The countries involved in the project Let's be creative and learn with art are: Slovenia, Spain, Romania, Portugal and Greece, and the aim is to help develop, both in students and especially in teachers, content based learning strategies through a creative and active use of ART in all its forms. Our aim is based on the identification of similar problems and needs arising from the 5 schools involved, namely there is a growing discontent in schooling due to ineffective teaching methods and knowledge based solely on factual transmission of contents. As attested by questionnaires made by students and headmasters’ lesson observations, traditional teaching methods still prevail in the classroom: teachers present the content according to the curriculum and thus, students are mostly listeners not generally active in the learning process. The results of grading show that students know many facts, but have lower grades in tasks that require useful knowledge (connecting information, anticipation, analysis, synthesis). At this point only 10 % of teachers use teaching methods connected with ART and active teaching methods. Students described that an ideal day in school would be to use interactive technology, learn outside the classrooms and work on projects with emphasis on theatre, music and creative movement. We will try to make this a reality benefitting to students, teachers and the learning process. In order to overcome the shortcomings identified in the questionnaire, the project Let's be creative and learn with art will be focused on improving teaching methods and introducing teaching through ARTS. In our project, priority will be given to strengthening the profiles of the teaching professions which will increase the students’ motivation for learning and consequently their achievements in knowledge. We will raise the understanding of social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity by promoting inclusion and cooperation of people with different abilities and learning styles. Six international exchanges will be carried out in this project, one for teachers and the rest for students. We have already found areas in which we can cooperate (theatre, dance, singing, using ICT) and emphasized those that can be strengthen with the help of external institutions (experiments, teaching children with disabilities, art and music therapy). With cooperative activities, exchanging teaching practice, workshops and mobilities we will improve teaching competences in communicational, collaborative and ICT areas. Activities will include the use of effective teaching methods with art included, lesson observations, useful workshops, visits to learning institutions, the making of applications, public video guides, activities to encourage peer communication and creativity among teachers, headmasters and students. We will aim towards an encouraging environment for teachers and students with headmasters’ aid. We will achieve a higher quality by implementing new seminars for teachers, based on new teaching methods with art included, job shadowing, introducing project work into regular lessons in all classes, modernized extracurricular activities and an upgraded work plan for talented students and students with disabilities. With developing new art based teaching methods the teaching career will become more attractive and diverse which will increase motivation and satisfaction in the teachers’ daily work. Teachers will improve their annual teaching and lessons planning with at least 20 % of new methods involved. All prepared lesson plans and video material will be shared in an open eTwinning project and on public channel or on occasional international teachers’ conferences. At the end of each mobility we will prepare a public show, where we will show our best outcomes. We will also prepare a seminar for teachers from other schools in which we will present the best teaching methods based on art. With different teaching methods and other project activities we will influence on higher creativity in students, increase their learning motivation and enable success and higher knowledge. Students will make their own Portfolio that will help them change and improve their learning habbits and raise the responsibility for their actions. At the end of the project we will have a public platform with good teaching and learning examples for teachers and students, headmasters' guide for motivating and supportive school environment. A questionnaire at the end of the project, an improved school and teachers annual plan, results of national tests and the students' portfolio will show improvement at the end of the project. All partners of the project are highly motivated for cooperative work in this project. We are aware of the current school situation and prepared to make changes that will bring satisfaction and higher results into our daily work and for our students. Let's be creative, learn with art and make changes today.
