Innovative Approaches in the 21st Century

The aim of the project was to prepare students to use all technologies safely and wisely. The aim of the project was to learn how to use tools of pedagogical innovation such as: Flipped Classroom, Prezi, Canva, etc. wisely, which can be used for work at school or during self-education. The main reason why this project was carried out together with partners from other European countries was that the project was universal and attractive to students from different countries, because in today's world students develop using interactive media. Another important issue of the project was to prepare teachers to show students how to use all technologies safely and wisely. Students were willing to participate in classes and implement project activities. They participated with teachers in the implementation of the project and acquired new skills and competences. Both teachers and students improved their 21st century skills, such as the use of broadly defined technology, collaboration, communication, creativity, problem solving and critical thinking skills. As described in detail in the application, its innovation also lay in the fact that, compared to other complex and approved projects, our project emphasizes the development of skills in working using the Flipped Classroom method. The project assumed a number of innovative solutions related to this teaching method and their use in the everyday work of teachers and students. As part of the ERASMUS+ project - "Innovative approaches to teaching in the 21st century", meetings were held in individual countries. All mobilities took place on the dates proposed and accepted by all participants. At the beginning, during the pandemic, a competition was organized among all partners for the project's logo, which was later disseminated on materials developed during the project and on a roll-up. The first mobility took place in Poland on October 25-29, 2021 at the School Complex in Żychlin. Only teachers attended this meeting. The countries participating in the project were the Czech Republic, Turkey, Italy, Greece and Great Britain. Due to England's withdrawal from the project, mobility was moved to the Czech Republic after consultation with the partners and the project supervisor. The first meeting of teachers under the ERASMUS+ Program - "Innovative approaches in the 21st century", whose main coordinator was Poland (Zbigniew Chrulski - ZS in Żychlin), was primarily aimed at developing and discussing activities related to the project and planning work at individual stages of the project, including with activities planned for students. This meeting was attended by 3 teachers from each country - the Czech Republic, Turkey, Italy, 4 teachers from Greece and teachers from the host country - Poland. Great Britain did not take part in this meeting. During this mobility, all details were discussed and meetings with students were carefully planned. The time the partners spent in Poland was conducive to getting to know each other and integrating. The schedule of project meetings for next year was discussed and another evaluation of the project was carried out in the form of a discussion on its strengths and weaknesses. The teachers exchanged experiences and got to know the partner countries, their schools and, above all, the educational system in Poland. In preparation for further work with students as part of the project, teachers took part in two "flipped lessons" - the first one took place in the Gingerbread Museum in Toruń, where the participants prepared gingerbread themselves, and the second one in the School Complex in Żychlin - a chemistry lesson, during which teachers Under the supervision of students, they performed tasks related to soil and water testing, read meters and formulated conclusions. At the end of the mobility, participants received a Certificate of Participation in Mobility in Poland. The next mobility was planned from January 31, 2022 to February 4, 2022 in Prague. We updated the program, which we started creating in Poland, in the month before mobility. We have agreed on all the details to make the meeting as productive as possible for students and their guardians. For this purpose, we involved both teachers and students of partner secondary schools. During their stay, the first joint activity was a meeting at the school, during which the guests were personally welcomed by the school principal, Mr. Radko Sáblík. Lukáš Vrba presented the program for the following days to everyone, the students of his school who took care of the guests during their stay. During this meeting, students and teachers learned about the Czech education system and the school where they visited. Czech students showed their partners around their school, showing interesting classrooms and workplaces where teaching took place. Both teachers and students were impressed by such a well-equipped school located in a historic building. As scheduled, workshops conducted by students were held in the following days. Filip Dvořák, Vladislav Karpe, Miroslav Kocyba, Libor Kokoška, ​​Marek Tyller, Michael Valeš and Vojtěch MikulášVlnas prepared workshops on topics such as cybersecurity, 2D modeling, laser cutting and virtual reality. Patrik Vodrážka and Tomáš Fišar were responsible for 3D modeling and printing, and Matyáš Himmer demonstrated virtual and augmented reality. The hosting group also prepared an interesting cultural program for students and teachers. Thanks to this, students from other countries learned better about Czech culture, language and customs. During