Water in Our Lives Erasmus Project

Project Title

Water in Our Lives

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: Natural sciences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

The project stems from the need to place our local communities, schools, teachers and students into an international context. We need to bring Europe into our schools, but also bring our schools out into Europe. To give our students the best opportunities to enter a future labour market we need to use teaching methods that help them develop necessary linguistic and communicative skills, how to learn in collaboration with respect for differences and how to adapt to new situations. This is best done by venturing out into the world. We need to meet and share experiences. To be, and feel, European is something that needs to be rediscovered by every new generation and implemented in school.

To reach future goals set for climate and sustainable development, science and a scientific approach to find solutions is necessary. By putting science as the main focus of the project we emphasize its importance in education for the future. We aim at using teaching methods in Natural Science that involve students in investigation, categorization and analyses of their findings in different natural habitats. The existence of a common framework to ensure sound management of water within the European Union gave us the incentive to base the investigations on water. It is an issue for the future that will affect the life of all members of the European Union. We wish to initiate discussion, encourage creative thinking and reflection around environmental questions. In a European context our students will benefit greatly from learning how to do it in English, since it is the common language of science. Using methods with practical investigation is important to reach students that normally do not show interest in science and its methods. By turning our students into active investigators of their own environment as well as a foreign environment in collaboration across borders we hope to deepen learning and interest.

This project would inspire not only the selected participants, but all students and teachers, to find new possibilities to collaborate and learn together in a European context. By doing this we would strengthen confidence in teachers as well as students to initiate and maintain contacts across borders. Parents will benefit from the new experiences when hosting and sending the students. Teachers participating will gain experience in planning and running projects, which will open up for new possibilities to initiate projects that develop teaching methods which meet the requirements of a global and modern world. On a long-term this will potentially lead to an education that benefits from the power of collaboration across borders and a willingness among our students to move across those borders to find work opportunities in the future.

We have in line with this chosen the following objectives:
To strengthen European identity
To develop teaching that encourages and builds students´ capacity of critical thinking and analyzing.
To use methods in natural science that encourages interdisciplinary teaching and a high level of involvement of all students
To prepare students for future studies in natural science by using and learning english vocabulary and concepts related to the field being studied.
To establish paths of communication between our schools and other European schools
To open up learning across borders
To reflect upon future environmental challenges
To implement field- and comparative studies from an early age

Participants:
Staff and students from Nya Läroverket, Luleå Sweden and Colegion León XIII, Málaga Spain. Number of students participating in the mobilities: 40. Number of teachers accompanying: 5. Silent partner: County Administrative Board of Norrbotten and the public company for water management in Málaga, EMASA. The project runs over two years and includes activities that prepare students to carry out scientific investigations, it encompasses six field trips and two mobilities. Students find out what the state of six different waters is today and discuss what could and should be done to ensure sound management of water in the future.

Dissemination:
Reunions with project teams, with teachers and parents and student-led activities with younger students. A day will also be dedicated to disseminate the results at both schools. We will also use digital platforms, assemblies, written reports and local media.

Results and impacts:
communities with a European identity in addition regional identity
communities with a strong capacity for adapting and facing challenges
students equipped for a future labor market
communication and learning in collaboration
a list of vocabulary and concepts explained in english
the implementation of practical studies and interdisciplinary teaching and learning in all age groups
establishment of communication across borders using ICT
creation of a permanent team at Nya Läroverket for internationalization to manage future partnerships and collaboration

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 63300 Eur

Project Coordinator

Nya läroverket Luleå AB & Country: SE

Project Partners

• Colegio León XIII