The countries that participated in the Let's be creative and learn with art project are: Slovenia, Spain, Romania, Portugal and Greece, and the goal was to help develop, both for students and especially for teachers, substantive learning strategies through creative and active use ART in all forms. Our goal was based on the identification of similar problems and needs arising from the 5 participating schools, namely the growing dissatisfaction in education due to ineffective teaching methods and knowledge based only on the physical transfer of content. As confirmed by the questionnaires filled in by the students and the observations of the principals and teachers during the lessons, traditional teaching methods still prevailed in the classroom: the teachers give the content according to the curriculum, so the students are mostly listeners and are not, as a rule, active in the learning process . The results of the survey showed that when assessing knowledge, students know a lot of facts, but they are evaluated worse in tasks that require useful knowledge (connecting information, prediction, analysis, synthesis). At the beginning of our project, only 10% of teachers used ART-related teaching methods and active teaching methods. Students described that an ideal day at school would involve using interactive technology, learning outside the classroom, and working on projects with an emphasis on theater, music, and creative movement. We have worked hard to make this a reality that will benefit students, teachers and the learning process. To eliminate the shortcomings identified in the questionnaire, the project Let's be creative and learn with art was aimed at improving teaching methods and introducing teaching through ART. In our project, the priority task was to strengthen the profiles of teaching professions, which will increase students' motivation for learning and, consequently, their achievements in knowledge. We raised the understanding of social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity by encouraging the inclusion and participation of people with different abilities and learning styles. Six international exchanges are carried out in this project. The first, for teachers and principals, was carried out in physical form. Due to the epidemiological situation, we then carried out three mobilities with students and teachers virtually. We prepared workshops for both students and teachers, and we all actively participated all the time and prepared various materials. Two physical mobility sessions with students followed. Since the epidemiological period took quite a bit of time, we unfortunately had to change the last two planned physical mobility with students to mobility with teachers only (in agreement with the national service of the coordinating country). During the mobilities, we developed areas in which we could participate (theatre, dance, singing, use of ICT) and highlighted those areas that we could strengthen with the help of external institutions (experiments, teaching children with special needs, art and music therapy). Through cooperation, exchange of pedagogical practices, workshops and mobility, we improved pedagogical competences in the field of communication, collaboration and ICT. The activities included the use of effective teaching methods with the inclusion of art, lesson observations, practical workshops, visits to educational institutions, the creation of applications, video guides, activities to promote peer communication and creativity among teachers, principals and students. With the help of principals, we strived for a stimulating environment for teachers and students. We achieved higher quality by implementing new seminars for teachers, which were based on new teaching methods with art, job shadowing, the introduction of project work into regular lessons in all classes, updated extracurricular activities and an upgraded work plan for gifted students and students with disabilities. The project has raised awareness among all participants and the will to experiment new methodologies, approaches and materials. Also, collaborative work and sharing good practices have contributed to the creation of lesson plans relying on art. After realising the advantages of a less traditional methodologies, little by little, teachers tried to use new strategies according to this project plan, in order to involve students in a more active way. The biggest changes that have taken place among teachers due to the exchange of examples of good practice are new forms of teaching and lesson plans. Creation of learning incentives, promotion of a more active role of students, use of art as a leading method in teaching, use of technology. We created a lot of visual learning incentives and modernized the school space with them. We also exchanged assessment methods through matrices and emphasized the assessment of the learning process, not just the final results. At the end of the project, we conducted a survey among teachers and principals. The results of the survey questionnaire showed that with the development of new, art-based teaching methods, teaching practice became more attractive and diverse, which increased motivation and satisfaction in the daily work of teachers. Teachers improved their annual teaching and lesson planning with an average of at least 20% of new methods incorporated, and some principals described this percentage as much higher (up to 60%). Due to the impact of the epidemic, we did not prepare public events and conferences, but at the end of all mobilities, we prepared a public Padlet wall with examples of good practice. The starting points of the principals, their principles of managing the institution, which contribute to greater efficiency, are also published on this wall. During the project period, the managements of the partner schools experienced huge staffing changes, so the principals met at the meetings of the two mobilities, but unfortunately, these changes and the abundance of work due to the epidemic prevented the establishment of a club of excellent principals. As an impact of their integration, the changes were made in school and teachers' annual work plans for the upcoming annual work plan. At the same time, we highlight the importance of teacher training, international connections, planning a personal annual work plan, planned preparation for national knowledge tests and new forms of knowledge assessment. With various teaching methods and other project activities, we influenced the students' greater creativity, increased their learning motivation and enabled success and higher knowledge. The students changed and improved their study habits and took responsibility for their actions. We are aware of the current situation in schools and are ready for changes. Only these gradually bring satisfaction and higher results into our daily work and the work, as well as well-being of our students.