this mobility, further mobility dates in Sardinia for teachers and a meeting in Turkey for students and teachers were also agreed and confirmed. The third meeting of this project was conducted in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy. The participants were teachers who worked and reflected on appropriate management of further activities within the project about preparing students for the meeting in Adana. Activities included testing practices that included not only the traditional PowerPoint presentation, but also other applications, practices and programs. Teachers learned and consolidated their knowledge of Kahoot!, Quizizz, Joomag, WordArt and Google Forms in such a way as to prepare young people for the next mobility. In addition to these activities, the hosting group prepared an interesting cultural program that introduced the history and customs of the island's inhabitants. From the beginning of September, teachers and students started preparing for the next mobility, which took place in the city of Adana in Turkey. During the meeting, teaching and laboratory activities of an educational and historical nature were held for students and teachers. One of the highlights of the program in Adana was a meeting at the Faculty of Technology of Cukurova University, where specially trained teachers analyzed innovative teaching methods using modern technologies. The training that took place at the Science and Art Center was extremely interesting (Story Jumper, Word Art & Practical training). Students and teachers met to deepen and broaden their knowledge of modern teaching methods and transfer their application to their own schools. The next mobility took place in Prague on February 20-24, 2023. Teachers from Poland, Italy, Greece, Turkey and, of course, the Czech Republic chose Prague as the venue for their next meeting after England withdrew from the Erasmus+ project "Innovative approach to education in the 21st century". During the meeting, the project program was discussed, Web 2.0 was discussed and various applications and tools were presented (such as flipped classrooms, Kahoot, etc.). As part of the cultural program, the Czechs organized an interactive trip during which they learned about a typical Czech company in the Smíchov district of Prague. Our partners from Prague also organized a visit to the Faculty of Pedagogy of Charles University, prepared by the Vice-Dean for Continuing and Distance Education, Prof. Martin Bílek. As part of cultural education and at the request of all partners, a one-day trip to Karlovy Vary was organized. During this trip, students Lukáš and Viktor organized a guided walk through the thermal mineral springs. Another interesting point of the program and at the same time an innovative way of transmitting knowledge was a walk around Prague. During this time, Jan Veselý, M.A., who works at the Prague Observatory and Planetarium, showed the project participants around and explained interesting facts about the Charles Bridge and the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square. On Friday evening, all participants took part in a charity concert commemorating the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, which took place in the Church of Our Savior, where Věra Krajcova herself performed. The last mobility is scheduled for March 2023 in Kavala, Greece. During this mobility, students presented their work on individual tools and applications. A Power Point presentation and sample tests or quizzes were presented on the forum and simultaneously tested on students and teachers. The works prepared by students in cooperation with teachers were a summary of the ongoing project. Sharing knowledge with their peers was a new experience for the students. It was the implementation of activities, expanding skills and gaining knowledge about modern teaching methods and WEB 2.0. The cultural program included learning about the history of the city and the country, the archaeological site in Philippi and a meeting with the city authorities. Overall, the project activities improved skills of both teachers and students such as creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking. The implementation of the project's assumptions allowed to expand the knowledge of teachers and students about modern methods of teaching and transferring skills and knowledge. New knowledge and practice gained in using various programs, applications and tools enable more interesting forms of conducting lessons and activities for young people. This applies to both classes conducted by teachers and lessons that students willingly conduct for their peers. Students are encouraged to use Web 2.0 in their homework, presentations, posters and projects. Quizzes and competitions are conducted on various topics using Web2.0 tools. During the project, the coordinator met with his partners and equally divided the responsibilities for implementing the project and using the learned applications and tools for creating tests and competitions during and outside the project activities. All partners completed the project activities within the deadlines specified in the work program. Cooperation and communication between the organizations involved in the cooperation were excellent. The progress of individual project stages was monitored and assessed in accordance with established plans. All partners carried out activities to popularize the project. The activities and results were disseminated at the regional and national level on the institutions' websites and on social media on Facebook and Instagram.