Main objective of the project Exchange of Good Practices ERASMUS+ ka229
Project Title: Open minds@ Include.net - creative pedagogies, global competencies for inclusion
Project Start Date: 2020-09-01
Project Total Duration: 36 months
Project End Date: 2023-08-31
National Agency of the Applicant Organisation: UK01 British Council, in partnership with Ecorys UK – British Council
Project Summary
Findings from Include.net (our previous Erasmus project), have demonstrated the important place of the arts in providing an inclusive education…an education for all. We have successfully used the arts to promote shared values and human rights, how the arts are an effective vehicle for accessible learning (Special Educational Needs and drama, dialogic talk for second language learners are two examples). This project builds on this work and will enable partners to receive innovative training from some of the best trainers/educationalists known at a Europe wide level (for example Lau Lau and Mantle of the Expert), continue to be 5 schools of change- implementing training, sharing expertise and tools around inclusion and working collaboratively on developing key competencies (we refer to them as global competencies- Fullan et al). As the schools have built up a strong professional relationship, we believe that this project will foster quality improvements, innovation excellence and be anchored in an international dimension. During the COVID-19 outbreak, we have seen a rise in the use of IT and virtual technology, we want to consider how we can incorporate some of the effective new ways of working into this project.
Objectives:
1. To receive quality continuous professional development national ‘experts’ together, implement the training in our own schools having planned together and evaluate the impact across the countries. This training, supporting school development plans and national priorities, will be anchored in current worldwide educational research with creative education and the arts as major drivers
2. To collaborate as united agents of change, planning and evaluating new teaching methods and activities arising from the 'experts' training sessions. Attention will be given to the support of teachers new to the profession, allowing for other staff and coordinators to develop leadership skills, strengthening the profile of the teaching profession
3. To enhance all objectives through the effective use of IT, developing the use of virtual technology as a communication tool for staff and students
4. To strengthen a network (hence project title) of educational practitioners who have expertise around the promotion of inclusion. There will be a focus on global/key competencies and how these are offered to all pupils regardless of their socio-economic background, ethnicity, gender or special educational needs and enabling cultural heritage, self identity and global issues
5. To share/disseminate expertise with partners when hosting a visit through key note presentations and practical activities, inviting local partner schools, teacher training institutions. Twinspace to be used as key form of partner-to-partner communication, planning, sharing of evidence/evaluations and the impact of new approaches. The quality assurance of actions towards these objectives will be paramount, considering a variety of assessment strategies to complement the new approaches to teaching and learning
6. To create concrete products and tools to enable wide dissemination of the project at a regional, national and international level.
Partner Organizations
Poplars Farm Primary School United Kingdom- Bradford
GRADINITA RAZA DE SOARE (Kindergarten) Romania- Targoviste
Kindergarten Mukulax co Finland- Turku
1st Experimental Primary School of Alexandroupolis Greece
Lamia Karer Ortaokulu (secondary level ) Turkey- Izmir
