The project is situated in the second of the activities provided by Erasmus Plus , in Key Action 2, Cooperation for innovation and best practices. In particular, the action arises within Strategic Partnership in the field of Education, Training and Youth. According to this perspective, some educational institutions, universities, institutes, training agencies, regional and provincial authorities, youth organizations are involved in the implementation of the project The objectives of the project are divided on the supply and assessment of key skills and crosswise skills , such as learning and the consolidation of the Community languages and digital competence, as well as the social and civic competences. Peak Project aims to support the positive effects of long-term , on the participating institutions , systems and individuals involved , with the aim to modernize and strengthen the systems of education and training. The actions implemented are geared to experiment with innovative practices in education and training , implement and transfer those practices in other educational contexts , once they have been tested and validated by the research activities of the teachers and trainers involved in the same project. The project planned actions deal with educational research and analysis , compared to learning, such as curriculum personalization and collaborative learning. The strategic use of information and communication technologies (ICT) , open educational resources (OER) , a pedagogy customized according to the needs of the individual and virtual mobility are the resources around which we act, even in terms of action research and as a community of discourse. Particular attention is devoted to active citizenship and legality: be a European citizen implies the awareness to choose and self-training , as a person aware of rights and duties; implies the need to meet and interact positively with the diversity and complexity of the different contexts (family , educational, social ) , such as personal growth and electives groups. The project aims to promote discussion and sharing among all those involved in the education system and find it necessary to provide young students patterns of growth based on democracy and coexistence of peoples , through cooperation, networwing and peer learning ; on the issues that the project has as priority must be defined at school and in the paths outside school , opportunities for interdisciplinary training focused on growth and development of a European people. The project also aims to promote approaches to interdisciplinary collaboration; enhancing the professional development of those who work or are active in the fields of education, training and youth , innovating and increasing the quality and range of initial and continuing training , with a view to establish the exchange of good practices that can facilitate the recognition and validation of knowledge, and through formal, informal and non-formal skills and competences . It aims to establish a group of teachers trainers from different schools and experts in the use of ICT applied to education , and provided an intermediate language proficiency , according to the CEFR , to identify and articulate some educational courses of particular interest that can be included in school curricula , according to the following steps 1 - Make use in alarge scale of the European platform E-Twinning to communicate and prepare a training platform in e-learning environment Moodle to train trainers to exchange in professional mobility and to gather experiences ; (Pre -mobility ) ; 2 - Prepare an intermediate English language course entirely online, on ANFIS platform Moodle. 3 - To train teachers and actors of mobility to innovative learning practices , such as cooperative learning , peer-tutoring; 4 - Send the teachers in mobility in work groups with destination countries in the EU ; 5 - Articulate , once the project is finalized, as part of the dissemination , a series of training sessions for teachers to launch and sustain, best practices and educational courses developed , both in the schools of the participants, both in schools reached through training sessions . The meetings are targeted to teachers in the schools of the participating regions where they are located ; 6 - Establish a network with all Partnership, to create parallel testing experiences of training course; 7 - Designing some " intellectual products " to make freely available to all those interested .
Context/background of the project. The Project idea of PEAK was born in 2013; it was based on the experience of GIFT, Growing Innovations For Teaching, granted by EU. The Partnership, after setting up the first project group, developed some proposal focuses, around which building up an additional network of European partners with specific areas of expertise. Partners set up a project proposal targeting to meet the strategic objectives that the member countries of the European Union aim to pursue through the priorities set out in the Europe 2020 strategy and the four planned objectives: • to ensure that lifelong learning and mobility become a reality • improve the quality and effectiveness of education and training • promoting fairness, social cohesion and active citizenship • encourage creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship, at all levels of education and training. Objectives. The project has identified the development of teaching profession at the centre of its action as a strong point for the improvement of educational systems and the consequent strengthening of students’ key competences. The project aimed to promote confrontation and sharing among all those working in the educational system and consider it necessary to provide young students with growth models based on democracy and the coexistence of peoples, through cooperation, networking and peer learning. In terms of expected results, the objectives of the project and, in particular, the development of competences identified as central issues of training expected to be achieved: 1. digital skills and, in this case, the use of methodologies and technological tools to improve teaching discipline; 2. the language skills as a communication tool and with particular attention to the increase of teachers able to support the CLIL methodology in the Italian classes; 3. awareness of European citizenship, so that participating schools take the commitment to include specific modules or targeted learning pathways, both within the curriculum and in the study plans of the teachers involved in disciplinary specificities. Number and profile of participating organisations. The IPS "Albe Steiner" of Turin, Applicant Partner, took care of the administrative activities, of the official relations with the Italian agency INDIRE; dealing with quality protocols and mobility certifications- EuroPass. ANFIS, a teachers’ training professional Association, certified by MIUR, has been the coordinator of training courses for pre-mobility. ACMOS - youth association, skilled on active citizenship, within the LIBERA Piemonte network, with a leading role in the educational proposal on the issues of legality. ALCANTARA Group, based in Cordoba, oversaw the communication aspects through social media; developing workshops and seminars on the theme of cyber bullying. BURGAS FREE UNIVERSITY (BFU), is a Bulgarian private University, specialized in teaching languages and ICT – based teaching. The technical institute "L. EINAUDI "of Verona has established a network of schools in the area, contributing to the spreading and dissemination of innovative practices promoted by the project. The Rakovski High School in Burgas has dynamically participated at the mobilites, encouraging the dissemination of the objectives and results of the project through dissemination activities in the Bulgarian territory. Leeds BECKETT University, new Partner, specialised in Language Teaching, expert on the Flipped class methodology. The SALESIAN COLLEGE, in Limerick, Ireland, a new partner of the second project-life year, active in project dissemination. EUFOR, a network of secondary schools in Sardinia, a new partner of the second project-life year, active in dissemination of results. Description of undertaken main activities. The project activities have been carried out through the comparison and sharing among teachers coming from different countries on the topics of Ciber Bullying, teaching / learning through ICT, research on distance learning approaches, on innovative methodologies such as the Flipped Class. Results and impact attained. For teachers, beneficiaries of training and mobility: 1. Development of professional skills with particular regard to digital and sharing planning; 2. Increase of the ability to realize an active teaching based on the use of ICT. 3. Increasing awareness of the importance of enhancing good teaching practices, based on a real competence approach in a European wide network; Longer-term benefits. Promoting European citizenship in younger generations is a fundamental aspect of the historical and social context today, especially in the light of the triggering of some processes on the political and economic level within the European Union. The expansion of Erasmus enables individuals and groups of different ages to participate in exchanges, and through mutual understanding, to feel they are European citizens.