MOTIVATION

LEARNING TOGETHER aims at promoting the potential of peer learning and it is designed as a way of going beyond independent learning to mutual learning.

The project is the result of common work of teachers from Italy, Turkey,Poland,Portugal and Greece and it is addressed to students aged from 15 to 18.

All partner schools have shared information regarding their national education Systems,encouraging teachers to use project-based learning within the educational process. For each school subject, students are challenged to create a project at the end of a chapter or term project research.

Therefore, we decided to explore this common point in bringing our students together to work and support each other in our attempt to promote cooperative and peer-to-peer learning. Students learn from each other during their daily activities, but we consider that formalized peer learning will help them to learn effectively, to develop social skills.

The common needs identified when comparing schools’ SWOT analysis were -to enhance the quality of education -to make students aware that they are responsible for their own learning -to reduce discrimination and aggressive behavior.

A research has been conducted in all partner schools and we have concluded that students tend to disrespect and reject others points of view, they lack empathy and they are aggressive with each other.

The percentage of acts of violence reaches 20% in Italy,25% in Turkey,29% in Poland,21% in Greece and 27% in Portugal.

The core goal of our project is to develop our students’ social awareness in terms of social, emotional and cognitive skills, considered necessary for successful social adaptation.

The need to carry on such a project on an international level has come up from the fact that working with people from other cultures will develop participants’ ability to have another perspective when confronted with a situation, learn from others’ experiences and apply learnt content during social interactions. Students will work together with their EU peers to create project products; this will promote active learning, will provide more comfort and open-mindedness when interacting with EU citizens.

We believe that peer learning is an underused resource, especially in our times when students seem to be one step ahead of us. As educators,it is our duty to reduce the gap generation because we should keep up the pace with the new trends and our Ss’ needs.

This project should be funded because it uses an innovative approach to the peer-to-peer learning topic using the digital tools and direct interaction with peers from different countries. Gathering participants with a different social and cultural background, engaging them in activities that stimulates the social and educational value of European cultural heritage will foster social inclusion and group cohesion, values which are promoted by the ET 2020.

The EU values mentioned in the Art 2 of the Treaty on the EU are promoted at an international level.