IES GUADALQUIVIR (SPAIN)

General information:

- It is located in one of the most disadvantaged areas of the city of Cordoba

- It provides compulsory education to pupils 12-18

- It is recognized as a “school with severe issues”

- It has 160 pupils divided in 9 groups and 30 teachers

Context of each school according to its location:

- It is located in the fifth poorest area of the whole of Spain

- It is at the heart of a multi-ethnic community of Romanis and North Africans who experience social exclusion

- Extremely high level of unemployment

Results from the initial School Needs Analysis: 

An official and internal School Needs Analysis took place in the last week of September. There was a staff meeting to analyze test results using the Southern data school management system, called “SENECA,” on the 2^nd of October. Each department in the school sets the exam papers and keeps them for the school year. Diagnostics tests on pupils were carried out in all subjects to gather evidence of the initial level of achievement of the pupils. Targeted areas were Spanish, Maths and English as a foreign language. Especially worrying were the findings of a first year class with severe disruptive issues, with some pupils not able to read or write appropriately, use basic Maths, or even express their names in English. Appropriate action has taken place by splitting the group and dedicating two teachers to work Spanish and Maths. As an average, most pupils would have failed two subjects. For lower level groups, such us fourth years, this rose to four subjects. We must also point out that Social Services have already opened an absenteeism file for pupils with over 5 days of absences, and absenteeism protocols are being implemented, including home visits and working with NGOs. However, we hope that the project will reduce absenteeism levels this school year and reduce the number of early school leavers. In order to do so, a teacher training session and a parents information session took place in September to explain the project objectives and the pupil selection criteria. Many pupils are already very motivated and getting actively involved in all the projects tasks. The response from teachers, pupils, and families is incredibly positive.

Documents used:

-  First Term Pre-Assessment minutes

-Department Diagnostic papers

- Absenteeism data for September-October

- School internal group division 

- Teacher training session material

- Parent evening presentation

Existing schools curriculum and Erasmus + project integration:

Heads of Department are currently working on their programs of study for the current academic year. All of them have included tasks, integrated units of work, or resources related to the Erasmus + project. All programs have used a key competence approach and work with at least one of the seven themes. Furthermore, the School counsellors have reorganized the curriculum provision for Form classes around the project’s 7 themes: Elderly, Disability, Race, Gender, Immigration, Sexual Orientation and Religion.

During the month of September, each group received an introductory and individual session about our Erasmus+ project by their English teachers. After that, we celebrated the European Day of Languages, which was a fantastic way to acknowledge the linguistic diversity in the school. Finally, pupils have worked with the theme of the Elderly. This theme has been an excellent way to incorporate families into school life as pupils have interviewed their grandparents and some of them have even come to give a talk.

Teaching strategies and methodology being used:

Since the beginning of the project, an initiation to the key competence approach has been adopted by all teachers. Every staff member is working on at least one task linked to a key competence. However, we have found that teachers have many different levels of attainment and generally more training is required. For this reason, collaborative work is necessary and using a “Project Based Learning” methodology help us to do so. 

A meeting with some of the Local Teacher Centre Assessors was also held on Wednesday the 17^th of Octoberwhere some approaches on how to develop key competences were discussed and will be included into our training sessions.

The session included in the C1 project activity as Short-term joint staff training event: Project Launch and Key Competence Training 1 will then be transferred to the whole of the staff in the Spanish school. 

D’ALESSANDRO VOCINO (ITALY)

General information:

- It has 450 pupils aged 11-42 and 42 teachers

- It has some children with special needs and some children of immigrant families

- Many children experience literacy and languages difficulties

- Many leave school before getting their diploma

3^RDGYMNASIUM OF NAOUSSA (GREECE)

General information:

- It is a junior high school with 207 pupils

- Pupils are 12-15

- There are 24 teachers

PROJECT RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Implement planned activities and produce material and digital outputs based on the Heptagon of Equality based on 7 themes: Disability, Elderly, Ethnicity, Gender, Immigration, Religion and Sexual Orientation

- Work on a final collaborative output of an Oral Archive

- Use a teaching key competence approach 

3.PROJECT OBJECTIVES:

For pupils: Full participation through collaborative work and improve attendance

For teachers: Key competence approach and offer training

For stakeholders: Involvement of Parents Associations and other networks

4.PROJECT RESULTS:

Pupils: TWINSPACE,Digital outputs linked to the project themes and ORAL ARCHIVE of pupil experiences and communicating their findings on the 7 areas, Key Competence work to improve their motivation (Project Based Learning), Socioemotional learning to increase their self-confidence

