CONTEXT/BACKGROUND Our project is based on the shared value of physical activities and active lifestyle which is the only way to lifelong fitness and good health. We want to discover and exchange new innovative ways of curricular and extracurricular physical activities. OBJECTIVES •to raise the profile of Physical Education (P.E.) and active lifestyle in the 5 partner schools; •for students: to create fun and pleasure through physical activities; to promote health and well-being for lifelong learning; to encourage social inclusion and develop social competence; to increase their ability to work in multicultural groups, positive attitude towards European projects and tolerance towards different cultures; •For schools and teachers: to build a network; to exchange good practices; to find new innovative methods to enhance students’ physical, personal, intellectual and social competencies in extra-curricular activities. NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS • 5 European secondary schools in the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania, which all have extra-curricular sports programs and are ready to learn new ones; • 15 teachers in the given schools, most of them P.E. teachers; • 100 - 125 students (100 of them taking part in mobilities), 15-16 years old, 23 of them with fewer opportunities. DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES 1. Setting up project management, distributing tasks and reponsibilities; 2. Selecting students, assessing their physical, social and communication skills, organising after-school workshops for them; 3. Creating project website, TwinSpace and social media groups as online forum for communication and dissemination; 4. Organising short term student exchanges, preparing students and families, making practical arrangements •Show your talent – individual and group work – Hungary •Winter sports and Snow day – Latvia; •Sport and environment - Lithuania; •Not virtual but real life - Olympic Games and fair play– the Czech Republic; •Non-formal sport activities built into P.E. curriculum – Can it be done? – Greece. 5. Monitoring, evaluating and disseminating results; 6. Editing and subtitling video guide and teacher’s manual as final product to project website and eTwinning; 7. Final transnational project meeting at the coordinator school; 8. Final monitoring, evaluating and disseminating results by each partner, indicators, assessing skills enhanced, measuring final satisfaction of teachers and students. METHODOLOGY Activity and competence based, non formal methods used: •AT AFTER-SCHOOL WORKSHOPS FOR STUDENTS: group and pair work, presentations, studying partner schools and countries – history, geography, people, habits, languages, etc., monitoring and evaluating progress, online surveys; •AT STUDENT EXCHANGES: ’learning by doing’ - transnational group or pair work, peer to peer learning; interactive workshops, presentations, discussions, games, intercultural learning, monitoring and evaluating progress (Europasses), evaluation forms, etc. •AT FINAL PROJECT MEETING: presentations, reports, analysis, discussions, monitoring and evaluating progress, evaluation forms, surveys. MAIN PRODUCTS •project website; •teacher’s manual and video guide – uploaded to project website, eTwinning with free access for the public. IMPACT ON PARTNER SCHOOLS •the project will enhance their extracurricular physical education programs with innovative, non formal, project- and activity based methods. IMPACT ON PARTICIPATING TEACHERS •the project will contribute to the development of their motivation, attitude, professional skills and methods, English and ICT competences, and help to prevent professional burnout. IMPACT ON PARTICIPATING STUDENTS •participating students will find school more attractive and their academic performance will improve, while they learn and enjoy new forms of physical activities; •the inclusion of students with fewer opportunities in the project will help their social integration. LONG TERM BENEFITS •students of the partner schools will have a more active, healthy lifestyle leading to lifelong fitness.
CONTEXT/BACKGROUND Physical Education can teach students how to keep fit and healthy life long through an active lifestyle. There were 5 European general secondary schools involved in the project – from the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania, which all had their extra-curricular programs for physical activities. OBJECTIVES The main objective was to raise the profile of Physical Education and promote outdoor sports and healthy, active lifestyle in the 5 partner schools. For students we wanted to create fun and pleasure through physical activities; promote health and well-being for lifelong learning; encourage social inclusion and develop social competence. For schools and teachers our aim was to build a network; exchange good practices; enhance curricular and extra-curricular physical activities and develop the professional skills of PE teachers by learning new methods. Our other goal was to make students explore challenging situations to increase their knowledge, gain skills and develop understanding about themselves, their mates and society. NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS The partners agreed on the selection process of students and recruited 15-18 year olds whose English was at least B1 level. They had to write an application letter in English. We encouraged the participation of students with fewer opportunities. Based on these criteria, each partner selected 20-25 participants, who worked in the project during the whole period. Some students had experience with international projects, so they could help the others. This way, peer to peer teaching/learning was achieved. DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES 1. Preparation – project management set up, students selected, their competences assessed and project workshops held in each school, while the project website was created and maintained by the coordinator school: https://peals.poli.hu/. 2. Student exchange No 1 - Budapest, Hungary, October 2018: https://poli.hu/wp/2018/10/20/peals-erasmus-kick-off-meeting-budapest/. https://peals.poli.hu/category/student-exchanges/student-exchanges-hungary/ We showed our good practices and took part in these activities together: biking tours and the Gym Party where every group could demonstrate their athletic skills in the ‘Talent Show’. 3. Student exchange No 2 - Madona, Latvia, February 2019: https://poli.hu/wp/2019/03/09/lettorszagban-jartunk-a-peals-erasmus-projekttel/ https://peals.poli.hu/category/student-exchanges/student-exchanges-latvia/ Our main activities were winter sports: cross-country skiing and biathlon, ice skating and bob sledding. 4. Student exchange No 3 - Gelvonai, Lithuania, May 2019: PEALS Erasmus+ litvániai diákcsere 2019.05.13-17. Közgazdasági Politechnikum https://peals.poli.hu/category/student-exchanges/student-exchanges-lithuania/ We focused on water sports, outdoors games and excursions. 5. Student exchange No 4 – Aigiou, Greece, September 2019: PEALS Erasmus+ görögországi diákcsere - Közgazdasági Politechnikum https://peals.poli.hu/category/student-exchanges/student-exchanges-greece/ It was a fantastic experience to visit the home country of the Olympic Games and concentrate on olympic sports activities. 6. Student exchange No 5 – Nove Strasec, Czech Republic, April 2021: P.E.A.L.S. online cseh projekttalálkozó - Közgazdasági Politechnikum https://peals.poli.hu/category/student-exchanges/student-exchanges-czech-republic/ It was first planned for April 2020 but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, it took place virtually, which was more difficult than expected but it was fun for student participants. 7. Joint staff training - Nove Strasec, Czech Republic, June 2021: https://poli.hu/wp/2021/06/30/projektzaro-partnertalalkozo-csehorszagban/ https://peals.poli.hu/category/student-exchanges/staff-training-czech-republic-24-26-june-2021/ Teachers shared ideas and experiences of digital teaching in PE during COVID-19: the difficulties of online learning, PE lessons, different methods and possibilities of healthy life-style under pandemic restrictions. RESULTS We have developed the PE curriculum and the professional skills of P.E. teachers: shared good practices, examined how to include them into partners’ P.E. programs, concentrating on teamwork in competitions and other health-related activities. Main products - the project website, a Teachers’ Manual and video guide, uploaded to the website with free access for the public. LONG TERM BENEFITS The project has promoted the health and wellbeing of students achieved by sports activities which has become even more important due to the pandemic. New innovative educational methods have been shared and introduced by partners. One of the 5 partner schools has been involved in a new Erasmus+ project of Közgazdasági Politechnikum in November 2020.