Keep cool - stay warm, We are building for the future, is the title of a strategic partnership between Re upper secondary school, Vestfold (Coordinator / Applicant) and Theodor-Frey Schule, (upper secondary school) Eberbach, Germany (partner). The two schools are the same size, with about 700 students, offering both vocational and general studies. In addition, Theodor-Frey Schule has the Programme for Trade and Economic Subjects. We are applying for funding in order to examine various issues regarding energy consumption and housing in Norway and Germany. The last two years our two schools have established contact and visited each other several times, both students, teachers and representatives of the school management. We have planned this strategic partnership together, since autumn 2014, when a delegation from Theodor-Frey Schule visited Re, Norway. It was important that we should obtain a clear quality improvement of the education through the partnership. Furthermore, we wanted a partnership in which many of our students could apply to join. We decided the theme of sustainable development and climate change. The theme is based in the curricula of Natural Sciences, Vg1, both vocational and general studies in Norway. In addition, construction of wooden houses. Insulation of houses is aslso a theme at Vg1 Building and Construction. Many of our students are introduced to insulation work when they are placed in private firms in the subject Depth Study Project. From the Norwegian side, we plan that pupils from Vg1 Building and Construction and Vg1Programme for Specialisation in the General Studies should be able to apply to participate in student exchange programs within the partnership. From the German side is planned that students from their Programmes for Building and Construction, Trade and Economic Subjects and the Oberschule could apply to participate. The theme is rooted in curricula. Pupils of the Programme for Building and Construction will examine construction methods of houses in Germany and Norway, especially insulation of houses and energy sources and energy conservation. Pupils from trade program to make calculations on the construction costs of various building and insulation methods in both countries. They should also make calculations on profitability in the short and long term, concerning energy-saving measures and the use of alternative energy sources. The german students from the general studies, (the Oberschule) will examine attitudes in the two countries when it comes to willingness to accept increased construction costs to reduce the consumption of fossil energy sources. In order to increase the quality of education in these subjects, both schools have signed agreements on cooperation with both organizations and companies. On the Norwegian side, we cooperate with the regional office in Vestfold of NHO, the main representative organisation for Norwegian employers, and the nationally profiled member construction company Timber AS in Stokke. In addition, we work closely with our school authority in Vestfold fylke, and their internationalization contact. Theodor-Frey-Schule has made agreements on cooperation with companies on a national and international level, for instance BASF and Luwoge Consult. Another major goal of the partnership will be the use of English as lingua franca. We intend to prepare a simple glossary of construction terminology on Norwegian-English-German. We will also qualify our students participating in the exchanges to be able to seek work and study abroad. To adapt to the norms and ways of living in the two countries will be central for the paticipating pupils. Activity course will be as follows: Int the autumn of 2015 Re upper secondary school intend to send until ten pupils together with two teachers on exchange visit to Eberbach. Duration: 5 days plus travel days. Spring 2016 Theodor-Frey Schule will sende a similar group to Re. Autumn 2016 Re will send a new group of up till 10 students and 2 teachers to Eberbach. Spring 2017 Theodor-Frey Schule will send the last student group with 2 teachers to Norway. Then, in April 2017 two representatives of the management / project management at Theodor-Frey Schule come to Norway to participate in our final event. We present our results and experiences and present material and teaching programs that can be used in the future by schools and disseminated through the media and partners.
Keep cool - stay warm, We are building for the future, is the title of a strategic partnership between Re upper secondary school, Vestfold (Coordinator / Applicant) and Theodor-Frey Schule, (upper secondary school) Eberbach, Germany (partner). Participants: The two schools are of the same size, with about 700 students, offering both vocational and general studies. In addition, Theodor-Frey Schule has a Programme for Trade and Economic Subjects. . Background: Both Schools wanted to become more attractive for future students both in general studies and building Construction. During 2013 and 2014 we visited eachother several times, and decided that sustainable development, climate change and different ways of constructing wooden houses shold be our theme. Objectives: * To obtain a better teaching/learning in the fields of insulation of houses and the use of energy in private housing (Quality). * To strengthen the reputaiton of the Schools, and in that way increase the number of students. * To make the education more exciting in this important theme (relevance) * To make the learning more practical. * To strengthen the use of English as a lingua franca. * To make the students more prepared and motivated for studies and work in another country. * To make the students more acquainted to culture, School and living in another European country. * To influence the students`attitude to practical measures in order to reduce the world`s climate Challenges. * To make the students more independant to manage the practical things living in another country. Vi har arrangert fire short-term Learning activities: Re videregående skole has visited Eberbach twice, October 2015 and October 2016, With 11 students, and 3 following persons (2 in 2016), five working days each time. We have been received like honourd guests, and have also met the town Mayor each time. We have had a very good and varied programme each time. There was a good mix of theory and practical teaching in the workshops in School, Group work, inquieries, work on lists of words and expressions, and oral/written presentations. We also had excursions to firms, like BASF, an architect firm and Technoseum. Social activities were arranged in the School, in Eberbach and in and arround Heidelberg. Theodor-Frey-Schule has visited Norway twich, in April 2016 with 11 students and 3 following persons, and in May 2017 With The programme has each time consisted of practical and theoretical work and social and professional excursions. The students of the Construction classes have been making massive wooden walls insulated with wooden fibres for a passive house, and been in construction firms in Vestfold. The students of the theoretical classes have made surveys, presentations, interviews and lists of professional expressions. All the students have been on excursions, for example the Viking Centre of Borre. They have also had oral and written presentations and evaluations. Results: * The students of both Schools gave mainly positive evaluations, they found the programmes very good, and said they had learned more this way, than with traditional teaching in each school. They all enjoyed being together, students from the Construction classes with the students of the theoretical classes in this project. They reported that this was unusual i both schools. * It`s difficult to find out if the partnership leads to a greater number of students. We found out that the participating students would to a greater extent speak positively of their school. We saw this at a seminar in Vestfold Fylkeskommune, where students from different Schools presented their different Projects under the Erasmus+ programmes. * The students generally found it more interesting learning about these themes visiting each other. You can then see how they do things in other countries. But you also become more aware how we do things. "By visiting others you learn a lot about yourself." * The teaching profited by the fact that the students made Things practically. The Norwegian students got a better teaching using hand Tools in Eberbach, and they saw handicraft of very high quality. The German studnts experienced that they were allowed to try different things in the Norwegian firms. The students from the theoretical classes from both schools found it interesting calculating the insulation of walls and investigating attitudes in both countries regarding house building and climate. * Using English as a Lingua Franca was a success, both in oral communication and when they presented results to each other. All the students reported that they learned a lot of tecnical English. * The students from both countries said that they had become more motivated for seeking work and studies in an other country They enjoyed the exitement and mastering both in education, work, Language and socially. You may obtain gains by cooperating on Facebook and Skype, but the real thing, visiting another country, is unique.