The main objective was to improve the attention and academic results of students with problems of inclusion, by involving teachers in specific training courses and observing and learning practices and teaching tools that favour inclusion, and the subsequent dissemination of knowledge among the teaching staff to promote the multiplier effect. This is intended to improve the response to diversity and help immigrant students, who constitute an important percentage in the reference area of our center, while reducing the early school dropout rate. It was also intended to improve the linguistic competence of teachers, especially the participant in the Bilingualism Program, by improving the practice in the management of English, since the course they received was taught in that language. Another objective was the promotion of the spirit of European belonging and identity, the knowledge of other cultural realities based on the same principles, and the broadening of contacts with other centres and organisations to revitalise the continuous process of internationalisation.
This project has been requested in order to further develop the internationalisation strategy of our centre, along the lines of our European Development Plan, and in line with the tendency of educational institutions similar to ours to include these activities in the process of improving the quality of teaching. IES Virgen de las Nieves has extensive experience in Erasmus projects, so we know the benefits of involving teachers in improving their professional skills. In particular, a high rate of school failure related to demotivation and the uprooting of students had been detected in different analyses, together with a lack of preparation of teachers to face the problem. It sought to improve the attention of teachers to diversity, so we tried to observe and learn in areas of Europe with situations similar to ours. We tried to find tools to respond to the real needs of teachers when dealing with everyday situations in the classroom, to learn to manage the proper integration of the different characteristics of students.