E-portfolios, Europass language passport, CV Europass

Mobility trips

Teachers:Staff training events and collaborative teaching resources

File sharing on Google Drive, digital tools, use of English

School Education Gateway and Erasmus + Project Results

Stakeholders:Information materials (e.g. Greeting Island), 

information evenings and meetings

SCHOOL TASKS:

- IES Guadalquivir: Coordinates the project, manages the work with the 7 themes, in charge of the website and the oral archive

- D’Alessandro Vocino: eTwinning and Twinspace, pupils preparatory and evaluating activities (mobilities)

- 3^rdGymnasium Naoussa: Celebration of the International Days, activities surrounding stakeholders and dissemination (social media)

PROJECT PLANNING

1.1. Mobilities:

1.2.Themes and events:

1.3.Teachers training:

1.4. Pupils work 

a. Pre-mobility to Spain

Pupils must investigate the 7 areas of the project at two levels: local and national. Before a mobility, pupils must prepare a presentation, video, article or any other material that once in Spain they will explain to their team mates. 

b. During mobility (collaborative):

Once pupils have been selected, teachers should send basic information about them including their name, age, strengths, likes, and any other relevant aspect to take into account. Teams could then be made before coming to Spain, in order to pair up pupils with similar interests.

Once in Spain, to get to know each other, pupils will take part in fun group dynamics. 

After that pupils will be working in mixed groups, ideally one pupil per school. Collaboratively each of them will share the information that they have prepared on the 7 areas on their cities and countries with their team mates. Each team should produce a video, oral archive or document with common and agreed conclusions on what are the common problems at European level and what would they suggest would help to solve them. Each group will appoint a speaker in a big group results will be recorded.

Keeping the same groups, pupils will also participate in interviews to NGOs representatives and in a rap workshop.

Finally, we have organized fun team activities such us a European football league and bowling.

c. Post-mobility

            All pupils taking part in any of the project activities in Spain must prepare a presentation for their schoolmates in order to expand the impact of the project. This presentation should include all sorts of material and evidences from the conclusions reached in Spain.

2.METHODS OF WORKING WITH MANAGEMENT AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

TRELLO is a Project management tool that encourages good communication between all participants. Currently we have 3 active boards: one for all teachers in schools, a second one for the management team, and a third one for the Erasmus+ team. Trello should be updated and used regularly.

3.PROJECT PROGRESS REVIEW (CHECKLIST according to Calendar)

-Project initiation videoconference:

-Meeting with teachers, pupils, families and NGOs to explain the project:

-Get teachers and pupils registered in TWINSPACE:

-Logo painting in each school:

-Programme of activities planned for teachers’ visit:

-Language and digital competence test for pupils: 

-Project Launch and Key Competences Training:

-Staff training event follow up:

-Preparation of pupils exchange:

-Symbaloo, Pupils’ Blog and Twinspace pupils’ Blog:

-Travel Books and Archives

-Roundtable

4.NEXT PROJECT STEPS (Preparation and planning of next activities):

-Pupils exchange to Spain

-Costs projection

-Agree programme of activities

-Next theme: Disability (activities preparation)

-Set dates for Staff training in Greece

5.MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT OF RISKS

The following risk management plan intends to identify and assess the potential risks and take actions to protect the project against them. 

The following four actions will take place:

1.Identify the risks

2.Assess the gravity of them

3.Develop a response

4.Monitor and control the risks

When identifying the risks, we have taken the following aspects into account:

- Safety

            - The hosting partner should clearly inform the rest about safety and emergency rules, travel, food and accommodation before the mobility.

- Individuals: pupils, teachers, stakeholders

- All coordinators must be immediately substitute in case that for any unforeseen reason they can no longer take their position. 

- Each contact person should coordinate and monitor the activities organized at their school .

- The hosting partner should help the other partners to find the most suitable accommodation.

- The contact person of each hosting school should send the invitations and shared the programme of the activities prior to the visit.

- Shared materials:

            - The Coordinator school should keep a record of all the shared documents, it should monitor the project’s initial plan to prevent any delays, and it should monitor the distribution of tasks.

- Budgets

            - All expenses should have their corresponding invoice and they should be kept for later reports.

- Travel and accommodation

            -All partners should hold an information meeting with parents before the mobility to obtain their permission. All partners should have travel insurance.

            - All partners need to request information from the participants regarding any possible medical condition.

- National Agencies

- The contact person in each school should keep in contact with their NA and check any official communication.

6. SHARING OF RESULTS

All partners are responsible for sharing the project results internally. However, results should be disseminated al local, national and European level.

All project results should be open access and must be posted in Twinspace and the project website. 

There is a good balance as each school is taking responsibility to share all the activities in eTwinning, project’s website and all the social networks.

All final results will be uploaded on the Erasmus + Results Platform once the coordinators get access to upload them.