BREAKING DOWN WALLS

CONTEXT

This project has emerged from the following problems identified:

1) A World in movement towards the building of walls

2) A Society in need to be able to adapt to new social and political realities

3) A School to be seen as a place of democracy, acceptance and tolerance

Instead of the values of freedom, democracy, equality, diversity and acceptance, we have witnessed the building of walls.

Europe is going through a severe humanitarian crisis with the highest levels of displacement ever recorded.

Actions of hatred and terrorism among people are increasing the gap between countries and nationalities.

We have to tackle these problems from a very early age on, being schools the best place to educate people. The respect for human dignity defended by the EU must prevail through the acceptance of pluralism, tolerance, inclusion, justice, solidarity and equality between all human beings leading to a gradual change of mentalities by means of a chain of democratic values around Europe.

OBJECTIVES

The main aims of this project are:

-Enhance understanding of different cultures and traditions

-Promote acceptance, inclusion and integration

-Improve foreign language skills

-Enhance multilinguism

-Develop Skills in Computer Science

-Develop logical thinking, creativity, responsibility, self-confidence, autonomy and collaborative work in children and students from pre-school level on by means of activities with different programming software

-Promote school success and reduce early school leaving

NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS

An approximate number of 6000 people will be indirectly affected by this project. However, the target groups participating in the project are pre-school children and pupils from primary to secondary school level, including professional course students (VET).

In order to guarantee the values of equity and inclusion defended by the EU there will be a special focus on students with learning difficulties and poor school performance and in risk of failure and also students with integration difficulties.

DESPCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES

Pupils from different levels and in different subjects will work on topics such as History, traditions, festivities, clothes, food etc, of the different partner countries. Activities will be carried out at the distance by means of online communication and also during four international exchanges of pupils where multicultural groups will work cooperatively on the preparation or completion of the final outcomes.

METHODOLOGY

The interaction of innovative methodologies such as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL)  and Computer Sciences (CS) is the most effective way to reach the project's aims and objectives.

With the use of CS students will be doers instead of users. They will learn by doing, work in teams using their  creativity, critical thinking and responsibility, deepening their social and civic competence.

This innovative way of using technology at school will foster the acquisition of key competences in our children and students turning them into active, responsible and entrepreneurial citizens.

Using English (by means of CLIL/bilingual teaching)) to carry out the activities of this project from pre-school level on is the best way of promoting an innate way of learning a second language.  The language acquisition will be more efficient and it will lead the children to understand and respect the others from a very early age on, thus widen their horizons towards the European cultural heritage.

RESULTS

Mascot puppet

Interactive games

Mini Dictionaries

Cardboard Game

Digital Quiz

Digital Story Book with Traditional Legends

Multicultural Magazine

Videos

APPS for smartphones with interactive maps

Multilingual Portfolio

Theatre Play

IMPACT

A maximum impact will be assured by the wide range of different pupils, teachers, subjects, teaching levels and metholodogies and countries involved in this partnership.

The mixture of this multicultural awareness with innovative teaching methods make pupils raise their motivation towards school increasing their success, which will lead to the reduction of school failure and early school leaving.

In the future, there will be more students succeeding in tertiary education, being better prepared to enter the global labour market as real European citizens.   

LONG TERM BENEFITS

All outputs created by the pupils will be used by many children and students to come in and out of the partner schools for many years. Moreover, students from the partner school will continuously work on upgrades of the digital tools created. All procedures and results of this project will be published as public Twinspace and also on the Erasmus+ dissemination website being accessible, for participating schools as well as a any interested party to promote success in their institutions.