"Embracing differences under the umbrella of tolerance" is a two- year multilateral project which will include primary schools from countries of Germany, Greece, Latvia, Spain, Turkey and Poland. The project will directly involve approximately three thousand pupils and teachers, and an unlimited number of other people such as parents and local community members. It will study tolerance, diversity, and active citizenship in each country, with a view to establish good practice in sustainable developments. We will introduce these ideas together with addressing issues such as pupils' improvement in literacy, English skills and ICT competences. We will also concentrate on teachers' professional development. The study will involve children & teachers across the countries in identifying similarities and differences in these areas.They will work to identify problems and solutions to those problems. We want our children, staff and local communities to be aware that being tolerant to others and accepting their diversities are straight ways to live peaceful and harmonious lives. It is very important to educate our pupils how to fight against intolerance. They should know their rights and rights of other people to take responsibilities for their actions and become EU citizens who actively participate in changing Europe for better. The project is a cross-curricular EU citizenship and human rights program that is integrated into regular curriculums of the partners and involves various subjects such as Social Studies, History, Arts, Languages, ICT, Crafts, Literature and Religious Education as well as school clubs. Our aims are as follows:1) improve and increase the mobility of pupils and teachers;2) enhance partnerships between schools;3) encourage language learning;4) innovate ICT-based content, services and better teaching techniques and practices;5) improve pedagogical approaches;6) promote active EU citizenship;We want our project results and outcomes to become sustainable resources for others. Our teaching materials and tolerance-related solutions will become available in the internet and local libraries. All project works will be found in electronic and paper forms so everyone will have a chance to use them at any time. Long term benefits will include changes in schools' tolerance practices and possibly become examples for other educational institutions. Our schools will maintain mutual cooperation at pupil, teacher and organisation levels. Our children and teachers will increase their English, ICT and interpersonal skills to be seen in scores of school ending exams and teachers' professional portfolios. The schools will continue to update their project social media accounts. They will go on with celebrating the Day of Tolerance and continue. The partners will gain invaluable expertise in EU-granted projects and at least a few of them will try to apply for another Erasmus+ project funds.
The project entitled "Embracing differences under the umbrella of tolerance" covers the topic of tolerance, diversity and citizenship, and lasts two years. The objectives pursued include the implementation of the project, the promotion of active citizenship through the individualisation of teaching methods and a pupils-focused approach to learning, the introduction of changes leading to more active citizenship, the introduction of multicultural dialogue and cooperation with partner schools, the introduction of tolerance-related issues at school, local and national levels, the production of more tolerant and active primary school pupils and future citizens, the introduction of beneficial changes into school practices in relation to tolerance, citizenship and teaching methods, the development of literacy and tranversal competences - a foreign language and ICT skills, the production of new innovative and quality pedagogical ways, providing opportunities of professional development for young and inexperienced teachers, the promotion of mobilty as a way to increase knowledge, skills and professional opportunities. The project is carried out by six primary schools from Poland, Germany, Latvia, Turkey, Spain and Greece.The main activities are as follows:making the cook book with recipes from all partner countries, putting together the book of good practices with lesson plans of tolerance-related tasks to be used by other teachers, celebrating the International Day of Tolerance, visiting four partner counries to hold project meetings, wiriting a tolerance dictionary with tolerance-focused words translated into English and other native languages of partners, the photo contest to find tolerance-related situations and pictures, which later have been voted and prized, drama episodes to present ways to fight intolerance and promote tolerance and citizenship heroes, adopting a friend where children help other special needs friends to learn tolerance and diversity etc.The results include completing the project, increasing children's awarness of various aspects of tolerance, diversity and active citizenship as a long-term benefit, teaching pupils to work on their own, starting up multicultural dialogue with partner schools through their works and a chat, introducing changes into school practices such as continuing the celebration of the International Day of Tolerance, changing attitutes of the children and the staff in the area of tolerance and active citizenship (longer-term benefit). Furthermore, based on observations and interviews with other teachers, uprating pupils' skills in English and ICT. Young and new teachers have had a plenty of opportunities to observe lessons, new methods of teaching and other good practises and thus developed their professional experience. Some of the observed practices are going to be implemented in partner schools as another long-term benefit. The mobilities have been a wonderful method to gain new knowledge and skills useful in everyday work of all participating teachers. The completion of all activities and tasks according to the project timetable is also a result of that two-year work on the project. All the children's paper and e- works, youtube films, the book of good practices, the cook book, the photo contests, photos following the realisation of the project events, activities and tasks, our e-twinning website and the blog, various press articles, local and regional publicity are important results of the project as well. The sustainable result involves friendship of all partner schools that has been made during the project. A few partners want to continue work together in the future.