PROJECT: " GENERATION 21 + " This project gathers 3 European schools: Spain (Albacete- Castilla La Mancha), France (Albi- Midi-Pyrénées), Italy (Agrigente- Sicily). It includes 185 pupils and staff formed by different teachers: foreign languages, first language, art and history / geography. Most of the pupils who take part, will be 15 years old in September 2016, so this project is called: Generation 21 +. It is based on different particularities and needs. Our schools face the following challenge: our high school pupils study different levels: professional, technological and general. Also, there are a lot of them who have no motivation in the study of a second foreign language. So, we want to place a project in order to encourage multilingualism, to emphasize European linguistic and cultural diversity and to favour the exchange between our pupils and his European mates, teaching them how to work together. So, we want to improve the quality of teaching foreign languages and create a favourable environment for this process. We study:- Subjects which are interesting for youth (customs, , new technology, reading, cinema, ecology)- the frequent and diversified use of the ICT (information and communication technology, making of a blog, a video clip, slide shows, participation in video conferences, making of an interactive card, making of e-book, working and reading on a tablet) - dynamic activities, with different approaches to increase speaking and writing skills in foreign languages (site of the high school, prevention messages, oral slide show…) - exchanges (including virtual exchanges, on line and e- twinning), transnational meetings and the opening of our 3 schools to Europe and to the world. Most of productions will be on platforms (Erasmus and e- twinning), sites or blogs, teachers, exhibitions (new technology and ecology). We will go to different associations (for example), to our pupils to show their creations out the school, in order to make them responsible. So, they will realize the interest that their works can raise. Everything tries to develop the curiosity of our pupils to give them higher esteem. And with this confidence, these young students of “Generation 21” will realize his capacities as European citizens. We hope this work will favour the learning of second European languages in the near future, and other teachers will use the materials that we have made and experienced. The pedagogical suitcase or Kit will be our final production and we will show it on the blog created for the project with the aid of several platforms. To work with technical supports and to innovate in the teaching of foreign languages, means that this final production will not be the only aim, but also, it will start a continuity of this project. The usual language will be French, but we will also use Spanish and Italian for the sake of multilingualism (even a great number of our conclusions will be trilingual).
PROJET « GENERATION 21+ » With this project finished, it can be said that all our goals have been achieved and that the schools involved have been really opened to Europe. The project has pretended to develop the curiosity and self-esteem of our students. And thanks to these two years enriched with exchanges and activities, they have been aware of both their own skills and their real place as European citizens. The fact of welcoming European teachers and students has really been rewarding and motivating. And the use of new technologies and innovative activities has benefited the learning of second languages. The following are some of the activities which have been carried out: : - Drawing and choosing the project logo - Organizing exhibitions - Using web apps for presentations, interactive images, e-books and comics - about the project topics, all of them shown at transnational meetings - Thinking about cultural likes and dislikes of European teens –with interviews and round tables in the three countries - Organizing fun and innovative activities to involve students –intercultural games, coming up with slogans, decorating objects - Taking part in conferences and talks - Taking part in interdisciplinary art workshops –curiosity cabinet, photo workshops, recycling miniatures. All the students have been able to work in European groups from different nationalities - Attending interactive exhibitions -“Tomorrow Human”, “Fablab” – which have stimulated their interest and curiosity related to technology A lot of productions have been spread not only on educational platforms, web pages or blogs, but also in ordinary exhibitions –about echology or fashion. This has let the students show their creations out of the school in order to take the responsibility and to be aware of the interest of their work. Now our wish is that other teachers use all the materials -already made and used by us- thanks to our final production: a non-material pedagogical case on our project blog, which can be found on different platforms. Using innovation to teach foreign languages means that the final production is not a final goal. It shows continuity, as our investigation on motivating activities for students and innovative activities for the classroom are now part of our everyday work.