United through cultural and natural diversity – learning through research Erasmus Project

Project Title

United through cultural and natural diversity – learning through research

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

The project United through cultural and natural diversity – learning through research is designed as a close collaboration between countries whose culture and identity are intersecting at the edge of East and West. They all partly share the legacy of an old composite empire, with its supranational identity forming the greatest variety within the smallest space.

The project coordinator is the Odra Elementary School from Croatia. The partnership includes five European countries and six schools – two schools from the Czech Republic, a school from Slovakia, Romania, from Poland, and a coordinating school from Croatia. Partners were selected considering their experience in projects on cultural heritage and the fact that most of them had better PISA results in reading literacy.

The project was research cultural characteristics of five partner countries, discovering similarities and differences, both new and those forgotten creating an environment where students will be able to learn through research. The main subject of research was local heritage/history collection. The research was divided in seven units: wooden objects and pottery, wooden architecture, food, music and dance, local legends, local characteristics, and traditional costumes. While working on the project both students and teachers have broadened their knowledge and gain new. It allows them to learn from experience and in exchange with the teachers and students from the partner schools. In the project will also be included students who have learning difficulties and all activities will be adjusted to their capabilities.

This project was realized through 44 activities that all partner schools implemented during the period of 24 months. Every partner school was supervised one specific topic, the quality of implementation of all activities concerning that topic and the results. Research of each topic included collecting and evaluating data and depending on a research theme it was realized through different kinds of methods such as interview, field work, creative writing, recording videos, dramatization, making digital models. After ending a single research topic, the teachers created educational materials in English.

Project aimed to develop reading and digital literacy among students as a basic skill as well as entrepreneurship and multilingualism as a transversal skill. We involved the local community in a greater degree in our school life, developed digital literacy among teachers and increased the interest of students for their homeland heritage among all partner countries and to contribute to more tolerance. We cooperated with local organizations and cultural institutions.

The project emphasizes team learning, exchange of experience and good practice, creativity, teamwork, learning through experience.

The results of the project are multilingual educational materials, digital and physical formats of the collection of collected objects, project webpage, a pictorial dictionary, a traditional cookbook, brochures about local customs, legends. All project results are publicly available and they are open for further use.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 164075 Eur

Project Coordinator

Osnovna skola Odra & Country: HR

Project Partners

• Scoala Gimnaziala “Ion Pop Reteganul” Sincel
• Zakladna skola, Pugacevova 1381/7, Humenné
• Gymnazium, zakladni skola a materska skola Hello s.r.o.
• Miejski Zespol Szkol nr 2 w Boleslawcu
• Masarykova zakladni skola Navsi, prispevkova organizace