“Learning is what takes place when you engage with the world around you”, this is the motto of a project which has been inspired by two main ideas: 1. When we talk about heritage learning we mean “learning through heritage”, which means using heritage to achieve some sort of learning experience, including civic and communicative competences. 2. We can learn by doing things which meet the needs of our communities. That means that we can learn and offer a service at the same time. This project will consist of a school exchange partnership aimed to support the development, transfer and/or implementation of the “Learning through service” method in the partner schools around the topic of “heritage”. The partner schools will carry out a “learning through service” project related to heritage. During the process, they will develop joint initiatives promoting cooperation and exchanges of good practices in every step of the project. By doing this, the project will increase the partners’ capacity to operate at a transnational level and share and confront ideas, practices and methods. Students and staff will also have the opportunity of reflecting on our common heritage as European citizens at the same time that they get involved in a project which meets the needs of their communities.Thanks to this project the participant schools will gain a deeper understanding of European heritage and students will find new ways to become active, useful members of their communities, able to detect problems and offer solutions. Objectives: - To promote the values of inclusion and tolerance - To carry out learning activities aimed at enhancing the skills and competences as well as offering a service. - To gain a deeper understanding of our common heritage as European citizens as well as develop a deeper understanding of the diversity of European cultures and languages. - To promote a sense of belonging to the community. - To foster a proactive problem-solving attitude in young people regarding the problems of their communities - To promote students’ engagement (especially of the most reluctant) in school activities by applying the “learning through service” approach as a new teaching and learning methodology. - To encourage the participation of young people in democratic life - To offer cooperation opportunities among students and staff from different countries, cultures and backgrounds - To foster multilingualism - To foster multiculturalism Participants: About 100 students and 35 teachers of the following Schools Donau-Gymnasium Kelheim (Germany) IES Selgas (Spain), Vastbergaskolan AB (Sweden) and Escola Básica e Secundaria da Calheta (Portugal). Different associations in each country will cooperate with schools for developing the service-learning. The methodology is active, cooperative and essentially project-based, working on concrete needs with local communities and associations of all Europe. On the other hand, it is known that foreign languages have a prominent role among the skills that will help equip people better for the labour market and make the most of available opportunities. In fact, the EU has set the goal that every citizen should have the opportunity to acquire at least two foreign languages, from an early age. This project would also contribute decisively to the development of the communication competence in foreign languages.
The partnership formed by Donau-Gymnasium Kelheim (Germany), Vastbergaskolan AB (Stockholm, Sweden), Escola Básica e Secundária da Calheta (Madeira, Portugal) and IES Selgas as general coordinator (Asturias, Spain), taking into account the needs detected at each school, such as: a. Need to improve the students’ language skills in a foreign language (English). b. Need to improve basic competences: civic, active citizenship, communication skills, entrepreneurship, ICT, etc. c. Need to promote sensitivity for our heritage and for working at a European/transnational level. d. Need to offer students (especially those in less fortunate circumstances) and teachers the possibility to work at a European/transnational level. e. Need to offer students facing educational obstacles or difficult personal situations the possibility to take part in a project outside the official curriculum, using a new methodological approach. created this project that was based on these priorities: foster sensitivity for heritage by using the Learning Through Service methodological approach (LTS), which would give the partnership the possibility to offer a real service to the communities and allow students (including those in less fortunate circumstances) to learn during its development in a new way, different to the traditional used in the classroom. During its implementation, the following objectives, among others, were achieved: 1. The European dimension in the participating schools was strengthened by knowing other schools and spending working and leisure time with students and staff from other countries in the EU 2. The values of inclusion and tolerance were promoted by organising mobility activities for students. 3. All the learning activities planned, which aimed at enhancing the skills and competences as well as offering a service were carried out. 4. Everyone involved, teachers and students, gained a deeper understanding of our common heritage as European citizens and of the diversity of European cultures and languages. 5. A sense of belonging to the community was promoted. 6. A proactive-solving attitude in young people regarding the problems of their communities was fostered. 7. Students’ engagement (especially of the most reluctant) in learning activities was promoted by applying the Learning Through Service approach as a new teaching and learning methodology. 8. The participation of young people in democratic life was encouraged. 9. Cooperation and opportunities among students and staff from different countries, cultures and backgrounds was offered. 10. Multilingualism and Multiculturalism was fostered. The achievement of those objectives can be seen in the following results: a. The services offered to the communities: • Spain: an awareness campaign about plastic pollution of our seas that resulted in a beach clean-up. • Germany: an experience map for young people for the city of Regensburg as well as a guided tour of the city in the app Action Bound. • Sweden: a website of the area around the Swedish school, Hägersten. • Portugal: a virtual guided visit to the Mudas Museum in Calheta. The original idea was to offer real guided visits, but COVID-19 made it impossible. b. The different videos, presentations, brochures, maps, websites, etc. made by students, which allowed them to develop their basic competences. c. Other activities carried out at the same time that the main ones: artworks about the most important heritage sites in each country; showcases about the partnership in each school to make everyone aware of the work being carried out; Christmas postcards based on the heritage of each country/region, etc. The Project is finished but each school will use all the things learnt to keep working in the same direction: make students learn but help others at the same time. Besides, all the main results will remain in time for others to use.