The idea of this project comes out from a natural need of all partner institutions to innovate their process of teaching/learning by bringing a new method into practice and improve foreign language competences of students beginning at a very young age. As a tool to achieve these objectives we want to use CLIL /Contents and Language Integrated Learning/. Analysis reveals that bringing CLIL into real lessons faces lots of difficulties: a lack of information, teaching materials, pedagogical materials, missing support or no one to exchange information in the region as there are not many schools using the method, teachers are not prepared enough. Therefore we decided to create a partnership involving schools eager to get ready to teach with CLIL and those willing to share and exchange their experience. The partnership also aims at exploring new ways of using modern technologies such as smartphones, iPods or tablets in CLIL teaching/learning. Each school will directly involve in the project activities 5-6 teachers of different subjects according to their individual needs /Foreign Language, Maths, History, Geography, Civics, Arts, IT, Science, Physical Education, European Citizenship / and a group of 80 students who will be offered CLIL lessons as a new innovative practice according to learning settings recommendations for the 21st century. They will make a detailed analysis of the possibilities of implementation, cooperation between teachers, schools, research of pedagogical materials including rules and regulations. In cooperation with other teachers involved in the project they will test CLIL method in practice, film CLIL lessons, collect teaching materials, verify results. During regular project meetings they will do some job-shadowing, organize workshops and sessions to exchange best practice and experience, assess project activities and its results creating a website with all teaching and pedagogical materials. They will also create new school curricula and implement them into teaching process. Each partner school will present project results in methodological seminars organised by training centres in order to spread international CLIL ideas among teachers in the region to support them to be able to bring CLIL into their schools, as nationwide. As a result we will create a lot of different materials /brochure, collection of CLIL activities, website, school curricula, DVD with filmed lessons, methodology/ which will be accessible to anyone interested in CLIL teaching/learning on the internet or on CD freely distributed to schools. As in most countries CLIL has been at the beginning of its usage, materials can be used as a source for many years. Moreover, results will be spread among teachers so we believe a number of schools daring to launch CLIL lessons will grow .
Hands On CLIL aimed to promote the professional development of educational staff within CLIL and bilingual education, namely by comparing teaching methods in different European countries; develop and increase skills on bilingual education; create educational resources at primary level for bilingual teaching in Science, Arts and Crafts, Music, PE, Citizenship, Geography, with ICT use; develop skills on writing curricula and methodological resources for bilingual education (CLIL); and foster students foreign language skills while learning different topics content, providing the use of foreign language in meaningful and real life situations. The project was developed by four European schools from Portugal, Spain, Slovakia and Turkey, from kindergarten to grade 6. According to the project final evaluation report available at: https://twinspace.etwinning.net/45364/pages/page/359519, it involved 27 teachers from different subjects, 142 pupils and 72 parents. According to the aforementioned report the results/ impact are as follow: - There was an increase of CLIL knowledge for the participant teachers with over 60% of the teachers finding the project very effective, especially if one takes into consideration that at the beginning of the project, according to the Need Analysis undertaken, nearly 60% of the respondents had never employed CLIL methodology in their teaching practice and 74% of the respondents mentioned having no training in CLIL. It is safe to say the project has provided teachers with new strategies and resources for CLIL implementation offering them a variety to choose from and adapt to the groups they are working with bridging the gap of lacking training in this field. Since the project has created a database with Open Educational Resources, the project gains sustainability for further implementation. - More than 50% of the participant pupils consider that learning language and content at the same time is a better way to learn a foreign language as well as school subjects like science, music, arts, etc. It also stands out from pupils’ evaluations the project has made great contributions to help them become available for challenges and to deal with unforeseen situations, skills needed to deal with the 21st Century challenges. It also increased learners' motivation and confidence in both language and the subject taught and raised their awareness of being a European citizen. - As far as parents, they consider Hands On CLIL has produced great impact in terms of foreign language use, motivation for learning and better management of ICT skills, all aims set at the beginning of the project. It is also clear that parents valued real and communicative activities when comes to choose and evaluate the activities with greater learning impact for foreign language use. They also became more engaged into school life. - For the participant Schools it introduced changes into the schools’ curriculum including contents of the project, enriching their schools’ offer with higher standards and a bigger interest around the school in the local community, enhancing cooperation amongst headmaster, teachers and parents as well as other local educational institutions as well as national stakeholders. The project followed a Strategic Action Plan which identified a sequence of steps to be completed, such as planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and dissemination. The final products are published in the project's eTwinning TwinSpace - https://twinspace.etwinning.net/45364/home, Website - https://handsonclil.weebly.com/ and Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/handsonclil/. It is safe to state the activities were fully accomplished during the project’s lifecycle: (1) A needs analysis questionnaire was applied, and the data stood for the preparation of the CLIL Tool Kit, the workshops and the lesson plans (CLIL pathways modules). (2) A leaflet was prepared containing its objectives and the project’s activities, used as an institutional tool to disseminate the project. (3) Logo competition. (4) Hands On CLIL E+ corner. (5) Creation and maintenance of the project’s eTwinning platform, website and Facebook page, integrated in the dissemination plan and as part of the OER and Exchange of Good Practices. (6) A state-of-the-art report about the use of CLIL Methodology in Primary Schools in each involved country. (7) eTwinning Live Events to share and present the CLIL Tool Kit Guide as well as CLIL materials. (8) CLIL Pathways were created into modules organised around a lesson(s) template, a pre and post-test and resources: Science, Arts & Crafts, P.E., Music, Geography, Citizenship, Lower Primary and Kindergarten. (9) CLIL lessons filmed. (10) Live Streaming CLIL lessons implemented. (11) Europe Day celebrations. (12) Online sessions to keep track of the Project Action Plan. (13) Project Magazine Nr.1, Nr. 2. (14) Good Practices Catalogue. (15) Learning/teaching/training activities foreseen in the application.