The concrete objectives of the partnership:
1. Improving the school climate by making the school safer, more tolerant and inclusive
2. Developing intercultural awareness and tolerance
3. Increasing learner-autonomy, motivation and creativity
4. Improving the learning outcomes
5. Improving language, ICT and multicultural skills
6. Helping teachers create a pleasant classroom atmosphere
7. Improving teaching techniques and methods
The project would like to address the following problems:
1. Violence, bullying, cyberbullying
2. Lack of motivation and the poor learning results of many pupils coming from disadvantageous social background
3. Frustration and burn-out syndrome amongst teachers working in schools situated in socio-economically disadvantageous
areas.
The school climate could be improved by conducting school climate surveys among the pupils and staff, by exchanging and analysing violence-prevention protocols, by planning measures and developing programmes, by organizing workshops on self-esteem, assertiveness and conflict management (mediation) in order to strengthen pupils inwardly and outwardly. By reading stories about social exclusion pupils’ empathy would be increased. Pupils would create photostories about tolerance and social inclusion. Cases of cyberbullying could be prevented by learning about netiquette, making posters about e-safety.
The project’s topic, entertaining and interactive activities should increase learner autonomy, creativity and motivation. Motivation is key to success. The project is truly cross-curricular. Cross-curricular activities facilitate learning. Pupils would learn about other European countries, cultures and languages but also about their own country and culture. Their foreign language skills and ICT skills would be significantly improved but also their social and communicative skills, teamwork which are the basic skills required by today’s labour market. Their learning opportunities would be highly increased.
The project could help teachers create a stimulating learning environment and improve their methods by exchanging the lesson plans with teachers from partner schools and observing and analysing their recorded lessons. They can exchange methods and tips for successful classroom management and dealing with misbehaving pupils. Cross-curricular activities would also lead to closer cooperation among the teachers within a school thus teachers should feel stronger and more united.