PROJECT SUMMARY

We are planning a multilateral Comenius project about creating an

exhibition with interactive parts about BRIDGES, the things that join us in Europe.
As the number of all kinds of mobilities (tourism, studying, working) is growing in
Europe among young people, it would be useful to show them the similarities, the
links among countries in order to beat prejudices and stereotypes. One of the
goals of our project is to give the students interesting tasks so that they can find
physical, historical, economical, civil, personal, etc. examples that prove that
they belong to the common European community. In order to reach this goal
students should complete different tasks like designing and creating posters,
logos, maquette models of existing BRIDGES between countries (e.g. Channel
Tunnel). They should have activities, focusing on the things that sometimes are
neglected in the teaching-learning process. Expressing and sharing new ideas,
using digital and other means such as artistic works, Internet and other research
etc. the students will prepare an exhibition as the final product of the project.
They should show the facts and some personal experiences as well that can help
others to understand the importance of focusing on the things that join us
instead of the ones that can separate us.
In the course of the project, the students are
expected to improve their artistic, language and ICT skills and to develop their
knowledge in Social Science, Arts, History,Geography.
They
should learn how to live in multicultural Europe and appreciate different cultures
as they often have a lot of historical, geographical, cultural, personal
connections. They should create a variety of products in order to make an
excellent exhibition where they can show all their findings on BRIDGES.

RATIONALE
Europe has changed for the last decades. We live now in a more and more global
world where official borders fade away, but it does not mean that people have
got closer to each other. Even if youngsters study, work or travel more and more
to other countries their knowledge is frequently based on stereotypes. What is
more, due to the last economic crisis, foreigners and minorities are sometimes
seen as potential economical and social dangers. Racism is growing in our
countries and there are extremists who try to influence youngsters. Our students
are of the age when they can be attracted by extreme ideas and we have to show
them the right way of thinking. Racism is misunderstanding of other peoples' or
nationalities' way of life. If we could show the students how their fellow students
live in other countries, if they could make friends, work together and learn mainly
about the things that join us they could better understand and accept
differences. Developing positive thinking in our students is the key point of this
project. All our activities will serve this goal. We would like to give them as many
common tasks as possible in order to work in international teams and become
closer and closer to each other. Therefore we need to create a project using a
common language which can teach students to find the bridges focusing on the
things that join us and in this way prevent them from developing xenophobic
feelings.
Participating in this project will be a great challenge both for teachers and for
students. Working on the project will be an opportunity to get to know other

countries, civil organizations, the programmes of international Cultural Centres,

to develop multicultural, international cooperation and communication among
students and teachers. This will be a motivating experience for them to share
ideas and meet new people, to work in teams and this way to improve their
language skills, learn important things about other European countries to become
real European citizens without prejudices and stereotypes. The project will give
the students who are not traditionally involved in student exchange programmes
and do not come from well off families the chance to travel in Europe and to
discover cultures which are often neglected.
Last but not least it will have a great impact on our institutions - The participating
schools can carry out a European project to which they otherwise would not have
any access so it will help to attain a higher status to our schools. It will also
increase the interest of students in studying foreign languages.
A Comenius project also gives the opportunity to travel, learn about foreign
countries, make friends. It is especially important in the case of talented students
whose families have low income. These students cannot afford to visit other
countries and practise speaking foreign languages .
What is more working on the project staff would try to improve the quality of
teaching and learning. It would be possible to make the curriculum more exciting
and in this way motivate students who are harder to engage in ordinary school
activities. Cooperating with teachers from other countries, staff could gather
fresh teaching ideas and approaches.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGY

The project will be ideal for fostering key competences in a lot of areas because
of the wide range of subjects in the work plan, e.g. Social Science, Arts, History,
Geography, Languages.
The following objectives will be achieved during the project:
Communication in the mother tongue
During the work in the national teams the students will develop the ability to
express thoughts and feelings in oral and written form and interact in various
contexts.
Communication in foreign languages
When working in the international teams and during the mobilities the
participants will use foreign languages as a way of communicating, they learn
how to promote assertive relationships with other people and with their social
environment, they can gain practice in mediation and intercultural
understanding. They will also improve their level of proficiency in listening,
speaking, reading and writing in the common language, English and they will get
into contact with rare languages of the EU, Hungarian, Romanian, Dutch.
Digital competence

