Through designing the project, we`d like to support students in acquiring basic, transversal skills and key competences, to force their social inclusion and active participation in democratic life. We`d also like to create strong links between formal and non-formal education by implementing innovative methodologies in teaching and learning outside the classroom. The envisaged improvement of knowledge, skills and competences will benefit both students and staff, participating schools, local communities and society. We plan to promote cross-curricular and transnational collaboration. The partners from Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Romania and Spain have a shared interest and the partnership covers a wide European area, providing the project with an European added value. Approximately 60 school staff members and about 300 students 14 -18 years old will be involved in the project activities. Within the project, we aim to: - Raise learners` achievements by supporting students in acquiring knowledge and improving their level of key competences, basic and transversal skills through real-life and practical activities carried out outside the classroom, throughout the life-cycle of the project (Oct 2020 – Sep 2022); - Inspire and support teachers to recognise the value and importance of education outside the classroom; - Foster quality improvements and modernisation of the schools through developing, testing, adapting and applying innovative practices, especially those delivering key competences and basic skills, and focusing on the use of ICT; - Internationalization of schools through carrying out transnational mobilities, sharing innovative practices at an international level, developing future ideas and possible synergies for European projects; - Enable participants to work together in multinational and multidisciplinary groups and benefit from learning and teaching conditions not available in a single institution, and to gain new perspectives, personal and social development; - Build-up school and local communities and team spirit, develop interest in the local area and strengthen the links with stakeholders. The expected project results are: improved education provision; new networks and collaborations; satisfying schools` needs in regard to the project themes; international teaching and learning; integration of new practice; improved levels of skills and competences, increased motivation and satisfaction (teachers and learners); active participation in society; improved provision and assessment of basic and transversal skills (social, civic, intercultural, language competences, critical thinking, digital skills). We will apply the methodology described below: 1) Local activities, preparation; 2) Virtual mobility; 3) Physical mobility - carrying out activities; producing results; monitoring; 4) Quality check, evaluation and lessons learned; 5) Dissemination of information and results; 6) Use of results. We plan to organise 6 learning, teaching and training activities (LTTAs) – short-term exchange of groups of pupils. This will aim at bringing together pupils from the partner schools to experience mobility and learning abroad. It will develop students` knowledge and skills, so that they become key ambassadors back in their schools and share experiences with other pupils. The themes of the LTTAs are: – Museums, galleries and libraries as educational environment; – Community knowledge and engagement; – Citizenship education out of school; – Outdoor expeditions; – Local historical trails; – Language learning outside the classroom. All project products will be freely available to download from the project website so that the wider community can use and benefit from them. To maximise visibility of the results, the partners will upload all them to the Erasmus+ Project Results platform and eTwinning so everyone interested can use them. Envisaged long-term positive effect on the schools: providing learners and staff with skills and competencies for active European citizenship; fostering closer European links; modernisation of curricula and giving it an international focus; willingness to open up to and appreciate new ideas coming from abroad; quality of education offered; school image improvement; staff` equipment with materials and methodology needed for future exploitation of project`s outcomes; new approaches for management of specific issues. In order to make the project sustainable, the partners plan to perform follow-up activities, as if to: use project results to address other curricular areas/levels; provide other teachers with instructional units/resources/strategies; use the results to update the school strategy; carry out transnational collaboration/virtual contacts after project completion; keep the project visible as much/long as possible; develop a bank of materials to be re-used and expanded in the future; continue organizing and carrying out some of the project events and activities.
The principal aim of the project was to support students in acquiring basic, transversal skills and key competences and to force their social inclusion and active participation in democratic life. We believe that we have achieved the set goals to the highest degree. The project activities made it possible to use innovative teaching methodologies and new technologies, experimenting with new pedagogical approaches to learning and teaching, developing interdisciplinary learning activities based on reality tasks, promoting basic skills but also European citizenship. The students increased their interest in learning activities outside the classroom. They also began to take a greater interest in school and local community life, volunteering and charity work. The young people were involved in research activities, field work, walk and talk lessons. As a result of the project, they developed their skills and competencies to use the collected information, photos and materials to create a variety of quality end products. It is undeniable that the benefits are for all representatives of the school community - students, teachers, parents, stakeholders, as well as for the local community as a whole. The project participants improved their abilities to cooperate in multidisciplinary and international teams to achieve common goals, to learn from each other, from their previous experience, to transfer knowledge from one scientific field to another. About 60 school staff members and 300 students 14 -18 years old were involved in the project activities, both national and international ones. 20 students from each partner school took part in the mobilities - short-term exchange of groups of pupils. The partnership brought together countries from different parts of Europe, with different national characteristics, traditions, customs and life style. It provided the project with an European added value. More specifically, the following objectives were achieved within the partnership: - Enhancing students' academic achievements, their key competences, basic and transferable skills through real and practical activities carried out outside the classroom; - Improving the quality of teaching and modernization of schools through the application of innovative practices; - Internationalization of schools by implementing transnational mobility and sharing innovative practices at the international level; - Giving participants the opportunity to work together in multinational and multidisciplinary teams; - Making schools centers of the local community, actively involved in its life and, on the other hand, involving parents and other stakeholders in school life. The life cycle of the project was extended by 9 months due to the restrictions related to Covid-19 - until 30.06.2023. For the same reason, the mobilities were postponed in time. We organized 6 learning, teaching and training activities (LTTAs) – short-term exchange of groups of pupils. As planned, each one of them had a specific theme: 1. Croatia – March 2022: Citizenship education out of school; 2. Spain – May 2022: Community knowledge and engagement; 3. Bulgaria – June 2022: Museums, galleries and libraries as educational environment; 4. Romania – Oct 2022: Outdoor expeditions; 5. Greece – March 2023: Local historical trails; 6. Italy – May 2023: Language learning outside the classroom. All the planned activities have been carried out. We successfully applied methodology as described below: 1) Local activities, preparation of the mobility; 2) Virtual mobility – online meetings; 3) Physical mobility - carrying out activities in the partner schools; producing results; monitoring; 4) Quality check, evaluation and lessons learned; 5) Dissemination of information and results; 6) Use of results. Many and varied results were achieved and end products created: - Tangible: lesson plans; descriptions of learning activities; presentations; posters; electronic educational resources; videos and film related to the project activities; LTTAs` diaries created by participated students; - Intangible: improved quality of training; international teaching and learning; integration of innovative practices; improved levels of skills and competences, increased motivation and satisfaction of participants; more active participation in social comunity life; improved basic and transferable skills and competencies. The teachers participated in the exchanges shared good practices and innovative teaching methodologies observing the classes in the hosting schools and taking part in discussions. All the partnership products and teaching/learning materials have been uploaded to the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform as well as to the project website and are fully accessible and free for use by teachers and other interested parties.