PROJECT RESULTS

The four participating schools are:

• Colegio Divina Pastora, Spain. This will be the coordinating school.

• Staicele Primary School, Latvia.

• Colegiul Național ”Costache Negruzzi” , Romania.

• Uulu Primary School, Estonia.

Three participating schools are located in rural regions and one of them in an urban area; so they have different characteristics and conditions but face similar problems: loss of (old) industries and inhabitants, the lack, more or less, of new ones like services or production, the necessity to develop new labour fields. By showing how every school prepares its students for their specific labour market, the other partners will learn to improve their own methods. With the project, we have installed closer partnerships between schools and enterprises.

With the present project, we have achieved the following objectives:

Have learned about other countries’ school systems in general and every schools’ curriculum in particular.

Have compared and evaluated different school systems.

Have developed further, revised and adapted the existing curricula at every school.

Have installed revised links between school and enterprises.

Have strengthened the European and avoid nationalistic thinking.

Have improved students’ and teachers’ English language skills and competencies, and enhanced a meaningful use of the English language.

Students (ages 11 - 18), teachers, schools' staff, parents, enterprises and entrepreneurs have taken part in this project. The educational community has benefited from the project; they are targets as well as local political and social representatives. The members of the educational community, local representatives, have been informed about the project.

Main activities during the project:

• International meetings in Estonia, Latvia, Romania and Spain.

• Students' competitions

• Multimedia presentations

• Economic analysis of different European regions

• Researches

• Workshops, seminars and lectures

• Role-plays

• Job shadowing experiences

• Dissemination activities

Methodology:

Students worked in groups. An interactive, communicative and active methodology was used. Technology was present in the different activities and throughout the whole project, due to the benefits, it offers.

The project was developed and planned together; the participating countries did the project simultaneously; the used methodology was the same in every country, and it was carried out by all schools. To prepare the project, all schools offered and organized meetings/seminars concerning intercultural cooperation, integration and communication.

Results:

• A partnership website was created to upload all the outcomes of the project.

• During the project, all progress was continuously published in an e-book, communication was done via eTwinning; all results were shown on the partners' and every school website, Facebook accounts, as well.

• Students have developed certain skills – analytical thinking, problem-solving, cooperation and teamwork, speaking and writing skills, creativity, enterprisingness, IT competencies; they have learned about other cultures and ways of life; and work-life in their partners’ countries.

• Families and school have improved their relations and cooperation via organizing events or hosting guests. Local communities were involved via the project activities as well. For example, the fair, an exhibition, job interviews, job shadowing, etc.

• The project has given a professional enrichment for teachers, the exchange of good practices has given an opportunity to experience transnational cooperation work and new materials were integrated into schools' curricular activities; also, better competencies with regard to the use of ICT, and using the European languages.

The desired impacts and benefits are:

• Stronger cooperation among all subjects connected in the project. The strengthening of the profile and reputation (every school taking part)

• A higher willingness to do and accept transnational mobilities (teachers/students)

• The improvement of the chances of students with financial, physical or social obstacles concerning their future work life.

• A better acceptance and cooperation between schools and enterprises.

• A strengthening of ICT and linguistic competencies, in particular foreign languages.

• The installation of closer links between school and work life.

• The creation of a network of European schools running similar projects.

• A greater acceptance of other countries and their country-specific conditions.