Max Ernst Gymnasium der Stadt Bruehl

The Max-Ernst-Gymnasium is the only municipal grammar school in Bruehl (Rheinland). Bruehl is a medium-sized town in the vincinity of Cologne and Bonn and has students from different social and ethnic backgrounds. All in all, one could say that the students reflect a typical average German school with a balanced social and cultural mix.The school's profile emphasizes its artistic departments. In recent years, MINT (Mathematics, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Technology) has become another important field of teaching. 
The staff consists of approximately 95 teachers and further staff, who organize extracurricular (afternoon) activities (sports, homework tutorials). 700 students between year 5 and year 9 are taught at our school, whereas most of these students aim at achieving their Abitur (similar to A-levels) at the upper secondary level (year 10-12: about 300 students). English is the first secondary language taught at MEG from year 5 onwards. Students, who start in year 5, have already acquired some basic knowlegde of English at primary school. In year 6, students can choose between French and Latin as second secondary language. As the Max-Ernst-Gymnasium, named after the famous German artist Max Ernst, emphasizes artistic skills in its school's syllabus, students are offered additional artistic teaching in year 7. One of the courses which are offered deals with producing animated cartoons with cameras (language of teaching: German). In year 8, students must choose from a range of compulsory optional courses taught 4 lessons/week (options: CLIL, MINT, drama, ICT, Spanish). 
On the upper secondary level, the MEG offers a wide range of courses. English plays a major part as the vast majority of students have English until their finals. 
Thus, this project meets students' interests and demands by picking up ideas from the animated cartoons course in year 7 (necessary technical skills of planned project) as well as by deepening their knowledge of English within the applied project. It blends in with the school's syllabus highlighting English as secondary language (necessary communicative skills of planned project). 
The group of learners the project is planned for at MEG consists of 28 students who are part of the CLIL course in year 9. The course has started in August 2016 (year 8 for these students). Last year, students have become familiar with the use of English when applied to historical and geographical topics (i.e. The United States,  as this topic is easily accessible for the students because it partly overlaps with the curriculum of English). Method training has been a central achievement in last year's teaching process. So far, students have become more self-assured in using English in a natural way when examining authentic material (newspapers, the Internet, statistics). This offers the opportunity to widen these skills in the context of the project the MEG applies herewith now. 
As mentioned above, the project's priorities lie within the field of improving technical skills (filming: script-writing, recording, cutting, developing subtitles in Greek and German for the film, performing), communicative skills (English as language of communication between Greek and German schools and as film language) and sensitizing students for their responsibilities as active citizens of the European Union (comparing Greek and German perspectives with respect to the European identity). 
In terms of teaching and organisation, the project helps to implement a new  CLIL teaching approach regarding practical teaching methods (filming) while supporting students in their development to future active European citizens. The project will ensure to extend the CLIL syllabus.  The developed teaching material (worksheets, lesson plans) enable teachers to proceed with similar projects in the future. In the CLIL department, this concern has not received enough attention in the last couple of years at MEG due to multiple changes in the school system in North Rhine-Westphalia in recent years. 

4th Secondary School Iraklion Crete

A Junior High School of 484 students trying to provide quality basic education for the children. Its environment is healthy, safe, protective, gender sensitive and immigrant-sensitive since there is a 10% of students who are foreigners and yet well intergrated into school life. It also provides adequate resources and facilities. The content reflected in the school curriculum aims at the acquisition of basic skills, especially in the areas of language, literature, maths, science, foreign languages (English, French, German) ICT, religion and social studies. Our organisation keeps in mind that education is a complex system embedded in a political, cultural and definitely economic context. Therefore we try to be as close as possible to nowadays needs by using child-centred teaching approaches, projects, group work to facilitate learning.
The 4th Junior High School of Iraklion, Crete is a school in the center of the city with 46 teachers and 485 students. The latter come from different social layers and cultural backgrounds, different nationalities - apart from the Greek students there are also pupils that come from Albania, Rumania, and Bulgaria - who give a multicultural dimension to our institution and impose special treatment so that they can easily be integrated into the social and educational reality. In addition, due to the recent economical crisis that our country faces, the unemployment or the part-time employment of their parents considerable friction is often caused in the families and as a consequence there is an impact on the educators and the pupils themselves which are called to confront and provide solutions to the problems aroused.
Our school is sensitive to changes, new methods and initiatives with a constant effort to ameliorate the school environment and make it more attractive and vivid. Certain goals are set towards this direction. More specifically: 
• Enforcement of the teachers’ ability to comprehend and respond to the nowadays challenges 
• Understanding and adoption of new teaching methods/ practices (including the use of Internet and ICT)
• Opening of the school to new ideas, acquisition of new experiences and broadening of our collaboration with other teachers both inside Greece and Europe
• Utilization of cross-curricula and cultural programmes along with the existing infrastructure (ICT and Science labs) in the most beneficiary way possible.
Taking into account the growing interest on the part of the teachers, students and parents who are always available when needed, we believe that it is imperative to acquire additional tools to keep up with the recent changes and challenges. As educators and European citizens we feel the urge to learn and exchange good practices, techniques, educational tools and classroom management in a European context.
Regarding our experience, every year we implement several school projects along with e-Twinning ones (for which we have been awarded with the European Label three times) and we diffuse the results in scheduled events.
The Greek school has created short videos with a script written by the students and teachers. The topic was giving advice on Internet safety, with a student talking to his grandfather on the use of the different services of the Internet. Students have also participated in various role-play activities with topics like bullying, racism.
This project will help our Greek school to approach Europe under new scope. The close cooperation with a foreign country, the English language used as a means of communication, the development of personal relations between Greek and German students are definitely advantages. To educationally be more specific, visiting, working, getting to know people from another country will help students and teachers to familiarize with another culture, overcome some communication barriers, exchange ideas on pedagogical and educational issues, give a closer insight on how another European educational system works. Thus, this accumulated knowledge can be diffused to the rest of the teaching staff later on, which will multiply the benefits.

Greece-Germany on Biteable.