By implementing this project, we wanted to achieve the introduction of new methods, techniques, skills and tools such as differentiation, non-violent communication, techniques for reducing stereotypes, which would promote tolerance, respect for diversity. The purpose of learning new skills and techniques are students' sense of belonging in our school and acceptance of students who come from other areas, who are different cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds, and students with developmental disabilities. By introducing new methods and techniques, we wanted to achieve effective classroom management with different students. We also wanted to learn knowledge from the field of art, that is, the use of art as a tool to promote and establish better integration among students. As this was our first Erasmus + project, we also wanted to establish contact with teachers and other non-teaching staff from the EU area with whom we had common interests, which we have not had the opportunity to do so far.We wanted to achieve that our students have a feeling of greater acceptance in our school, to use methods and tools that would help students to better socialize.
The main activity of the Šime Budinić Elementary School in Zadar is the upbringing and education of students aged 7 to 15, that is, from the first to the eight grade in accordance with the Education Act. The school is attended by a significant number of students with difficulties in the development of various difficulties (speech and language disorders, behavioral disorders, activity and attention disorders, hearing impairment, intellectual disabilities, motor and other unspecified and/or mixed disabilities. In recent years, the number of students of other nationalities has increased significantly, who insufficiently understand and speak the Croatian language and have different cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds. The school offers a regular program, optional classes, supplementary, additional, regular program with adaptation of the content, a special program for students with disabilities. In such a heterogeneous group, the school through this project wanted to enable teachers to acquire new knowledge and skills in order to use new tools to improve the educational approach and more easily integrate said students into our educational system, develop better group cohesion and integration.