This project aims to motivate learners, particularly in the critical phase of their lives, by creating materials that make language learning engaging and relevant. While the focus is on learning English as a second language, the project provides adaptable resources for teaching any language. Lesson plans incorporate grammar, vocabulary, and idioms within the context of cultural and historical stories, ensuring a comprehensive language learning experience. By examining different perspectives and understanding cultural differences and similarities, students develop critical thinking skills and a sense of European citizenship.
Our project has four main objectives. Firstly, we seek to enhance language proficiency by developing 40 comprehensive lesson packs for ESL teachers and an informative booklet with 60 (hi)stories. Additionally, we will provide online training and a DIY guide to support teachers in implementing these resources effectively.
Secondly, we aim to raise cultural awareness among young people, helping them understand their own and others’ cultural identities. Through lesson packs, teacher training, an interactive online map of shared (hi)stories, and materials encouraging personal exploration, we foster cultural understanding. We also plan to create a YouTube channel featuring testimonials and shared (hi)stories.
Thirdly, we prioritize the development of critical thinking skills in young learners. By examining (hi)stories from various perspectives, we enable students to think critically and navigate multicultural societies. The project incorporates story-based materials, an interactive map, videos, and additional resources that train students in critical thinking. Teacher training modules will guide educators on teaching critical thinking skills using stories and cultural heritage. Lastly, we aim to cultivate EU citizenship by helping students create their own EU identity and fostering a sense of connection with other EU citizens. Lesson activities encourage students to explore their identity and analyze its links and shared aspects with fellow EU citizens.
In comparison to existing materials, our project offers innovation by providing longer, content-rich texts focused on EU cultural awareness, heritage, and shared values. Activities go beyond linguistic competence to promote critical thinking and cultural exploration. We will empower teachers to create their own shared (hi)stories and provide templates for this purpose. Accompanying resources include an interactive map and videos. Moreover, we will offer training to teachers of various languages, ensuring the project’s adaptability beyond the ESL classroom. Our goal is to enrich English lessons for teenage students, fostering critical thinking skills, cultural understanding, and a deeper sense of EU citizenship.
The Partners
The Regional Directorate of Primary and Secondary Education in Western Macedonia, Greece, is a regional educational organization in charge of the administrative and educational supervision of all schools and decentralized structures of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. Its main purpose is to coordinate and implement the educational policies of the Greek Ministry of Education and to implement various educational initiatives.
Agrupamento de Escolas Terras do Ave is a cluster of ten schools in northern Portugal with 1512 pupils and 137 staff. The school is technologically advanced, and it strives to improve teachers’ professional competence with new technologies and provide creative learning settings. The school also has an internationalization strategy in place to help students expand their knowledge, skills, and different literacies while also promoting involvement in foreign programs and partnerships to meet training needs. The strategy focuses for whole student development and lifelong learning through obtaining information and skills in several competency areas.
Babel Idiomas is a private training center located in Malaga, which has been operating since 1999. We offer language courses for children, teens, adults, executives and companies. In addition, we provide exam preparation for the Cambridge Examination as well as teacher training in coaching techniques and emotional intelligence. We are also pioneers in adapting language courses to students with Dyslexia for which we have developed our own methodology and class material. In addition, we are working on several different Erasmus+ projects.
Logopsycom is an education innovation centre located in Mons, Belgium. They use digital and physical tools and methods to accompany schools, VET centres, educational organizations, youngsters and parents. They started focusing their work on helping people with learning disorders, “Dys” (Dyspraxia, Dysphasia, Dyslexia, etc.), also known as Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs), and now they work in Erasmus + KA2 projects. They aim to contribute to developing methods and tools to improve the quality and inclusiveness of education, and they offer training opportunities for teachers to develop their digital skills.
The Association Youth and Play has existed since 1997 and is based in Subotica, Serbia. The main area of activity is creative organization of free time to promote cultural heritage, improve environmental protection, educate citizens about the importance of preserving and protecting cultural property and organizing activities to establish healthy and cultural living habits to raise quality of life. According to the official code of activities, it is registered under the code 8560 auxiliary educational activities, which means: non-teaching activities that support educational processes or systems: educational consulting, advisory activities for guidance in education, testing and grading activities, organizing student exchange programs.
Makbule Orman Ortaokulu is a general secondary school in the center of Karaman having around 500 students. We have one kindergarten classroom and one classroom for special needs students. The students are between 11-14 years old and we are active in sportive, artistic and cultural activities. In addition to academic success we also implement many local, national and international projects.