The partners, following the results of the OECD-PISA tests, are aware of the low performance of students in general. They have to face the same difficulties which affect students and teachers in mixed-ability classes. Traditional teaching methods often do not offer satisfactory solutions to bridge the gaps among different groups and meet the needs of all learners. New methodologies and strategies to engage students and encourage their participation should be implemented, also by keeping up with the changes in technology. This project represents a tool kit for striking a balance between academic knowledge and practical learning. To tackle the issues, we agree on the following main objectives: - to improve the schools’ approaches and teaching methods in key competences education by sharing good practices - to increase children’s motivation for learning by using technology regularly - to improve teachers’ skills in providing the appropriate, individualized education for children of different learning abilities, social and ethnic backgrounds - to achieve better learning outcomes for all pupils in a long-term perspective - to promote intercultural competencies and knowledge Our project will bring students and teachers together from seven partner countries: Croatia (coordinator), Romania, Italy, UK, Portugal, Cyprus and Poland. The planned activities include: -learning and teaching about Literacy, Numeracy, Celebrations, Promoting Regions -development of a Digital Competencies Guide for teachers -active participation in a number of classes of different subjects. -learning the languages of the partners (multilingualism) and their cultural heritage METHODOLOGY: The schools will work in parallel applying new approaches to improve basic skills. It is pupil and teacher-oriented; it foresees “learning by doing” instead of traditional lessons, task-based and formal/informal learning, transversal and life skills contribution, practice of innovative methods of teaching: use of reality, eTools and Media, blended learning, group work and peer work, with care of mixing different learning levels. 4 LTTAs will give pupils and teachers the opportunity to work together at transnational level, improve key competencies and develop teaching competence. There will be intensive training courses held by some teachers experts in ICT specific programs and Media. RESULTS Qualitative: -improving pupils abilities to apply knowledge to practice -enhancing their key and social competences and emotional maturity -broadening knowledge about the European regions -developing life and transversal skills -enhancing teachers’ professional development Quantitative: Creation of a pack of materials and guidance on learning/teaching through practice in digital/paper work. Extra value: knowledge and promotion of the 7 regions for other groups. Collection of Literacy activities: I.T. writing Traditions and legends from the 7 countries Collection of Numeracy Activities: I.T. counting Board games - New games – Outdoor games – Coding games Collection of Celebrations: International Day for Tolerance - International Day of People with Disabilities -Holocaust Memorial Day - Book Day -Earth Day - Europe Day - A local Day Collection of Promoting the Regions Tourist guide (brochure), Video tutorial: itineraries of interest - 4 Seasons in 7 regions’ interactive Google calendar - Regional specialities Digital Competencies Guide – a common teachers cooperation result I.T.Learning in practice: 2 bulletins I.T. Teaching in practice: a compilation of lesson plans Project website including: surveys’ results, multimedia presentations, pupils’ and teachers’ reports, photo coverage of events/activities Newsletter, Twinspace, Facebook page and wikispaces platform We expect the project to have impact on pupils, teachers, parents and other stakeholders at local/regional/national/transnational level. Pupils will gain knowledge about the regions and learn how to make school learning applicable to their everyday lives. By working together with their European peers they will improve collaborative skills and get used to more flexibility which is so needed in a globalized world. All the partner schools will offer the pupils higher level of education based on European cooperation and training experience. The local communities will realize their regions’ potential, which can result in undertaking common initiatives designed to address the problem of unemployment. All the activities and their results will constantly be communicated to the local press, respective stakeholders and students’ parents. POTENTIAL LONG-TERM BENEFITS: Pupils take responsibility for their lives and future; they are better achievers at further levels of education; early-school leaving risk is decreased; the quality of education system is improved; the Digital Guide is a tool available for teachers; the tourist guide and the video tutorial are useful tools for a wider community.
Traditional teaching methods often do not offer satisfactory solutions to bridge the gaps among different groups and meet the needs of all learners. New methodologies and strategies to engage pupils and encourage their participation should be implemented, also by keeping up with the changes in technology. To tackle the issues, the following main objectives were met: - the schools’ approaches and teaching methods in key competences education by sharing good practices have been improved; - the children’s motivation for learning by using technology regularly have been increased; - the teachers’ skills in providing the appropriate, individualized education for children of different learning abilities, social and ethnic backgrounds have been improved; - better learning outcomes for all pupils from a long-term perspective have been achieved; - intercultural competencies and knowledge have been promoted. Our project brought together pupils and teachers from seven partner countries: Croatia (coordinator), Romania, Italy, UK, Portugal, Cyprus and Poland. The planned activities included: - learning and teaching about literacy, numeracy, celebrations, promoting regions; - development of a Digital Competencies Guide for teachers; - active participation in a number of classes of different subjects; - learning the languages of the partners (multilingualism) and their cultural heritage. The schools worked in parallel applying new approaches to improve basic skills. The methodology was pupil and teacher-oriented; foreseeing “learning by doing” instead of traditional lessons. Task-based, formal and informal learning strategies were used, which helped build transversal and life skills. Innovative methods of teaching were practised: use of reality, eTools and media, group work and peer work, with the care of mixing different learning levels. Three transnational meetings were held (Croatia – the beginning of the project; Italy – after the first school year; Poland – end of the project). 54 teachers took part in them. Also, four Learning, teaching and training activity meetings (LTTAs) were held: two Short-termed joint staff training events (in Portugal and Romania) and two Short-termed exchanges of groups of pupils (in the UK and Cyprus). 100 participants (64 teachers and 36 pupils) took part in them. The evaluation results show that after LTTAs the teachers have become more confident at using English as a foreign language (67% refers to Portugal, 72% UK, 62% Romania and 78% Cyprus). All teachers expanded their knowledge about the host countries and other partner countries, building their intercultural awareness. After LTTA in Portugal, all teachers became more confident at using ICT in their teaching (67% in Romania, 78% Cyprus). Through observations of lessons and other activities included in the programmes of the LTTAs, most teachers enriched their experience with new teaching ideas and said they would use them later in their classes (83% in Portugal, 71% UK, 81% Romania, 78% Cyprus). After LTTAs with pupils, most of the pupils also became more confident at using English as a foreign language (78% both the UK and Cyprus). All pupils expanded their knowledge about the host countries and other partner countries, raising their intercultural awareness. After LTTAs in the UK and Cyprus, 78% of pupils felt more confident at giving a presentation in front of the audience. The pupils’ abilities to apply knowledge to practice were strengthened; their key and social competences and emotional maturity were enhanced; life and transversal skills were developed; the teachers’ professional development was enhanced and the knowledge of both pupils and teachers about the European regions was broadened. Next, our project resulted in creating a pack of materials and guidance on learning/teaching through practice: collections of literacy and numeracy activities, collections of celebrations and promoting the regions, a guide for teachers, containing lesson plans and worksheets in the fields of literacy, numeracy, technology and regions, project website, 4 Newsletters (one per each project stage of six months), Twinspace for 3 eTwinning projects, Facebook Group. The results, evaluation and other relevant data are available on on our project website: https://brankalamza.wixsite.com/innovate-together. The approximate number of pupils at all schools is 3600. Initially, it was decided to involve at least four classes at large schools (Portugal, Italy, Poland, Croatia) and all classes at smaller schools (Romania, UK, Cyprus). Approximately, there were 1000 pupils and 50 teachers directly involved in project activities, as target groups, while the number of people who indirectly benefitted from the project is approximately 12000 (other pupils and teachers from partner schools and other schools, parents, school boards, local and national institutions).