A partnership of schools in France, Northern Ireland, Poland, and The Netherlands.

The project is designed to bring pupils together and to learn about aspects of life, culture and traditions within other parts of the European Union. We anticipate that the project will lead to all pupils learning and experiencing Life in The Netherlands, France, Poland, Romania and Northern Ireland by means of a ‘Virtual journey’. It is a journey which will conclude with all children feeling that they can now appreciate life in other countries by learning through their own curriculum. This will be achieved through using as wide a range of mediums as possible. The project will encourage participation from a wide field of people including governors, principals, staff, parents, pupils and the local community. During the three year period, the topics covered will be,

Me and You – getting to know our partner schools
Show me Your Country – familiarising ourselves with each country
Building Bridges – looking at what we all have in common and making a connection.

Freylemaborg with colleagues of the schools 2006

Year 1:

Me and you. We introduce ourselves to each other. Our daily life: One day of the life of …

Year 2:

Show me your country: circumstances, habits, geography and history.

Year 3:

Building bridges: What do we have in common? What is connecting us. The European Union

Aims

The project will help children to become aware of their own identity. To realise the different ways of life in other countries by learning of habits, culture, religion, traditions, etc. To overcome prejudices. To become a ‘European citizen’. Getting knowledge of school-systems and way of learning in other countries. To learn the importance of the English language.

Standard Activities

During the whole project the schools will be in touch by email.
Participating teachers are visiting the project-meetings.
Every school will inquire the ‘own’ parents two-monthly about the progress of the project.
In every participating school will be created a ‘project-corner’ with all kinds of materials concerning to the project.
From the beginning there will be a project-website with information and examples of results of all activities.

Picture for the local press, Mondoubleau (France) 2005

Expectations

The main targets of the project are especially the promotion of intercultural education and overcoming racism and xenophobia. Our most important aim is the ‘dream’ of the European citizen travelling freely in Europe, not judging but enjoying the differences in culture and social environment he will face. By visiting each other, reading, writing and mailing we’ll try to reach that ideal.

Mobility

In this project there will be no students’ mobility.

Coördination

The co-ördinator is responsible for the fulfilling of the appointments. Every two months we’ll send an account to the partner-schools about the development of the activities. We planned two project-meetings in every year to guarantee the progress of the project. Good communication is essential for the success of the project. Piet Tuinstra from CBS De Hoeksteen in The Netherlands is the co-ordinator of the project.

Differences

The pupils’ knowledge of the English language is not similarly in every country, in every school. The Polish pupils for example are starting English lessons in one of the lowest levels; the Dutch pupils on the age of 8. As soon as possible we want to start e-mail-contact between classes, between pupils. We’ve planned to make photographs with a digital-camera from every project to exchange and to use in the website and create a cd-rom’s. It’s the ambition to make modern technology the vehicle which will bring the childeren closer to each other. Pupils have to do these activities by themselves as far as possible. Elder pupils can teach the young ones.

Not every pupil will be obliged to participate in all activities. Some of them are dependent on interest but most of the activities will be part of normal school-subjects.

The project creates many possibilities to work on own suggestions and interest. That’s stimulating enthusiasm. In the curriculum of the participating schools there will be a prescription of activities of the partnership in a separate chapter; also to the topics involved.