The project aims to expand the impact of successfully finished Erasmus+ KA2 project „REF: Reading with Ease and Fun“ by further implementation of the developed materials, their translation/adaptation for the needs of the newly involved partner countries, adding new methods/approaches and materials, training teachers and SEN staff increasing their professional competences. By applying newly acquired knowledge and skills, teachers will be able to provide more effective support to pupils with reading difficulties, and to involve them in various activities along with their peers, provoking their interest in books and their motivation to read. The results of Survey among teachers, students (7-11 y/o) and their parents, conducted within REF1 and the conclusions made in the Need analysis show that app. 25% of children have poor or insufficient reading skills which raises concern and requires taking measures to change the situation; more than 30% activities that exclude reading/writing (mainly computer games and TV);42% of interviewed children shared they find reading “boring and/or difficult”, requesting “too much time and/or efforts”. Activities organized by schools are not enough, or not motivating enough for young students. Collaboration between the school and the family in the means of forming good reading habits is not in satisfactory level. The training materials developed within REF1 were found very useful and easily applicable by teachers in their every-day work. Through active involvement of children, teachers and parents in reading activities that are different from traditional didactics, it was possible to improve reading skills, self-confidence and motivation to read among young students. Involvement of four new partners/countries will bring new ideas, opportunity for participants to learn and then implement new approaches and methods in their work with students. Children who struggle to learn to read are often excluded from the classroom and extra-curriculum reading-related activities because of their poor reading skills. Early identification of the problem, proper instructions from the teachers, adequate help from the SEN staff, and endless support from family members are crucial for children’s motivation, as well as the opportunity for them to be involved in various reading-related activities together with their peers. The problem this project addresses is of great importance not only in the partner countries, but for many others outside the partnership, because it affects thousands of pupils, their teachers and families, the supporting staff – not only academically, but also in emotional, behavioural and social aspects. As far as the materials developed within this Partnership will be in nine languages (eight partner languages and English) they will be available to much wider audience beyond the partner countries, which will considerably increase the impact of the project results at European level, moreover the topic in question is crucial for almost everybody. All resources produced by the partners will stay available (via project FB page, partners’ websites, YouTube Channel) even after the end of the project period for every interested user. The consortium is made up of institutions from 8 European countries: Bulgaria, Latvia, Turkey, Portugal, Romania, Greece, Lithuania and Slovenia. Although different in their nature and structure (NGO, University, Educational authorities, and mainstream schools) they all have large experience, abilities and competences in the field of special education and teaching methodology in general, and in literacy acquisition particularly. This inter-institutional transnational cooperation facilitates the integration of novel insights into the work related to literacy acquisition, reading and writing difficulties, SEN support, interactive teaching methods and inclusive education in the partner countries. The project partners are equipped with the skills, expertise and competence required in order the project aims to be achieved at the highest level.
By implementing the project partners wanted to achieve results that are not easily measurable but very important in the long-term perspective: • To improve teachers and SEN staff’s professional competences through joint staff teaching/training activities and follow up local seminars • To provoke teachers to seek new innovative approaches and to implement them • To increase children’s interest and motivation to read; • To improve reading skills, self-esteem and better integration of students with reading difficulties in their learning environment; • To increase awareness of the importance of interaction between all participants in the educational process; • To develop a national and international network of specialists and teachers who work together to identify resources and find ways for providing better support to pupils with reading/writing difficulties and this way giving them a chance to reveal their full potential • To improve the quality of services provided by the partner institutions through sharing knowledge, experience and good practices with colleagues from other countries and through implementation of the newly gained knowledge and skills in their every-day work.
The problem REF2 project addressed is of great importance, as it affects thousands of pupils, their teachers and families,the supporting staff–not only academically,but in emotional,behavioural and social aspects Children struggling to learn to read are often excluded from the reading-related activities due to their poor reading skills.They have low level of comprehension,don’t find reading interesting,and easily get demotivated .Early identification of the problem, proper instructions from teachers,adequate help from SEN staff,and endless support from the family are crucial for children’s success.Involving these children in various reading-related activities together with their peers could greatly help to keep their motivation “alive” From the other side,materials developed in previous REF project were found very useful and easily applicable in teachers’ every-day work.Involvement of 4 new partners/countries brought new ideas,opportunity for participating institutions/organisations to increase the professional skills of their staff and the quality of their work.The project gave teachers an opportunity to share with other professionals,to consolidate and to improve services in the classroom through an active exchange of ideas.