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How I made my students’ Erasmus project a success
Does the thought of an international project appeal to you? Elontra Hall describes how he made a success of an international sea level project with his students
If you had walked into my classroom on Valentine’s Day, you might have been a bit concerned.
“Who has the hacksaw?”
“Make sure that you’re careful with the glue from the gun.”
“Oh, that’s a great way to use the Exacto knife! Everyone gather around and look at how this group is using their blade!”
So what were we doing?
The Erasmus project
My journey began in the third year of a project funded by Erasmus+ called Digital Learning across Boundaries (DLaB), with eight schools and universities from four European countries. The participants included university lecturers, student teachers, teachers and my Year 7 pupils.
Two of the foci for my year were content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and how to adjust in the face of a changing world as opposed to trying to conquer it.
It was a remarkable experience.
From little acorns…
We all met in Denmark, where we decided on the approach to the curriculum and lesson planning (design thinking) and developed the framework for our project. We were taken around the country on a variety of trips to help us get creative and consider the larger perspective of our work.
When I returned to England, the real work began. I chose the students and introduced the project with a creative trigger. I had developed a plan for our international days (where we were able to work with and communicate with our Danish counterparts in real-time) without micromanaging.
A lot went into this. We had Google hangout meetings, time spent collecting materials, and then late nights spent planning and learning about new tech. There was even a day at the University of Northampton to develop the online course.
When a plan comes together
So on Valentine’s Day, we created cities of the future based on the idea that the sea levels had risen and human beings now lived on the water.
Humans had to be able to survive, communicate with one another and live sustainably. We spent the day (the third of three international days) adding greenscreen, conducting interviews as citizens from the floating cities and putting the finishing touches on our oceanic metropoli.
How to do it yourself
See what’s out there
Explore the different opportunities at Erasmus+ and decide what your focus will be.
There are lots of ways schools can introduce a more international outlook to their curriculum.
Get on top of your paperwork
You will have to complete the Erasmus+ project paperwork, and this is a really important part of making your project successful.
I found that if you use the Erasmus+ website, work closely with your partners, and start the process as soon as you can, you minimise the stress associated with the admin.
Pick a theme and timescale that works for you
Take your time to decide on a theme and how long the project will run.
Erasmus+ projects can run between two and three years. Before you commit to it, make sure that these timescales work for your students and curriculum plans.
Tell everyone
This one is easy; with a project as exciting as this, it is inevitable you will want to talk about it. But do make sure everyone knows it is a big deal, and ensure that the school knows about and can support your project.
After we finished, other students and teachers asked how they could take part in the project. They had seen the cities we were making, met the visitors from our partner countries, and heard our students talk excitedly about their work on the project.
Timetable carefully
Set aside dedicated time to work on the project each week because it isn’t something that can be squeezed in. The project is a big deal and needs to be given time to be successful.
Let the students lead
Make sure to gradually give your students more and more agency; this will help them to take it more seriously.
Set deadlines
You need deadlines, and you must make them firm.
This is a learning process for the students, give them some flexibility to start, and then tighten up fairly quickly. But, as an international project, it’s important that things happen on time.
Check your IT in advance
Technical difficulties can spoil the international aspect. Make sure your technology works, and try to have a back-up plan just in case.
Keep a record
Keep a set of loose plans and a journal so you can write reflections about the process. It is also important to have students write reflections after project time and international days.
You will learn so much. In doing the project you will make wonderful connections. Speaking and working with educators from around the globe is really valuable CPD.
However, most importantly, the students will develop in ways that you could never have predicted.
A stepping stone
Not sure if you’re quite ready to put together an Erasmus bid? Perhaps eTwinning is a better place for you to start. It’s a lot faster and easier to pick up a project there and makes a good introduction to this type of programme.