Attention for (world) citizenship in education should lead to young people developing the ability and willingness to be part of a (European) community, and to actively contribute to such a community. Furthermore, by adding “social inclusion” to the educational agenda, learners must become familiar with and involved in expressions of European languages ​​and cultures. Bornego College in Heerenveen believes it is of great importance that students come into contact with other cultures in a society that is becoming more and more internationalized. Knowledge of the world of peers in another European country increases understanding for one another. In the context of global citizenship, it is not only important that students learn about other countries and its inhabitants in a theoretical manner, but the learning effect is in fact many times greater if the learning is experienced firsthand. Exchanging experiences by visiting one another frequently actively contributes to overall mutual tolerance and understanding.

The students participating in this project are 18 students from all available levels: VMBO-T, HAVO and VWO. Activities included in the Netherlands are (among others) an excursion to Amsterdam, visiting the mayor of Heerenveen (in the context of citizenship goals), as well as participating in activities at the exchange school. Activities in Italy include a visit to the municipality (and mayor) of Baselga di Pine, an excursion to Venice and participating in activities at the exchange school. An important goal is to promote (European; global) citizenship among students. The intensive nature of maintaining communication and contact beforehand, staying in a host family in Italy and the ongoing communication afterwards provide pupils with an eye for cultural diversity within Europe. This promotes understanding and empathy for the other and their environment. Implementing a short questionnaire before the start of the project and reviewing the same questions after the end of the project, it can be determined whether pupils have grown regarding citizenship. The need to naturally communicate with peers promotes the task skills (reading, speaking and listening) of these students. We measure whether the students have made progress by means of language tests. To this end, a comparison group of pupils who do not participate in the project has been formed at school. On the basis of a baseline measurement/diagnostic before the start of the project and a measurement afterwards, we can assess whether there has been any significant progress in the individual language skills. The same methodology is used for the other subjects (professional skills), including geography, biology and history. Application-oriented and research skills are particularly important in this regard. The project has an emphatically sustainable character. We strongly intend to maintain the exchange program with Italy, the civil municipality and the school.

After the exchange, we continue to encourage students to stay in touch with students in Italy. By actively stimulating to remain in close contact, the formulated goals concerning citizenship, language skills, ICT and professional skills are deepened and made more sustainable. The pupils who have participated in the project are given an active role in informing the new group of pupils participating in a subsequent international (European) project. We also ask the students about their ICT skills, in the sense that we ask them to estimate their skills based on a quantitative score. The same question is asked after the end of the project. On the basis of a comparison between these results, it can be determined whether the intensive use of ICT has led to an increase in skills. It is also determined, on the basis of the assessment of the presentations of the students after the end of the project, whether there has been a significant increase in and development of ICT skills. The teachers who set up the project with Italy have new experiential knowledge and skills to set up or supervise other international projects. The teachers will gain knowledge and experience in Italy and implement this in the curriculum that is subsequently offered to the other students. The knowledge and skills are actively communicated within the schools of Bornego College in Heerenveen by means of orientation/(de)briefing events within the school, individual consultations and by using digital means.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 41661 Eur

Project Coordinator

Bornego college & Country: NL

Project Partners

• ISTITUTO COMPRENSIVO ALTOPIANO DI PINE’