This project aims to raise fluency and proficiency in foreign and mother tongue language, both oral and written, using innovative methods of story telling. It is differentiating by outcome so that younger pupils, those with special needs, migrants and those with different learning styles will be able to take part in the project. It will improve basic skills as they communicate with each other using a variety of multi media tools. Fairytales has been chosen as a medium for language learning as all schools use stories as a part of normal teaching, ensuring the project will be easily and fully incorporated in each schools curriculum. There are partners from Germany, Czech Republic, Turkey, Greece, Spain, Poland, Italy and France. All partner schools involved in the project have expertise in different teaching and learning areas and have skills which will be shared with other teachers over the course of three years. The methodology that will be applied in the project is to combine 3 different methods that each in its own way will improve language learning. By implementing them in a rationale order the methods will interact and amplify the childrens learning process. All participating teachers will learn: 1. "Talk for writing". This method helps children to internalise the pattern of language required and develop and improve reading skills. The method enables children to imitate the key language they need for a particular topic orally before they try reading and analysing it. 2. Drama as a way to work with different needs of pupils. “Walking through a story”. 3. “The reading class” is a method to improve reading comprehension. Here 4 basic strategies are used to comprehend a text; Reciprocal Teaching, Transactional Strategies Instruction and Questioning the Author. To understand a text, the idea is that the reader predict, task questions, sort out uncertainties and sum up. Each participating school will implement the first method in the classroom in their native language. Strategies and results will be discussed in the project group before moving on to the next method. The new method will build on the already implemented one and in so complement and develop it. After the third method has been implemented and tried out, the same three methods will be used in the classroom but now in the schools second language. We are planning to arrange a learning activity around ICT and the use of multi media in education. ICT will play a big part in the project. Pupils will make cartoons /e books and videos of themselves drawing telling and performing stories and share them with students from other countries using Skype, social networks and E-Twinning. They will plan, share and compare their work with pupils from different countries. Another teachers training will be for using Montessori method and materials. Montessori pedagogic seems very convenient for the project and partner schools using this type of teaching will present it to the others. The project will use existing methods which are backed up by research to work with language learning. By developing them further and incorporate them in a bigger system, we will develop a model for how to improve language learning in our schools for children with different needs. On top of that every country shares their expertise and teachers will also share current educational research from their country. All pupils will firstly learn to tell a story orally, initially in their mother tongue. They will walk through the story, draw pictures and use actions and drama to tell a story. Pupils will get to know the structure of the story very well using actions in addition to words. They then begin to tell the story in a foreign language, using the same actions to help them. Older pupils transfer the story to print and film, all to be shared on the project and schools website. Pupils share their work and perform with each other. After learning to retell many fairytales, pupils will innovate and write their own stories, sharing on film, in performances and in print, with other pupils and parents. The project will finally produce a joint book of stories. All outcomes will be shared on E-twinning as well as schools and project website. This project will improve language and second language skills acquisition, improve communication in mother tongue language and second language and equip pupils with the skills needed for them to realise their potential and to play a full part in the Europe of the future. Pupils will have increased fluency in their mother tongue and a foreign language, have improved basic skills in ICT, communication, music and writing. Teachers will all have increased confidence, have learned new language teaching skills and long term partnerships between pupils, teachers and families will have developed. Both, pupils and teachers, will gain an understanding and tolerance of other cultures and a deeper understanding of educational systems in Europe.
The project enabled the participants to improve the fluency and proficiency in foreign and mother tongue language, both oral and written, using innovative methods of story telling. A various number of people were able to take part in the project. Teachers, parents as well as students. They improved basic skills as they communicated with each other using a variety of multi media tools and foreign lanuages. Typical Fairytales from all European partner countries have been the basis. All partner schools involved in the project have shared their expertise by giving workshops to the other teachers. The first organisational meeting was in Konya, Turkey in November 2017. The teacher trainings were held as follows: 1. "Talk for writing". This workshop took part in Bucarest, Romania in February 2018. The Romanian, German and Danish teachers showed several methods to help children to internalise the pattern of language required and develop and improve reading and writing skills. Due to foldables, movements, games and challenges the children can be motivated to imitate the key language they need for a particular topic orally before they try reading and analysing it. 2. "ICT and the use of digital media in education". During the meeting in Heralkion, Greece, in May 2018 the Greek, Polish and Turkish teachers taught different media tools to be used in lessons or for preparations. For example: Weebly, Quiver, Beebot, Space 4D. 3. “The benefits of Montessori method” was organised in Stettin, Poland, in November 2018. The German, Polish and Danish teachers gave overviews of materials and methods of teaching after Maria Montessori. 4. "Story mapping and drama for language acquisition" was held in Kopenhagen, Denmark in March 2019. The Greek, Italian and Romanian teachers prepared workshops of using drama in lessons. 5. "A reading class" took part in Francavilla al mare, Italy, in May 2019. The French and Romanian collegues held workshops of several methods to teach reading. Each participating school implemented the most convenient methods in the classroom in their native language, for older students as well in foreign languages. All partners chose typical local fairytales which were shared with the partners. So the different European fairytales spread into other countries. The project work implemented existing methods, developed them further and incorporated them in a bigger system. We developed a model for how to improve language learning in our schools for children with different needs. On top of that every country shared their expertise and teachers also shared current educational researches from their country. All pupils firstly learned to tell a story orally, initially in their mother tongue. They walked through the story, drew pictures and used actions and drama to tell a story. Pupils got to know the structure of the story very well using actions in addition to words. They began to tell the story in a foreign language, using the same actions to help them. Older pupils transfered the story to print and film, all to be shared on the project and schools website. Pupils shared their work and performed with each other using Emails, presentations, letters or videos. Germany, Poland and Romania brought students to some of the mobilities. Due to that experience the children had to communicate in foreign languages, they learned about the different cultures and they visited the schools of the host country. After learning to retell many fairytales, pupils innovated and wrote their own stories, sharing on film, in performances and in print, with other pupils and parents. All outcomes were shared between the partners, on E-twinning as well as schools and project website. This project improved language and second language skills acquisition, communication in mother tongue language and second language and equipped pupils with the skills needed for them to realise their potential and to play a full part in the Europe of the future. Pupils increased fluency in their mother tongue and a foreign language, improved basic skills in ICT, communication, music and writing. Teachers increased confidence, have learned new language teaching skills and long term partnerships between pupils, teachers and families have developed. Both, pupils and teachers, gained an understanding and tolerance of other cultures and a deeper understanding of educational systems in Europe. Unfortunately due to Corona virus the last two meetings in France and Germany could not take place. We used digital tools like E-twinning or online meetings to stay in contact during this time. As the cooperation was very high quality some of the partners (Germany, Romania, Greece, Denmark and Italy) applied for another continuative Erasmus+ project.