The students will further develop their skills in ICT by expressing ideas about
different topics using digital means such as presentations (ppt), videos, chat and
doing Internet research.
Learning to learn
During all the activities students will have to organise their learning individually
and in groups, they will train their awareness of methods and opportunities by
reflecting and solving problems, designing and carrying out own plans and
strategies for problem solution.
Social and civic competences
The project work will help the students to improve their personal, interpersonal
and intercultural competence, their personal and social well-being, their
understanding of codes of conduct and customs in different environments and
particularly their knowledge of social and political concepts. It will enable them to
practice different forms of behaviour that equip them to participate in an
effective way in social and working life by actively participating in different
groups.
Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship
Solving the tasks in various subjects students will enforce their ability to turn
ideas into action with creativity and innovation, and to plan and manage projects
Cultural awareness and expression
Dealing with the topics and products of the project students will realize the
importance of creative expression of ideas, experiences and emotions by using
their skills and individual artistic resources to create their exhibition.
OUTCOMES AND RESULTS
1. Creating the eTwinnig platform, making friends through introducing
ourselves to each other,ppt presentations of the participating
countriesimprovement of ICT skills
2. Getting a closer idea of the project. Ready artistic works (logos , posters)
that will be the part of our final product, the exhibition.These works will help
everybody to identify our project.Improvement of artistic creativity and
cooperation.
3. Improvement of practical knowledge about organizing a trip, how to find and
reserve accommodation and meals, choose the best way of transportation, make
cost estimates and time management.
4. A more precise picture about historical events and connections among the
partner countries leading to fewer stereotypes and prejudices. Ppt
presentations for the exhibition. Improvement of ICT skills, history knowledge
5.Improvement of organization skills and preparatory work for an international
meeting. More knowledge about managing research work.
6. Gaining practice in organizing a kind of exhibition. Improvement of
cooperation skills. Knowledge about economical and gastronomical 'bridges'
between countries. Photos for the final exhibition.

7. Improvement of writing skills in a foreign language. Better communication and

journalistic skills. The next product for the final exhibition: reports collected in a
booklet.
8, Summary of the results based on the half way evaluation questionaires,
meetings and conferences at national and international levels.
9. Increased motivation through the statement of all the work that has already
been completed and the intense human experiences. A collection of picture
postcards for the exhibition.
10. More confidence in organizing , improvement of initiative and in working
individually on the preparation of the mobility. Realizing the importance of
cultural and civilizational aspects of an area.
11. Improvement of personal relationships and group cohesion.Knowledge about
how to handle others' reactions (verbal as well as physical)Improvement of
communication and language skills. Videos about the traditional games for the
exhibition.
12. A ready quiz about multinational organizations and cultural centres for the
interactive part of our exhibition. Ability of finding essential information to ask
about in the quiz.Improvement of ICT skills and knowledge in civics and social
science.
13. Having more detailed information about economical links and cooperation
between the participating countries Ppts about the work of multinational
companies for the exhibition. Improvement of knowledge on European economy.
14.Improvement of organizational and management skills. Realizing the
importance of a deadline. Creative and attractive ideas about the exhibition.
Motivation to do the best for the final product.
15. he final product, the exhibition. Improvement in working effectively in teams.
Positive feelings about a two-year successful work in designing, creating an
exhibition through active cooperation of international teams.Improvement of self
esteem.
16. Exhibitions in each participating country. Efficient work in a smaller group
using all the knowledge and skills learnt during the two years of the project.
17. Summary of the activities and the possible changes through the project.
Evaluation of the whole project at different levels.

IMPACT
All the participating institutions both students and teachers will get into contact
with other cultures, countries, people, schools, methodologies, opinions, etc.
They will learn to use cooperative and interdisciplinary working methods and
skills. All the participants will experience a new, appealing approach to learning
(by creating an exhibition within international teams)
Participants will learn how to use a blended learning system (traditional and
virtual). As the project deals with a lot of subjects taught in our schools the great

majority of the staff will participate in it so they will experience how a project
work can improve their teaching process compared with their own traditional
class work. Teachers can develop their teaching skills by using new methods seen
in the participating schools.
The project will boost ICT technologies in the schools involved in the project.
The relationships and the cooperation with students from other schools will
improve youngsters' self-esteem.
Students will get into contact with other languages which can increase their
interests in learning languages.
The ranking and the image of the participating schools will be more positive
among the local institutions. Working on different, colourful project activities and
mobilities, the schools will be more attractive among soon-to-be students.
The mobilities can give students opportunities to travel, to get to know other new
countries in the European Community they otherwise would never have. The
journeys can help participants become more open minded by experiencing other
points of wiews.
This two years' time spending with the project will definitely help the students to
accept the general European values and to adopt them to their own system of
values.
As the parents will also cooperate the relationship between the school and
parents can be improved, teachers and parents can learn how to work together.
European values will spread in families through students.
As the project and its final product, the exhibition 'BRIDGES' will be promoted by
the participating schools in their local area, the regional community centres,
libraries, educational and cultural institutions can also benefit from this project.
We can offer them to organize the exhibition in their institutions so it can
strengthen other people's positive views towards the EU, the people living in it.
So it will have a great and positive influence on the whole communities where
these schools can be found.