Background This ERASMUS+ Project arises, after unofficial visits during other ERASMUS+ projects to educational institutions in several countries, where informally, themes related to the success of schools in combating exclusion and dropping out of different types of students have been addressed . In these conversations it became clear that we will all have a lot to learn from the way each school and nation sees the inclusion of its students. The project appears as a bet that integrates the various knowledge of the institutions, with its strong areas of inclusive competence. Objective The “IN as in INclusion" takes the challenges of the global world to training children and young people, bringing it as an object of improvement for the concepts at European level of what is school for all and for each and every one and what we can improve in institutions to have a truly Inclusive Education. In this sequence, we will present good practices of school inclusion, different types of students that serve as an example to most schools in the European Union and we will create an Inclusive Training Plan (ITP) and an Inclusive Booklet (IB) that will integrate the knowledge acquired by the partners in a document that can be used in a functional way within the scope training activities for educators, teachers and school leaders. Partners Profile Six(6)schools-three(3) were VET schools- and an institution created a partnership in order to carry out the project objectives by developing and certifying the ITP and IB. The institutions were chosen among various candidates by their ability to present significant inclusive activities and methodologies. The three(3) VET schools differ from each other in the training they present and offer and all have guaranteed their acceptance to join the partnership, all for the awards they received in previous years in their certification areas, and for the diversity of methodology that each one proposes to present. Regular schools will also maintain the diversity of inclusion themes to be analyzed and compared. Ensuring a training plan that integrates all the knowledge analyzed will be developed, SIPE Training Center is part of the partnership. They ensure the creation of an applicable and disseminable ITP that takes into account the needs and concerns of school institutions, teachers and school leaders. Activities Description Agrupamento de Escolas de Aljustrel(PT), will bring inclusion with students with special needs, SIPE(PT) has the main objective of coordinating the creation of the ITP and to assess the booklet elaboration;Balıkesir Adnan Menderes High School(TK), training about inclusion of girls and prevention of early school leaving; School of Economics Novo Mesto(SL), will address the inclusion of refugees and minorities in school activities; United Special Vocational Gymnasium and Lyceum of Patras(GR), school activity through inclusion of disabled students in technical courses; Istituto Professionale Statale “Frederico II”(IT), inclusion through the participation in international projects and the way to success of culinary courses in school, local community and worldwide; Tolosaldea Integrated VET School(SP), the success of methodology applied in the integration in school and in the acquisition of knowledge, how to select the right offer for each student. Methodology The methodology to use, briefly consists of distinct elements and characteristics as they are[1] a methodology for solving problems;[2] we will start from real questions and/or problems, felt as real problems for those who will treat them (that is, as situations for which there is not, at the outset, a total and unique answer to their resolution and/or clarification);[3] we will focus the research of pertinent and relevant problems for those who will be involved in the work (if only in terms of understanding and knowledge about these issues);[4] we will start looking for answers and/or solutions;[5] the planning and distribution of tasks for the collection of data and information, as a group/or collective task;[6] the information and data collected individually or in a small group will have to be processed and organized to return to the large group; all work should result in a sociable “final product” (ITP and IB) - a result that represents the enrichment of the broader group, in terms of knowledge/understanding/solution of the problems and questions initially posed. The best impact possible to aim for is that the inclusion barrier stops being an obstacle to integration and participation of each and every one of our students. The project impact will be incisive in three important aspects that we call the “PIE”: PLANNING-involving deciding beforehand which course of action to take in a given time to integrate or include a student in meaningful activities; INCLUSION-influence positively the quality of participation of each student, EVALUATION-guarantee that all the previos work done before, is going on track.
Our primary objective in implementing this project was to observe, study, and assimilate the best practices in the field of inclusion, targeting diverse student populations. This included students from minority and marginalized ethnic groups, children from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds with low academic performance and a risk of dropping out or exclusion, and those in need of differentiated training approaches due to the risk of abandonment or social exclusion. Additionally, we aimed to address the specific needs of students with behavioral, cognitive or physical challenges. Central to our project's mission was the promotion of inclusion within the school environment, focusing on the organizational structures of each partner institution to ensure the inclusion of all students. To achieve this, our project involved continuous training events, during which three representatives from the SIPE Training Center actively participated. Their role was to develop a tool that could be utilized by trainers across Europe within the realm of inclusion. These training events considered all aspects addressed by the partner schools, and notably, they did not take place at the SIPE Training Center. Instead, our representatives attended training sessions within the partner schools, where they took notes and engaged in activities designed to elucidate methodologies, evaluation processes and other pertinent aspects of inclusion. As a result of the knowledge and insights gained from the partner schools, we aimed to create two tangible outputs.
In our project, we focus on promoting social inclusion for all our students, specifically by region, and aim to gather and share best practices developed within the diverse and multicultural context of our partner schools. Our goal is to observe, study, and adopt the most effective inclusive practices, catering to students from minority and marginalized ethnic backgrounds, those from disadvantaged socio-economic conditions with low academic performance and a risk of dropping out or exclusion, students facing various forms of adversity, including behavioral, cognitive, or physical challenges. The project vision is to create a schooling environment where, without altering the curriculum, we can find common pathways for the inclusion and participation of students who, in traditional education settings, might have been labeled as at risk of failure, school dropout, or social exclusion. Recognizing the need for teachers from various participating schools to acquire qualifications in inclusive education that can be applied in their respective institutions, the project aimed to develop inclusive education training plans, incorporating the most significant aspects contributed by each institution.