Venturing into Future – Expanding Horisons Erasmus Project

Project Title

Venturing into Future – Expanding Horisons

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: Pedagogy and didactics; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The project “Venturing into Future – Expanding Horizons” was prepared and implemented by the project coordinator Alojzij Šuštar Primary School (Ljubljana, SI) and the project partner Borge Skole (Fredrikstad, NO) the logical synthesis and further development of the work already done in the field of experiential and outdoor learning. Both partner schools see the field of teaching and learning in nature as one of their main focal points. They have rich past experience in the matter, including a successful joint cooperation.

The schools decided to prepare the project based on the identified need to systemically organize and reflect the conducted activities combined with the perceived lack of appropriate teacher trainings regarding the use of experiential learning in their local environments. Therefore, the project was set up in such a way that, while exchanging good practices, the schools reflect on their own work with the support of each other and upgrade it. Further upgrading of the practice is also encouraged by previously little-known theoretical bases that help to evaluate the practice. In preparing and implementing the project, both schools sought to bring experiential learning to the maximum benefit of pupils with developing and upgrading relevant high-quality competencies that will benefit them later in life.

A big emphasis was placed on the strengthening of the professional profile of teachers. By attending international exchanges and conductiong work placements, where teachers took over the tasks in the partner school and meanwhile reflected on their own practice and the practice they took part in, they developed their skills and competencies. The extensive work within the project team, preparation, implementation and evaluation of activities with pupils led teachers to the constant connection of theory and praxis. Finally, the prepared trainings and seminars for teachers outside the project group on local and international level consolidated the acquired know-how of the project partners and also achieved broader and more sustainable impact of all the project results.

Work in the project connected most intensively both project teams. Certain activities (presentation of the project and its activities, meetings during the teacher exchange) includeed entire staff of both institutions. Beside that, pupils (mostly 9-11 years old) were actively involved – unfortunately less than originally planned as the exchanges of groups of pupils were canceled due to covid-19 epidemic. In the course of the project 3 Norwegian and 4 Slovenian teachers got the opportunity to gain valuable experience of working abroad for a somewhat longer period of time. Shorter but more work intensive visits of 3 Slovenian and 2 Norwegian teachers were also important. These visits were paying special attention to more specific areas of teacher’s work (for example pupils with special needs) and also intended for planning of further project activities. 10 pupils and 4 teachers from each school would participate in the canceled exchanges – at the beginning of 2020, preparations for mobilities were already underway at both schools. With a goal of postponing the exchanges to spring 2021, the project was extended by one year, but the epidemic did not allow for pupils to travel even then.

The Institute for Education Research and Development (InERD), which operates within the coordinating institution, was available to the participating teachers for all logistical and administrative issues. InERD took care of the technical organization of travel and, together with the project coordinators of both schools, of preparation of participants and monitoring of project activities.

InERD also helped with the dissemination of project results, which is a rather crucial part of the project, as both project partners want to become relevant experts for experiential learning and teaching in nature. The main dissemination activities were the organization of seminars for Slovenian teachers and teacher training seminar for participants in Erasmus + KA1 projects.

All activities carried out were nicely incorporated into the work and life of both participating schools. They represented continuity in the development of pedagogical methods as well as the promotion of international cooperation and supporting a reflection on the European idea plotted at both schools. The project is an important but certainly not the last leap on the set path. However, it meant an important qualitative shift in the consolidation of what has already been developed and moving from the position of adventurers through a vaguely familiar trail more into the position of guides to others for both schools. With the project, we ventured forward and discovered new horizons that opened up to us.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 48625 Eur

Project Coordinator

Zavod sv. Stanislava & Country: SI

Project Partners

• Borge skole