Early school leaving (ESL) is a multi-faceted and complex problem caused by a cumulative process of disengagement. It is a result of personal, social, economic, education or family-related reasons. Reducing the average European rate of early school leavers to less than 10% by 2020 is one of the education headline targets of the Europe 2020. (Final Report of the Thematic Working Group on Early School Leaving, Novenber 2013). For this reason preventing early school leave is the piority subject of this project– "BACK TO SCHOOL LIFE" The project has been written with reference to EU 2020 targets. 7 countries -some of which have very high ESL rates in Europe (Turkey 44.3%, Spain 31.2%, , Portugal 31%, Romania 16%, UK 15.7%. (Eurostat (LFS), Intermediate breaks in time series for NL (2010) and LV (2011))- are involved in the project. Our project aims to enrich joyful teaching techniques and provide entertaining learning environments for diverse classes. Strategies for teaching culturally diverse classes will increase the attendance of students to school. Extra-curricular and out-of-school activities with educational aims are planned to enrich learning. New pedagogic approaches such as creative teaching, cooperative teaching, peer teaching, project based activities, pair and group work will be implemented in the programSuccess is 80% psychology and 20% strategy. That's why we'll create learning environments not only disciplined but also fun for children. Teaching through games will be our method as games are interactive plays that teach students goals, rules, adaptation, problem solving and interaction. Prompting creativity in students through art, music, drama, folk dance, craft art. etc will be our priority. Creative teaching methods which require active participation of students will be used to encourage original and independent thinking.The objectives of the project are to;- investigate the reasons of absenteeism and ESL - make a contribution to the reduction of absenteeism and ESL- develop a deeper awareness of diversity in classes and search for effective ways to cope with it- focus on emotional, social and academic development of the students to reduce ESL - ensure parental involvement in school decisions and activities to receive higher academic achievement for students of all backgrounds (particularly for children with lower socio-economic sta- provide permanent learning by using new teaching techniques and methods- provide greater understanding and appreciation of European cultures among children, staff and the wider community- have a positive impact on the curriculum and it's implementation in each partner school- to encourage students to be active citizens - to encourage collaborative family–teacher–school relationships to improve communication- to encourage teachers to develop their professionalism and lead to improved outcomes for pupils- to give a chance for teachers to observe the teaching and learning activities on the spot- to exchange measures and good practices about educational games with each other for tackling the absenteeism and ESL- help teachers to assess themselves about new teaching methods- to increase the teaching quality by creating amusing teaching environment- to enable educators and students become more sensitive to the disadvantaged and disabled groups- to develop ICT skills of teachers and students - to improve English as a common languagePartners will exchange good practice and present their studies on;– "How Family Games Make Kids into Better Students " – "Learning Outside School by Playing" – "Positive Impacts of ICT on Education" – "Building Emotional Relationships To Prevent Early School Leaving" – "In Class Activities for Diverse Classes" – "Fun and Cooperative Learning Games/Activities" – "Games for Developing Creativity" Students will actively be involved in the design, implementation, management, monitoring, evaluation and dissemination of the project. The outcomes of the project will be long lasting, reachable and inspiring resources and can be reached from websites free of charge. A lot of ESL cases can be prevented. That's why we'll; –– examine in detail how partner schools are trying to tackle absenteeism and ESL–– identify characteristics of effective policies to reduce ESL –– analyze the national and international literature–– study national and international researches–– support the students individually who are at a higher risk of ESLAs a result of this project, ESL rates will be reduced through better coordination and monitoring.
The project called "Back To School Life" aimed to work on the most effective ways to cope with diversity in classes, to reduce early school leave (ESL), to reinforce the inter-cultural awareness, to raise the parental involvement in children's education and raise the quality of education using ICT. The activities and workshops planned in the project got the students with tendency of early school leave back more into school life, parents and students back into more social life, seniors back into more active life. Running this Erasmus+ Project, we shared our experiences for teaching culturally diverse students and applied new policies about how to tackle ESL. As partners involved in this project we believed that "everyone learns differently and everyone has unique interests, but some techniques and methods are more effective than others". 7 partner countries; Finland, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Lithuania, The UK, and Turkey participated in the project. Spain, Romania and Turkey and Portugal had the higher ratio of ESL. Lithuania had a small school in a small city. However the ratio of ESL was not high. Finland had the best educational system and they shared their experiences and expertise with the other project partners who had more diverse classes and high possibility of ESL At the end of the project, a report on "What Works Best for Our Students", was shared. A booklet for educators "Practical Strategies and Team Building Activities to Prevent ESL" and A booklet for parents "Creating Effective Home and School Partnerships for Student Success" were written. Book called "Martı– Seagull" was turned into audio book. Calendesr illustrated with the project photos were printed. Mini winter olympic games were organised. Mini concerts, finger puppet shows, stage performances were presented. International chess competition was held Several art and sports activities were organised. Nursing home, school for disabled students were visited. With the help of the project activities we were able to; – move the issue to the European dimension – provide opportunities for teachers from partner schools to work closely together and enhance transferability of experiences and expertise – exchange measures and good practices about educational games with each other for tackling the absenteeism and ESL – enable students to learn more about people from different cultures and traditions other than their own – reduce ignorance, suspicion or fear of those who are different from themselves by knowing and understanding each other – enable educators and students become more sensitive to the disadvantaged students – break down barriers where all children will feel valued and can learn through classroom activities and games that gave kids the opportunity to interact with different groups Several art and music activities, workshops which have been added in the project will enable students to built up bridges between diverse groups in classes. We aimed to get the students' attention on environmental issues by using many different types of recycling materials during activities. Such activities, workshop and community services were successful ways for prevention of early school leave. Parent involvement activities that were effectively planned and well implemented will resulted in substantial benefits to children, parents, educators, and the school. The activities and workshops planned with seniors in nursing homes enabled students to understand and respect all the stages of life. Students co-operating in activities with disabled groups raised the awareness level and respect for the others. The school councils had a key role in the development and running the project. Community participation was an important aspect of our project. We aimed to develop entrepreneurship, care of environment, mutual respect, friendships and teamwork skills. Team work and leadership skills will be encouraged through art activities and workshops. Throughout the project children from all schools communicated in English but all children also learned common phrases from the language of each country and had the opportunity to use and build on their own language skills. Teachers were able to observe the teaching and learning activities on the spot during the transnational visits which helped them enrich their teaching methods and techniques. They were able to get information about the different cultures of each other. Teachers became more aware of how projects are run, the expectations and the positive impact on teaching and learning. This project gave teachers the opportunity, time, and space for innovation, teamwork, feedback, self-reflection and evaluation for continued professional development. The project enabled teachers; - be forward thinking - be an eager learner for new teaching methods - be a builder of relationships - be equipped to teach all levels of learners - be able to implement technology