Learning is a vital ability of human beings especially in teenagers and the range of 12-15 is critical in their future as professionals. Teachers can create an environment to support learning, but in this case, the student should take the active role. Student’s motivation and compromise are the key points in learning process. Teacher’s work does not matter, if the student does not work, he or she does not learn. On the other side, transnational learning is another important point in motivation that these kind of projects provide. We understand that short-term exchange activities are essential in the project but it is also necessary a close contact during all the project life. In this sense, the use of technology can definitely help us to achieve active implication of students in different countries along the project. As a result of this, this project needs to be carried out transnationally. Our partnership includes five schools from Spain, Italy, Greece, Latvia and Poland and it helps to promote the international dimension of our schools. PREPARATION Selection of partners and writing the project was a very enriching experience. All the partners contributed to the project and their strengths were reflected in the final project submitted to the National Agency. As a result of this, the project was born. Our partnership includes five schools from Spain, Italy, Greece, Latvia and Poland and it helps to promote the international dimension of our schools, the use of technology and focus on five areas: Maths, Science, Arts, Sports and Culture Heritage. The key point in achieving the main goals was the methodology we were going to use for the activities reflected in practical guides. These methodologies are: Gamification and cooperative learning in a context of open space technology (OST). ONCE APPROVED Training The first task essential to develop the project was the training. It was carried out as planned in Alicante. Expert Professor Fran Gallego was the one guiding how to approach gamification. The Italian teachers were in charge of cooperative learning. Gamification turned out to be a deep field and we decided to plan gamified activities along the project. Cooperative learning seemed easier to apply during mobilities. The activities proposed were: - Challenging, funny and interconnected. - Suitable to work in teams and using ICTs - English as the main language but respecting local languages. - Showing the culture and heritage connected to each area. Besides, during this training meeting we decided to focus on five areas in each of the meetings. In the end, this decision was essential to achieve the goals of the project. Also the etwinning workspace and web of the project were started. Meetings are the link: Arts on Greece, Sports in Poland and Maths in Latvia (two meetings were cancelled due to COVID-19). As each of the meetings was intended to be as an Olympics, in the time between, each partner organized local activities to select students. The selection method of each school was public and fair and included several points to make inclusion possible. Family were always informed about the different aspects of the project and in particular about selection criteria. MEETINGS Each of the meetings was organized following mainly safety conditions for all the participants, both students and teachers. Before each of the meetings students filled a survey with likes, dislikes and other preferences to make matching easier. Students were hosted in families, making the cultural side more attractive. Also they had to practice their English skills. After each of the meeting, students were asked to fill in a survey and the results were always more than satisfactory. Regarding activities, teachers could do job shadowing in each school and each host school designed activities following the template agreed. As usual, this was the best part of the project but in this case, there were no incidences, connections among students persist nowadays. From a methodology point of view, we had some problems applying scape rooms or gamified activities but team work worked fine in local treasures and activites. They were always qualified by teachers and students as excellent. COVID In our second year, just a few days before the state of alarm, the covid-19 virus made impossible to execute meetings in Italy and in Spain. On the bad side, it was quite disappointing for both teachers and students. In the case of teachers, because we were refining our techniques in methodologies. In the case of students, because they were expecting to join, to discover the Erasmus spirit and learn with a different approach some of the subjects. We asked for one-year extension but it was very difficult to organize something physical. All partners discussed about the possibility of doing virtual mobilities but there were problems because some of the students involved had left schools, others were in higher level and they had no time. So, in the end, we could not organize anything to put a brilliant end to a project that had almost a perfect start. IMPACT Although EUTEAMS finished without two of the mobilities, the main goals of the project have been achieved. The guides were created. It includes activities from all the subjects. Besides, about methodologies, the number of teachers in school applying gamification, studying English or interested in new methodologies has increased. Regarding students, most of the participants have chosen Scientific branch in high school. The engaging activities have changed their attitude towards Maths or Science and raised their self-confidence. Families have also pointed out that there is a before and after they took part in the project. In general, families and students are frequently asking about if EUTEAMS will restart once COVID disappears. Even many students in the area also choose our schools because we take part in Erasmus+ projects. Although the pandemic had an effect in the project, the real impact was achieved and persists in time.
Learning is a vital ability of human beings especially in teenagers and the range of 12-15 is critical in their future as professionals. Teachers can create an environment to support learning, but in this case, the student should take the active role. Student’s motivation and compromise are the key points in learning process. Teacher’s work does not matter, if the student does not work, he or she does not learn. On the other side, transnational learning is another important point in motivation that these kind of projects provide. We understand that short-term exchange activities are essential in the project but it is also necessary a close contact during all the project life. In this sense, the use of technology can definitely help us to achieve active implication of students in different countries along the project. As a result of this, this project needs to be carried out transnationally. Our partnership includes five schools from Spain, Italy, Greece, Latvia and Poland and it helps to promote the international dimension of our schools. We have decided to focus the project on five areas: Maths, Science, Arts, Sports and Culture Heritage. Each of these skills is accurately selected taking into account the partners’ needs, background and what they especially can offer in terms of inclusion and emotions. In this sense, Arts is the best way to allow students to express emotions, creativity and the possibility to know and appreciate different cultures around Europe. Sports, on the other side, is well-known as a way to foster inclusion and equal opportunities as well as a healthy life style. It is also linked to fair play in competition that we like to promote and Sports is another way to link easily with society and external entities that are already collaborating with the school. Being Greece and Italy in our partnership, we will look into their ancient Cultural Heritage to understand better our common EU background. Finally, we have selected two traditional competences, key competences in the future of students: Maths and Science. We would like EU TEAM project to have a therapeutic aspect too: many students are very stressed by Maths or Science lessons. The key point in achieving the main goals is the methodology we are going to use for the activities reflected in two practical guides. We propose two methodologies: - Gamification: we propose a structure gamification because it implies using videogame elements but activities are not game-based. The correct application of the videogames principles can have a strong impact, becoming a transforming force together with other learning methodologies. In all the exchanges there will be transnational competitions with the Olympic spirit. - Cooperative learning in a context of open space technology (OST): Our aim is to show that in small groups students can learn and cooperate regardless of the linguistic and cultural differences or obstacles. They will be pushed to progressively dismiss their individualistic behaviour and enjoy the process of investigating, discovering, elaborating and creating together with their own schoolmates and international peers. Therefore, activities proposed will be: - Challenging, funny and interconnected. - Suitable to work in teams and using ICTs - English as the main language but respecting minority languages as Valencian, Italian, Greek, Polish or Latvian. Students will create and update along the project their Europass. - Showing the culture and heritage connected to each area. The engaging activities are supposed to change their attitude towards Maths or Science and raise their self-confidence. We also hope that cooperative learning and teamwork enhancing activities in EU TEAM project will develop our students' social skills. Active participation in the project will be a beneficial alternative to the time spent online. The real impact is to apply the two methodologies in a real learning environment when the project finishes, in this sense it is essential: - The evaluation we do of the whole project but mainly activities during the selection and short-term exchanges. - The two practical guides we will design (gamification and activities) using open license and available and free to everyone. Finally, it should be emphasized that to guarantee the success of the project we have decided to: - Start contacts like the Italian partner has already done with local authorities to support the project. - Organize a teacher training activity in gamification and cooperative learning. - Organize five exchange activities with students, one for each topic trying to reflect the interconnection of all the fields selected - Agree in safety conditions for all the participants. - Allow teachers to do job shadowing in each school. - Organize regular local and transnational meetings using ICT tools (email, videoconference, whatsapp, Google Drive) and also a coordinating meeting in September 2019. - Set Etwinning project and blog.