Background: Our international project is created by the cooperation of institutions, in which the primary educational objective is the skill development of talented students. Therefore we focus on the development of creativity, what we plan to achieve with game based learning methods. Aims: Our specific objective is to learn from each other the good practices and methods used in the institutions’ syllabi, so that we can make it possible to develop creative thinking in the 14-19 year old age group. In addition to the basic compenencies we also focus on enhancing of digital, entrepreneurship and foreign language competencies of the students. Further goal is to enable critical thinking, creative problem solving, lateral thinking and increase the effectiveness of self-learning for our students. Our key objective is to strengthen students’ learning motivation. Partners: Our partners are grammar schools, in which demanding talent development is going on, just like in our institution. Among them are two schools we already worked efficiently together in Comenius project. Both the Holstenschule of Neumünster (Germany) and the Deutsches Gymnasium für Nordschleswig of Apenrade (Denmark) welcomed the initiative to take part in a new joint project together once again. The Holsteinschule is an europe school, that takes part in international projects regularly. The Deutsches Gymnasium für Nordschleswig is an institution that prepares the talented students of German minority living in the southern part of Denmark for higher education. Other partners of ours is the Yoan Ekzarh Foreign Language Grammar School of Varna (Bulgaria) and ITE Enrico Tosi (Italy), which operate as DSD school, just as well as the grammar school whose work is supported by our foundation. The effectiveness of our cooperation is ensured by our good personal relations and mutual commitment. Activities and implementation: As our aim is to get to know, adapt and develop each other’s good practices, project meetings play an essential role in our work. During these meetings we present our creativity and game based learning programs to each other (teachers and students). The participating teachers in collaboration with the international student groups present their learning programs in practice too. They test their methods, so that the teachers participating in the program can adapt and develop the results generated during implementation. The activity that cuts across the entire project is the development and testing of learn-supporting playful applications. The subjects involved in project activity are foreign languages, Literature, Mathematics, Science (Biology, Information Technology), Arts and Economics. In order to unite the joint activities we establish a so called International Game Company, whose departments bring together the certain areas of the project, thereby ensures the partners’ responsibility in these areas (development and planning, marketing and distribution, quality assurance and human resources, production). Results: 1. International Game Company, in which each participant takes its part and performs its task. 2. Collection of good practices, made up of learning programs and methods based on creativity developing games. 3. Applications containing learn-supporting games created by students, which can be used effectively for self-learning. 4. Elaboration and implementation of a talent-developing competition based on learning games (Game Day). Effects: As we plan to exchange each other’s good practices, we primary aim to achieve effects among the participating institutions’ students and teachers. Naturally we not only expect to have a strong impact on the participating teachers, but all the colleagues working in the schools, ensured by internal trainings. Since the attitude of teachers has a strong influence on the attitude of students, the mechanism of action of the project will also affect those students, who do not take part directly in it. Through the students’ experiences and changes in their learning habits, the program will have an effect on the parents, as well as on the social status and reputation of the participating schools. Sustainability: By the activities carried out during the program we launch a long-term change of attitude and approach in the institutions concerned, which not only leads to the enrichment of the teachers’ methodological toolbox, but puts the emphasis instead of the learning content on the development and efficiency of thinking abilities and skills.
Background: Our international project is created by the cooperation of institutions, in which the primary educational objective is the skill development of talented students. Therefore we focus on the development of creativity, what we plan to achieve with game based learning methods. Aims: Our specific objective is to learn from each other the good practices and methods used in the institutions’ syllabi, so that we can make it possible to develop creative thinking in the 14-19 year old age group. In addition to the basic compenencies we also focus on enhancing of digital, entrepreneurship and foreign language competencies of the students. Further goal is to enable critical thinking, creative problem solving, lateral thinking and increase the effectiveness of self-learning for our students. Our key objective is to strengthen students’ learning motivation. Partners: Our partners are grammar schools, in which demanding talent development is going on, just like in our institution. Among them are two schools we already worked efficiently together in Comenius project. Both the Holstenschule of Neumünster (Germany) and the Deutsches Gymnasium für Nordschleswig of Apenrade (Denmark) welcomed the initiative to take part in a new joint project together once again. The Holsteinschule is an europe school, that takes part in international projects regularly. The Deutsches Gymnasium für Nordschleswig is an institution that prepares the talented students of German minority living in the southern part of Denmark for higher education. Other partners of ours is the Yoan Ekzarh Foreign Language Grammar School of Varna (Bulgaria) and ITE Enrico Tosi (Italy), which operate as DSD school, just as well as the grammar school whose work is supported by our foundation. The effectiveness of our cooperation is ensured by our good personal relations and mutual commitment. Activities and implementation: As our aim is to get to know, adapt and develop each other’s good practices, project meetings play an essential role in our work. During these meetings we present our creativity and game based learning programs to each other (teachers and students). The participating teachers in collaboration with the international student groups present their learning programs in practice too. They test their methods, so that the teachers participating in the program can adapt and develop the results generated during implementation. The activity that cuts across the entire project is the development and testing of learn-supporting playful applications. The subjects involved in project activity are foreign languages, Literature, Mathematics, Science (Biology, Information Technology), Arts and Economics. In order to unite the joint activities we establish a so called International Game Company, whose departments bring together the certain areas of the project, thereby ensures the partners’ responsibility in these areas (development and planning, marketing and distribution, quality assurance and human resources, production). Results: 1. International Game Company, in which each participant takes its part and performs its task. 2. Collection of good practices, made up of learning programs and methods based on creativity developing games. 3. Applications containing learn-supporting games created by students, which can be used effectively for self-learning. 4. Elaboration and implementation of a talent-developing competition based on learning games (Game Day). Effects: As we plan to exchange each other’s good practices, we primary aim to achieve effects among the participating institutions’ students and teachers. Naturally we not only expect to have a strong impact on the participating teachers, but all the colleagues working in the schools, ensured by internal trainings. Since the attitude of teachers has a strong influence on the attitude of students, the mechanism of action of the project will also affect those students, who do not take part directly in it. Through the students’ experiences and changes in their learning habits, the program will have an effect on the parents, as well as on the social status and reputation of the participating schools. Sustainability: By the activities carried out during the program we launch a long-term change of attitude and approach in the institutions concerned, which not only leads to the enrichment of the teachers’ methodological toolbox, but puts the emphasis instead of the learning content on the development and efficiency of thinking abilities and skills.